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Kevin Patrick Smith (born August 2, 1970) is an American screenwriter, writer, film director, actor and comic book writer. He is also the founder of View Askew Productions. Smith's films are often set in his home state of New Jersey, and while not strictly sequential, do feature crossover plot elements, character references, and a shared canon: the View Askewniverse. Bearded, wearing glasses and a perennial long wool coat on top of shorts and a shirt, Kevin Smith became the idol of aspiring filmmakers everywhere when his independent feature "Clerks" (1994) made for $27,575 won art prizes and a contract with the Creative Artists Agency (CAA). His first movie, Clerks. (1994), was filmed in the convenience store in which Smith worked. He was only allowed to shoot at night after the store closed. This movie won the highest award at the Sundance film festival and was brought to theaters by Miramax. The movie went over so well that Smith was able to make another movie, Mallrats (1995). This movie, as Kevin has said, was meant to be a "smart Porkys". Although it didn't do well at all in the box office, it has done more then well on video store shelves and is usually the favorite among many Smith fans. During filming for the movie Smith met his new close friends and stars of his next movie, Ben Affleck and Jason Lee and his new girlfriend, Joey Lauren Adams. Smith has said that his relationship with Adams has been much of an inspiration for his next movie, Chasing Amy (1997), Smith's comedy drama which won two independent Spirit awards: Best Screenplay and Best Supporting Role (for Jason Lee. Around the time that Chasing Amy (1997) was wrapping, Smith broke up with Adams, and then when the Spirit awards were approaching he met his soon-to-be wife, Jennifer Schwalbach Smith. After _Chasing Amy (1997) , Smith started on Dogma (1999), a controversial film about Christianity. Around this time Smith's wife gave birth to their first baby girl, Harley Quinn Smith. Harley Quinn and Jennifer both have roles in Smith's next film, Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back (2001). In this road trip comedy, the cult heroes, Jay and Silent Bob go on an adventure to stop the production of a movie being made about them, find true love, and save an orangutan. In 2004, he wrote and directed Jersey Girl (2004), starring Ben Affleck and Liv Tyler, and two years later he completed the sequel to his first film, Clerks II (2006). Smith has also written scripts for such comics as Daredevil and Green Arrow. He also wrote a script for a new Superman movie but decided to leave the project. Smith has opened a comic book store, has a production company, writes articles for Arena magazine, and does short films for the Leno show. He has accomplished so much and he has only been around since 1994. Smith was born in Red Bank, New Jersey, the son of Grace, a homemaker, and Donald Smith, a postal worker. He has an older sister, Virginia, and an older brother, Donald Smith, Jr. He was raised in a Catholic household and attended Henry Hudson Regional High School in Highlands, The New School for Social Research in New York and the Vancouver Film School, where he met Scott Mosier, his producer in every movie that he has made. He majored in film, but dropped out halfway through his studies, electing to take a partial tuition reimbursement in order to help finance his first film. Smith is married to Jennifer Schwalbach Smith. He named his daughter Harley Quinn after character Harleen "Harley Quinn" Quinzel from Batman: The Animated Series. Although Smith was raised Catholic he has said on Back To The Well, the Clerks II documentary, that now he only goes to mass on the day before he starts production of a movie, and the day before it premieres. He never smoked until his debut film, Clerks, where he used the cigarettes as a prop, but never actually inhaled. In fact, he has said that prior to filming Clerks, he was a staunch non-smoker. Today, he does smoke regularly. Smith's weight has always been a defining characteristic, and has gained him unwanted media attention. His first film, Clerks, was shot for the sum total of $27,575 in the same convenience store where Smith worked. It went to the Sundance Film Festival in 1994, where it won the Filmmaker's Trophy and was picked up by Miramax before the fest's end. In May of 1994, it went to the