Kevin Smith tells Ed Potton how he talked himself into movies

“He’s horizontal,” cautions the publicist as he leads me into Kevin Smith’s room at the Dorchester. “But he assures me he’s still lucid.” Sure enough, the portly writer and director is flat on his back, but he raises his head and fixes me with a saucer-eyed stare as I approach. It’s the same sedate engagement exuded by the wisecracking underachievers of Clerks, Chasing Amy and the rest of his New Jersey slacker milieu.

The 33-year-old Smith, who is dressed in his regulation voluminous shorts and sports shirt, can be forgiven for taking it easy, as he has a busy few days ahead. A round of publicity for his latest film, Jersey Girl, will be followed by a weekend in Paris with his wife and daughter (”I’d rather be shopping for comic books in London”) and one of his epic Evenings with Kevin Smith. Something of an institution among American college students, the evenings are basically Q&A sessions. But, this being a man who could talk the hind legs off a sanctuary of donkeys, the emphasis is on the answers rather than the questions — Smith usually goes on for several hours; his record is six.

He holds court with the ease of a raconteur, the passion of a geek and the timing of a stand-up. There are the obvious questions about how he got started (he watched Richard Linklater’s 1991 film Slacker and thought: “If this counts as a movie, I can make a movie”). He details the origins of Jay and Silent Bob, who have appeared in all of his films except Jersey Girl (the verbose Jay is played by his long-time friend Jason Mewes; Bob is silent because Smith thinks that his own acting sucks). He is even more engaging when expounding on his loves (Eddie Izzard, Harvey Weinstein) and his hates (The Flintstones movie, the 3am Girls).

The thing that strikes you about these talks, whose best moments have been collected together on a new DVD, is Smith’s air of relaxation. Is this because he’s closer to his audience than your average movie bigshot? “Absolutely,” he nods. “Partly because a lot of them look like they do. It’s not a hard look to create — just don’t shave and eat lots of Twinkies. The people who like my movies occupy a specific demographic. They’re over-educated people who love movies and comics and think that the nine-to-five grind is beneath them.”

Fratboy philosophy and inventive pranks are Smith’s hallmarks, and some of his escapades have been brushed with genius. When his 1999 film Dogma — an irreverent take on religion that featured Alanis Morissette as God — attracted the wrath of conservatives, he decided to protest against it at a local demonstration. “We made signs that said: Dogma is Dogs***. A news crew showed up and actually interviewed me.”

Given Smith’s reputation, it was inevitable that Jersey Girl — a gentle comedy about paternal responsibility that was inspired by the arrival of his daughter, Hayley — would alienate some of his fans. “There have been people who have said: ‘What are you doing, dude?’” he admits. “But there are others who were the same age as me when Clerks came out and are now having kids of their own. I just cribbed from my own life. Although when I say this, my wife generally asks: ‘So how come my character dies after 15 minutes and yours ends up f****** Liv Tyler?’”

Hardcore Smith fans can rest easy, though — his forthcoming list of films proves that he’s not about to turn into Nora Ephron. Fletch Won will see him resurrect the insouciant journalist formerly played by Chevy Chase; he’s a fan of the latter, but it was the source novels by Gregory McDonald that inspired him to write a new script. Meanwhile, Jay and Silent Bob look likely to return, providing Mewes wins his battle with alcohol and drug addiction. “I told Mewes that if he could stay clean I’d be happy to head back into Jay and Bob country. He’s been clean and dry for a more than a year, so I might have to live up to my promise. Either that or get him to start drinking again.”

One project that looks less certain is the much anticipated The Green Hornet. Although Smith will be adapting the vintage comic strip for the screen, he has cooled on the idea of directing it. Coupled with his defunct Superman project, this decision suggests that cinema’s most famous comic obsessive — he has written strips for Marvel and DC — is unsure about ever helming a comic book movie himself. “If I direct a comic book movie I give up the right to bitch about other comic book movies,” Smith explains. “I love writing comic books, but it’s so much easier when your audience is about 100,000 people. Taking something that appeals to a small group and making it as mainstream as possible isn’t very appetising.”

Smith’s British faithful are out in force as he takes the stage at the Prince Charles Cinema three days later. He’s had a dismal weekend: a Parisian steak tartare has left him with food poisoning, and the 3am Girls have savaged the premiere of Jersey Girl and described him as “fat, bearded and Hobbit-like”. “Now I know why we left and started our own country,” he grins, to hearty applause. But when I finally leave three hours later, he’s still going strong — and he’s still vertical.

BA : I had to do a lot of imagining, and talked to friends who had kids. What I discovered when I talked to them is the openness with which they expressed
how parenthood had changed them. It surprised me, because they would be these tough guys I grew up with. As far as the dynamic with [my screen daughter]
Raquel Castro, I kind of relied on her. She has a father, I don’t have a daughter. So I took the cues from her about how that relationship might be, and
she was great about it, really helpful.

Q: Have you witnessed the change a child makes in your director, Kevin Smith?

