Most people do not know the name Giuseppe Andrews ~ yet.  The actor has appeared in both film and television for about ten years and at the moment, is best known for his role as Lex in the 1999 film Detroit Rock City, and as Germ on the television show Two Guys And A Girl.  It was during the opening weekend of Detroit Rock City that summer that I discovered him. Within days, I was back to see the movie again (and again and again ~ I love this film), and embarked on a quest to seek out more of Giuseppe's appearances and learn more about him.  I began searching the web for more information about him without much success, as there is very little information available.  I decided to research Giuseppe's career and this site went online in October, 1999.

      Although challenging at times, I have had a lot of fun researching Giuseppe's career and putting together this web site.  Many thanks to all of his fans who have e-mailed me with kind comments about Lex's Basement and have donated items to the site.  I would like to take a moment to thank my friend Rena for all of her help with this web site and for helping me research Giuseppe's career.  This site would not be what it is without the assistance I received from her.

     Giuseppe Andrews was born on April 25, 1979 in Key Largo, Florida.  His real name is Joey, which is why he is credited early in his career as Joey Andrews.  As he got older, he felt that the name Joey sounded too young and changed his name to Giuseppe (from the Italian composer, Giuseppe Verdi).  His father was a guitarist for 25 years, causing Giuseppe to grow up around the entertainment industry.

     Giuseppe became interested in acting as a child after the divorce of his parents.  Both he and his father moved to Los Angeles for his father's work.  He says, "We needed the money, and I wanted to try it."  At the time, he was living in his van and read an ad in the newspaper for auditions for an agency.  He decided to go to the audition, and was signed up.  He says it is really hard to get into the industry and he was very lucky.

     Since that time a decade ago, Giuseppe has appeared in a wide range of feature films, ranging from the blockbuster Independence Day, to the controversial American History X.  He has also appeared in both television movies and programs, and music videos.  His goal for the next decade is to become more involved behind the camera, writing and directing his own films.  Giuseppe also writes his own music, which he hopes to incorporate into his future films as well.

     Giuseppe says he would like to see more independent films in the bigger theatres as he feels independent and foreign films give the viewer more to think about, and he likes the less structural aspect to them.  In his spare time, he enjoys, "watching films and walking around my town by the beach."

     His favorite actor is Bruno S. who can be seen in the 1977 German film Stroszek, directed by Werner Herzog.  Giuseppe says that Bruno S. has been an influence to him in his career by not caring about the business aspect of the movie industry and for being so natural in front of the camera.  A self-taught painter and musician, Bruno S. was severely beaten as a child by his mother and spent 23 years in various institutions, labeled as having Schizophrenia.

     One of Giuseppe's favorite films is Salo (aka: Salo o le 120 giornate di Sodoma, or The 120 Days of Sodom ~ 1975). The film was banned in Italy and several other countries for several years.  The story fuses Mussolini's Fascist Italy with the Marquis de Sade, commenting on the banality of evil.  It was the last movie by Italian director Pier Paolo Pasolini before he was murdered shortly after completing the film.

     Giuseppe says a director he would like to work with one day is Lars Von Trier, who directed the film, Breaking The Waves.  Other favorite directors of his include the late German director Rainer Werner Fassbinder and the French director, Jean-Luc Godard.  Godard was labelled as a pioneer of the 'New Wave (nouvelle vague)' filmmakers.  The New Wave directors' unique filmmaking stood in contrast to the traditional approach. Cinema verite was a style adopted by several New Wave filmmakers, including Godard.  (Special thanks to Renee for the previous information about Godard).  In the future, Giuseppe would like to write and direct his own films.

     One of his favorite books is Ecce Homo, an autobiography about the philosopher Friedrich Wilhelm Nietzsche, which he would like to incorporate into one of his future directed films.  The book was written in 1888 and is Nietzsche's interpretation of his life and his literary works.  It was one of Nietzsche's last works before his collapse and some critics view the book as being written by a mad-man.

     Some of Giuseppe's musical interests include The Red Hot Chili Peppers ~ in particular, the guitarist for the band, John Frusciante.  He does not often go to big concerts, as he prefers smaller shows in clubs.  He says the best concert he's attended was by Chris Whitley.  Other groups include Sun Volt and Ron Sexsmith.  Giuseppe says he also listens to music from the German composer (Richard) Wagner, who happened to be a very close friend to Nietzsche.

     Over the past couple of years, I've been asked if I know what colour Giuseppe's eyes are, or how tall he is.  I asked him and he got back to me with the following information to share with you all:

Height: 6' 2".
Weight: 160 lbs.
Eye colour: Green/hazel

     I have also been asked if I know Giuseppe personally or have met him.  I have not met Giuseppe ~ I've only corresponded with him through mail (his address can be found here.)  The information on this site comes from a few asked questions and a lot of research.

     Today, Giuseppe continues to live a private life north of Los Angeles.  Although his passion is to create his own films, I hope we get more chances to see him acting in the future.

Written in December, 2001.