Cannes International Film Festival where it won both the Prix de la Jeunesse and the International Critics' Week Prize. Released in November 1994 in two cities, the film went on to play in fifty markets, never playing on more than fifty screens at any given time. It was a critical and financial success, earning $3.1 million. Initially, the film received an NC-17 rating from the MPAA, solely for the graphic language. Miramax hired Alan Dershowitz to defend the film, and at an appeals screening, a "jury" consisting of members of the National Association of Theater Owners reversed the MPAA's decision, and the film was given an R rating instead. Smith's second film didn't fare as well as his first. Mallrats received a critical drubbing and earned merely $2.2 million at the box office, despite playing on more than 500 screens. The film marked Jason Lee's debut as a leading man. While it later found its audience on home video, earning the title "cult classic", Smith has said of the movie "It was a six million dollar casting call for Chasing Amy." Widely hailed as one of Smith's best films, Chasing Amy marked what Quentin Tarantino called "a quantum leap forward" for Smith. Starring Mallrats alumni Jason Lee, Joey Lauren Adams and Ben Affleck, the $250,000 film earned $12 million at the box office and wound up on a number of critics' year-end best lists, and won two Independent Spirit Awards (screenplay and supporting actor for Lee). Smith's next film, Dogma, had an all-star cast and found itself mired in controversy. The religious-themed comedy, which starred a post-Good Will Hunting Ben Affleck and Matt Damon, Chris Rock, Salma Hayek, Alan Rickman, Linda Fiorentino, and Smith regulars Jason Lee and Jason Mewes, raised the ire of the Catholic League due largely to a reference about the Virgin Mary having post-Jesus intercourse with her husband, Joseph. Smith received over ten thousand pieces of protest/hate mail (some of which were showcased on the film's official website) and three death threats. The film debuted at the 1999 Cannes International Film Festival, out of competition. Released on 800 screens in November of 1999, the $10 million film earned $30 million. After the controversy surrounding Dogma, Smith said he wanted to make a movie that couldn't be attacked for its content. Focusing the spotlight on two characters who'd appeared in supporting roles in his previous four films, Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back featured an all-star cast, with many familiar faces returning from Smith's first four films. The $20 million film earned $30 million at the box office and received mixed reviews from the critics. It was meant to be the film that closed the book on the "Askewniverse" - the Jersey-based, interconnected quintet of movies written and directed by Smith. Jersey Girl was seen as a post-Gigli Bennifer movie (also starring George Carlin and Liv Tyler) that was meant to mark a new direction in Smith's career took a critical beating. Budgeted at $35 million, it earned only $25 million. Clerks II marked one more trip into the Askewniverse, Smith resurrected the Dante and Randal characters from his first film and looked in on them ten years later. Roundly criticized before its release, the film went on to win favorable reviews as well as two awards (the Audience Award at the Edinburgh Film Festival and the Orbit Dirtiest Mouth Award at the Mtv Movie Awards). It marked Smith's third trip to the Cannes International Film Festival, where Clerks II received an eight minute standing ovation. The $5 million dollar film, starring Jeff Anderson, Brian O'Halloran, Rosario Dawson, Jason Mewes, Jennifer Schwalbach and Smith himself - reprising his role as Silent Bob earned $25 million. In March of 2006, Smith announced he was working on a new, non-Askewniverse comedy. Zack and Miri Make a Porno, starring Seth Rogen and Elizabeth Banks, started shooting on January 18, 2008 in Monroeville, Pennsylvania, and wrapped on March 15, 2008. The movie is now entering post-production. Smith announced at the Wizard World Chicago 2006 convention that his next project would move in a different direction, and would be a horror film. In April 2007, Smith revealed the title of the horror movie to be Red State and said that it was inspired by preacher Fred Phelps, or as Smith claimed, "very much about that subject matter, that point of view and that position taken to