BA : I think the story came out of his own ruminations on what it would be like if he had to raise a daughter by himself. Would he be up to it? What would
he do? For career driven people that’s the central preoccupation of your life. You’re trying to make money, or achieve some goals that you have set out for
yourself and then all of a sudden you’re sideswiped by this whole other aspect of life – a family. What my character realises is that your family, as well
as what sort of person you actually want to be, are the things that are really important. It’s about trying to become a man I guess.

PRODUCER/DIRECTOR/WRITER TO BE FIRST RECIPIENT OF AWARD IN RECOGNITION OF HIS SIGNIFICANT CONTRIBUTIONS TO DVD SUPPLEMENTAL MATERIALS

ENCINO, CALIFORNIA (June 22, 2004) … Filmmaker Kevin Smith will be presented with the first-ever DVD Visionary Award during the Opening Session at the Video Software Dealers Association’s (VSDA) Home Entertainment 2004, organizers of the show announced today. The Opening Session will take place at 9:00 AM on Tuesday, July 14 at the Venetian Resort Hotel Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada.

“Kevin Smith is the ideal first recipient of this award because he understands what it is like to be a film lover,” said VSDA President Bo Andersen. “In addition to creating works that reflect his deeper understanding of the complexities of work, relationships, religion, and family, Smith exhibits his commitment to his fans by creating some of the best supplemental materials available on DVD. His commentary and extra footage is full of humorous anecdotes and allows the viewer to have a closer look at the filmmaking process.”

Kevin Smith’s entrance to the independent film community began with his 1994 release of Clerks. Financed by the sale of his personal comic book collection and loans from friends and family, Clerks was met with critical acclaim and awarded the Filmmaker’s Trophy at Sundance, the Prix de la Jeunesse and the International Critic’s Week Award at Cannes. The ten-year anniversary version of the film, Clerks X, will be an exclusive Miramax Collectors Series 3-disc DVD set that will include the original theatrical version, an extended Sundance cut, and a new documentary. Clerks X will be released in stores on September 7, 2004.

Smith’s second film, Mallrats, was panned by critics and did not fare well in theaters but went on to be extremely successful on home video. Critics and audiences warmly received his third project, Chasing Amy. Dogma, a faith-based comedy, generated a great deal of controversy due to its pragmatic approach to religion, but thrived despite pressure from religious groups. With the aptly titled Jay And Silent Bob Strike Back, Smith wrapped up his five-film “Jersey Trilogy” and headed for more grown-up territory with the March 2004 release of Jersey Girl. The Miramax film stars longtime Smith collaborators Ben Affleck and George Carlin, as well as Jennifer Lopez and Liv Tyler. Jersey Girl will be available on home video September 14, 2004.

Smith has even made a name for himself in cyberspace, establishing two widely-popular websites, www.viewaskew.com and www.moviepoopshoot.com. Both are common bookmarks among film lovers. Although Smith relinquished his prized comic book collection to get his start in filmmaking, Smith’s successes have allowed him to open his own comic book store, Jay and Silent Bob’s Secret Stash, in downtown Red Bank, New Jersey. Graphic novels are not only sources of inspiration but also viable projects as he has written for the seminal superheroes Spider-Man, Green Arrow, and Black Cat. Smith is currently writing the big screen adaptation of the comic book and television superhero The Green Hornet.

Attendees may register for the event online at www.HomeEntertainmentEvents.com or by phone by calling 888-778-8892 or 218-723-9130. All Access badges are $345 for VSDA members and $395 for non-members prior to June 18 cut-off date. Exhibits and Conference badges are $95 for VSDA members and $145 for non-members prior to June 30. After June 30, All Access badges are $425 for VSDA members and $475 for non-members and Exhibits and Conferences badges are $125 for VSDA members and $175 for non-members. All Access badges provide entry to sponsored events, the opening ceremony, seminars, exhibit suites, and exhibit floor. Exhibits and Conferences badges provide entry to the seminars, exhibit suites, and the exhibit floor only.

Companies interested in exhibiting may contact Home Entertainment Events’ Kimbirly Orr at kkorr@HEEteam.com (mainstream companies) or Janet Gibson at jgibson@HEEteam.com (adult companies).

VSDA’s Home Entertainment 2004, the Home Entertainment Retail Expo, and the AVN Adult Entertainment Expo are organized through Home Entertainment Events, in which the Video Software Dealers Association is a partner. For more information about Home Entertainment Events and its shows, please send an e-mail to info@heeteam.com

Established in 1981, the Video Software Dealers Association (VSDA) is the not-for-profit international trade association for the $22 billion home entertainment industry. VSDA represents more than 1,200 companies throughout the United States, Canada, and a dozen other countries. Its members operate more than 12,500 retail outlets in the U.S. that sell and/or rent DVDs, VHS cassettes, and console video games. Membership comprises the full spectrum of video retailers (from single-store operators to large chains), video distributors, the home video divisions of major and independent motion picture studios, and other related businesses that constitute and support the home video entertainment industry.