Jaren Lewison’s laundry list of accomplishments might give him some trouble playing a game of “never have I ever” these days.
The Dallas native has starred as overachiever Ben Gross in the critically acclaimed Netflix show Never Have I Ever, co-created by Mindy Kaling, since 2020. He also graduated summa cum laude from the University of Southern California this past May, completing his psychology degree in only three years.
But the 21-year-old’s impressive resume doesn’t mean he’s forgotten his roots.
“I’m such a Texas boy. All of my music is country music,” said Lewison in a phone call with The Dallas Morning News. “Getting to experience growing up in Dallas, where the people are so kind and the food is so good and it’s such a wholesome family environment, I couldn’t have asked to grow up anywhere else.
“That’s my home and it’ll always be my home,” added Lewison, who graduated from J. J. Pearce High School in 2019. “It’s really warm, both physically and personality-wise.”
Ahead of the third season of Never Have I Ever, premiering on Netflix on Aug. 12, we caught up with Lewison, who dished on balancing shooting the show with school, what it was like wrapping the fourth and final season of the show earlier this month and his favorite hometown grub.
This interview has been edited for clarity.
What’s in store for your character, Ben, in season 3 of Never Have I Ever?
Ben is dealing with pressures of college, and we’re going to see how he deals with that and how he has to navigate these challenges, and if he deals with it well or if things don’t go so well. Like always in Never Have I Ever, we’ve got these incredible ups and downs and twists and turns and unexpected moments, and they’re not only funny, but also heartwarming, which I think is the core of our show. There will be a lot in there to root for in terms of Ben, in terms of his journey and what he goes through.
How did you balance shooting with finishing up college?
I have to give so much credit to my teachers and everybody that worked with me, as well as my support network — my friends and family who kept me going even when it was really hard — and to production, because sometimes I would frantically talk to some of the [assistant directors], and I’d be like, ‘Oh my gosh, guys, I have this exam, they said it has to be in person, I’m scheduled to work, I only have this scene, is there anything that we can do?’ And they were able to work things out for me the best that they could. The weekends were grind time for me. I’m the opposite of a procrastinator. I try to finish things, like, two weeks in advance. If I knew that I was going to be shooting a lot in the next two or three weeks, it would pay off.
For the record, graduating in three years summa cum laude is a very Ben Gross thing to do.
It is a very Ben thing to do. I’ve been told that. But hey, you know, what are you gonna do?
I heard you had to call out of shooting season four, the last season, to go to your graduation?
Literally the first week of shooting, that Friday, the 13th of May, 2022, was my USC graduation. I wanted to have that recognition and that moment, especially for my family, for them to watch me walk across the stage, and production found a way to make it happen. It was really special, and I’ll remember that forever.
What can you tell us about season four without getting in trouble?
It is truly this perfect end to this unbelievable show that has been groundbreaking and such a pioneer in so many ways, that I don’t think that there is literally anything left to be desired after having completed that fourth season. Fans are just going to be mind blown. I just know it.
What was it like wrapping on this show that’s been such a big part of your life for so long?
It’s been crazy, because I feel like kind of my entire adulthood — college and Never Have I Ever — have been intertwined. Oddly enough, because I’ve graduated in three years and we did the four seasons in three years, they’re both kind of ending at the same time. So it’s definitely this crazy period of change for me. I thought that I would be crying and so upset on the last day of shooting, but in reality, I just felt this overwhelming sense of gratitude. Yes, I’m definitely sad that I’m not going to be able to have those memories on set continue, because those are some of my favorite memories that I’ve ever had in my life. However, those experiences will always be with me, and the friendships that I’ve made and the relationships that I’ve built, those are never going away.
Does that have anything to do with the caption you use on all your Instagram posts, “remember the feeling?”
Yeah, absolutely. That’s my life motto, and my grandfather passed it down to my father, who passed it down to me. Sometimes it’s driving with your best friend and the windows down and music blaring and you stop and remember how lucky you are. Or you finish an interview with the newspaper that you grew up reading and you get to talk about what you’re doing and how proud you are to be from the city that you’re from, and to be from Dallas. Those are “remember the feeling” moments that show me just how incredible life is, and just help me practice gratitude.
Speaking of Dallas, do you have a favorite place to eat when you come home?
I have several. Tex-Mex is, like, not it in L.A. So anytime I go home, any Torchy’s I’m, like, immediately there. Their queso is my favorite queso in the world. I’m also a massive Whataburger person. The buffalo ranch chicken strip sandwich and the patty melt are unbelievable, and they don’t have that in L.A. either. So every time I go home, I have that several times in one week, which is maybe not the best for me, but whatever. My favorite barbecue restaurant is Cooper’s, which is across the street from Billy Bob’s in Fort Worth. They have the best brisket and ribeye.
So what’s in store for you now that you’ve graduated and filming has wrapped?
We’ll see. I’m definitely keeping my options open. It might be thriller, it might be a drama, it might be another comedy. Whether it’s going to be film or another series, we’ll see. I’m definitely excited for what’s coming next, and we’re going to have to find out. Ben has taught me that I need to sort of relinquish a little bit of control, and just be excited about what’s ever coming next because whatever it is, that’s what’s meant to be, and I’m just excited to see what that is.