the absolute extreme. It's certainly not Phelps himself but it's very much inspired by a Phelps figure." He plans to shoot Red State back-to-back with Zack and Miri Make a Porno. It has been recently posted on Kevin Smith's website that he has already finished the script for both films. In a recent blog update, Smith stated that Harvey Weinstein has passed on Red State. Another planned project for Smith is Ranger Danger and the Danger Rangers. He has described the project as "My stab at a comic-book/sci-fi movie. It's in the vein of Flash Gordon, something I've noodled with a couple of years. Now I feel we are mature enough filmmakers to tackle it". In an April 2007 post on his blog, he mentioned that he's "planning something special" for his tenth movie. Another project that has long been in the works is Clerks: Sell Out, the feature-length animated film done in the Clerks: The Animated Series style. The fate of this project is currently unknown. As an actor, Smith is known for his role as Silent Bob in Clerks, Mallrats, Chasing Amy, Dogma, Jay And Silent Bob Strike Back, and Clerks II. He made a cameo appearance in the horror film Scream 3, and was featured along with Jason Mewes in several Degrassi episodes, including a special, Jay and Silent Bob Do Degrassi (also as a fictional version of himself). From 1995 to 1997, Smith played small roles in the View Askew movies Drawing Flies, Vulgar, and "Big Helium Dog". In 2001, he appeared in friend Jeff Anderson's Now You Know. In 2003, Smith appeared in a cameo role as coroner Jack Kirby in the film Daredevil. In 2006, he voiced the Moose in the CGI cartoon Doogal. In 2007, Smith appeared in three films as an actor. He had his first starring role in a film he didn't write or direct, co-starring as Sam in the film Catch and Release, starring Jennifer Garner. The performance earned him many favorable critical notices. Later that year, he had a small part as a hacker called The Warlock in the fourth installment of the Die Hard franchise, Live Free or Die Hard for which he again received strong critical notices. At year's end, he appeared briefly in friend and fellow writer-director Richard Kelly's Southland Tales, in which he played the legless conspiracy theorist General Simon Theory. That same year, Smith also did voicework for the CGI film TMNT as a diner chef. Smith has also done small roles on television in shows such as Law & Order, Veronica Mars, Joey, "Degrassi: The Next Generation", and Yes, Dear. A life-long comic book fan, Smith's early forays into comic books dealt with previously established View Askew characters, and were published by Oni Press. He wrote a short Jay and Silent Bob story about Walt Flanagan's dog in Oni Double Feature #1, and followed it with a Bluntman and Chronic story in Oni Double Feature #12. He followed these with a series of Clerks comics. The first was simply Clerks: The Comic Book, which told of Randal's attempts to corner the market on Star Wars toys. The second was Clerks: Holiday Special, where Dante and Randal discover that Santa Claus lives in an apartment between the Quick Stop and RST Video. Third was Clerks: The Lost Scene, showing what happened inside Poston's Funeral Parlor. (This issue was later animated and included as an extra on the 10th Anniversary Clerks DVD.) Smith has written a comic mini-series Chasing Dogma, which tells the story of Jay and Silent Bob between the films Chasing Amy and Dogma. He has also written the trade paperback Bluntman and Chronic, published by Image, which purports to be a collection of the three issues of the series done by Holden McNeil and Banky Edwards (of Chasing Amy). It includes a color reprinting of the story from Oni Double Feature #12, purported to be an early appearance by McNeil and Edwards. These stories have all been collected in Tales From the Clerks (Graphitti Designs), which also includes a new "Clerks" story. They were previously collected by Image Comics in three separate volumes, one each for Clerks, Chasing Dogma and Bluntman and Chronic. Smith makes occasional mention of his desire to do a comicbook one-shot of Bartleby and Loki (from Dogma) and the story behind how they got kicked out of heaven, as well as a comic-only sequel to Mallrats called Mallrats 2: Die Hard in a Mall announced all the way back in August 1998. In 1999, he won a Harvey Award, for Best New Talent in comic books. Smith began a lengthy