In 1993, Adams landed her first major film role as Simone in Richard Linklater’s Dazed and Confused. Two years later, Adams appeared in Mallrats, written and directed by Kevin Smith. Meanwhile, in 1996, while Smith was finalizing the script for Chasing Amy, she was cast for a role in the slapstick comedy Bio-Dome, which was directed by Jason Bloom. in 1997′s Chasing Amy. Later, Smith would describe Chasing Amy as a “sort of penance/valentine” and a “thank-you homage” to Adams. Adams’ performance in Chasing Amy earned her both the 1997 Chicago Film Critics Award and Las Vegas Film Critics Society Award for Most Promising Actress, and a Golden Globe nomination for Best Actress-Motion Picture Musical or Comedy. However, she would later make brief appearances in two other Smith projects: the 2001 film Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back, and the 2004 animated short Clerks: The Lost Scene, featured on the Clerks X DVD. The film, shot on location in Little Rock, Arkansas, was selected for the 2006 Sundance Film Festival.
