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Carolina Girl

A hit TV show, a clothing line, and the work ethic to pull it off - Jaime Pressly credits growing up in North Carolina for all of it. That's why she goes back there so often. That, and the egg-and-cheese biscuits.
. Photograph by Emily Shur.

Many people would assume that Kinston, North Carolina, native Jaime Pressly and Joy, the character she plays on My Name Is Earl, are interchangeable. After all, they're both sassy, they're both blonde, they both speak their minds, and they both hail from the South. But that's where the similarities end. In fact, when the Emmy-nominated actress calls us to chat about her home state, the things that strike us most are her ambition and her smarts. Unlike Joy, Jaime's not dreaming up a scheme to steal the Bargain Bag delivery truck. She's been too busy running her designer label, J'aime by Jaime Pressly; and prepping for the delivery of her son, Dezi James. Oh yeah, and there's that top-rated TV show to juggle as well. But, fortunately, she wasn't too busy to fill us in on her favorite North Carolina hot spots. And at the risk of sounding cliché, Jaime Pressly is a pure joy.

How does a small-town girl from North Carolina become a Hollywood star? Well, part of being from the South is that you grow up with a different work ethic. You work so hard for everything that you get, and therefore, you appreciate it that much more. You just don't give up. It's not like things are handed to you on a silver platter, whether or not you have money to begin with.