association with Marvel Comics in 1999, taking over as the writer of the Marvel Comic Daredevil. His run, which lasted eight issues, was plagued by delays (which artist Joe Quesada publicly took responsibility for, though it was a sign of things to come). His tenure on Daredevil was controversial among Daredevil fans. Some fans accused Smith of misogyny in his handling of Karen Page's death, and others objected to the killing of long-time Spider-Man foe Mysterio in a non-Spider-Man series. John Byrne and Howard Mackie (then-current writers on the Spider-Man titles) would bring the character back to life (however, because of the delays in his Daredevil run, Mysterio's return to life in the pages of Spider-Man was published before the issue of Daredevil which featured Mysterio's death was published). Kevin Smith followed this by jumping to DC Comics, producing a 15-issue tenure on Green Arrow that saw the return of Oliver Queen from the dead and the introduction of Mia Dearden, a teenage girl who would become Speedy after Smith's run had ended. Smith returned to Marvel for two mini-series: Spider-Man/Black Cat: The Evil That Men Do and Daredevil/Bullseye: The Target. The former is six issues long, but the final three issues were delayed for three years. The delay in part was due to Smith's movie production schedule (in this case, work on Jersey Girl and Clerks II) causing him to shelf completion of the mini-series until the films were completed. He was announced as the writer of an ongoing Black Cat series and Amazing Spider-Man' in early to mid-2002. However, because of the fatal delays on Evil That Men Do and The Target, the plan was switched so that Smith would start a third Spider-Man title (originally planned for then-ASM writer J. Michael Straczynski), and even this plan was eventually abandoned and the title (by then known as Marvel Knights Spider-Man) launched, in 2004, by Mark Millar instead. While the Spider-Man/Black Cat mini-series was ultimately completed, Daredevil/Bullseye: The Target remains unfinished, with one issue published. As of May 2007, Marvel and Kevin Smith have indicated that there are no plans for the mini-series to ever be completed. The Black Cat series has been quietly "forgotten", with no comment on it since the original SM/BC hiatus, and thus while no official announcement has been made on its abandonment, it is extremely unlikely to ever happen. Smith was co-executive producer for the 1997 movie Good Will Hunting, assisting friends Matt Damon and Ben Affleck with making and marketing their film. After Damon and Affleck received Academy Awards for their screenplay, critics alleged that Smith himself was responsible for the script, a rumor which Smith vehemently denies. Rumors also persisted that William Goldman had written the entire script as well, which Goldman denies. On an episode of "SModcast" in 2007, he also revealed that he was invited to direct the film, but ultimately turned the offer down, citing an insecurity he had at the time with directing something that he had not himself written. Smith (with Mosier) executive produced four, $40,000.00 films between 1995 and 1997. They are A Better Place, Drawing Flies, Big Helium Dog, and Vulgar. In 2005, he served as executive producer on the Steve James documentary Reel Paradise. In 2006, he was the executive producer on the Sundance documentary Small Town Gay Bar, directed by Malcolm Ingram. Currently Smith is serving as executive producer on the indie film, Diary of a Junkie. A mockumentary written, directed, and starring new comer Brandon Bennett Diary takes a look at the life of a junkie, who lives in an abandoned hotel and works as a janitor during the day to support his habit. The project is currently being delayed due to budget issues. The project has gained attention via myspace due to Bennett's realistic portrayal of a drug addict. In 1997, Smith was hired by New Line to rewrite Overnight Delivery (1998) which was expected to be a blockbuster teen movie. Smith's then-girlfriend Joey Lauren Adams almost took the role of Ivy in the movie instead of the female lead in Chasing Amy. Eventually she lost out to Reese Witherspoon, and Overnight Delivery was quietly released directly to video. Kevin Smith's involvement with the film was revealed on-line, but remains uncredited. He has said that the only scene which really used his dialogue was the opening scene, which includes a reference to long-time Smith friend Bryan Johnson. For a time, Smith worked on a script for a Superman movie. He did a couple of drafts but his script was dropped when Tim Burton was hired to direct. Burton brought his own people to work on the project. Smith still sees the whole experience on working on the Superman project as a positive one though, since, in his own words he was well paid and it was a lot of fun. In the end, neither Smith's nor Burton's vision for Superman was filmed. Years later Smith noted the similarity between a scene in one of his comics and a scene in Burton's remake of Planet of the Apes. In the 2007 Direct-to-DVD animation release of Superman: Doomsday, Smith has a cameo as an onlooker in a crowd. After Superman defeats The Toyman's giant mechanical robot, Smith scoffs, "Yeah, like we really needed him to defeat that giant spider. Heh. Lame!" This was an obvious reference to a giant spider that producer Jon Peters of the Superman movie wanted Smith to put in the movie when he was attached, that was later put into another movie tied to Peters called Wild Wild West. In 2004, Smith wrote a screenplay for a new film version of The Green Hornet. The project however died after Smith's longtime producing partner Scott Mosier said he didn't want to produce something with such a big budget, and without Mosier producing, Smith no longer wanted to direct the movie and the script was thrown out. A new screenplay for the movie has been written by (and will star) Smith's "Zack and Miri Make a Porno" lead Seth Rogen. In 2002, Smith pressed his bosses at Miramax to pick up the rights to Gregory McDonald's Fletch series. Smith hoped to helm a movie adaptation of Fletch Won, with the intention of making it more faithful to the original novel than the popular Chevy Chase films. Smith hoped to cast View Askew regular Jason Lee in the title role but this proposal was nixed by Bob and Harvey Weinstein. Smith spoke to Zach Braff about the possibility of taking the role, which he eventually accepted. In October 2005, Smith abandoned the project. Smith was featured in This film is not yet rated - a documentary about the MPAA and how they sometimes unfairly give out ratings. Smith's interview was in reference to Clerks originally receiving an NC17 rating and Jersey Girl an R. During the Mid 1990's Smith directed and starred in a series of commercials for MTV: Music Television, along side Jason Mewes, in which they reprised their roles as Jay & Silent Bob. In 1998 he directed best friend Jason Mewes as "Gary Lamb - Ground Activist" in a series of Nike commercials. That same year, he also shot commercials for Diet Coke. Two years later, he directed "Star Wars" toy commercials for Hasbro. He has also directed and starred in commercials for Panasonic. In 2004 he also shot a public service announcement for the Declare Yourself organization. These advertisements brought Jay and Silent Bob out of their "semi-retirement." Smith has appeared in 2 Q&A documentaries titled An Evening with Kevin Smith and An Evening with Kevin Smith 2: Evening Harder. The first is a collection of filmed appearances at American colleges, while the sequel was shot at two Q&A shows held in Toronto and London. Both DVD sets were released by Sony Home Video. Smith appears with Marvel Comics guru Stan Lee in "Marvel Then & Now: An Evening With Stan Lee and Joe Quesada, hosted by Kevin Smith". The film is similar in tone to the Evening With Kevin Smith series. Proceeds from the sale of the film benefit the Hero Initiative, a charitable organization that aids ill or aging comic book creators. In April, 2008, Genius Productions will release a third Q&A DVD Kevin Smith: Sold Out, which was filmed during Smith's Q&A on his 37th birthday, August 2nd 2007, at the Count Basie Theater in Red Bank, NJ. On February 5, 2007 Smith and Scott Mosier began podcasting. Their podcast is named the SModcast (Smith-Mosier podcast), and is presented by Quick Stop Entertainment. As of May 25, 2008, there have been 51 SModcasts. Opie and Anthony regularly air SModcast episodes during the weekends on their channel, XM 202. There have been several episodes with guest stars filling in for Scott Mosier. These include Kevin's wife, Jennifer Schwalbach Smith, in episodes 20, 22 and 23, as well as Kevin's friends Jason Mewes (Episodes 16, 36, 44), Walt Flanagan (Episodes 13, 14, 24, 25, 34, 35, 50), Malcolm Ingram (Episodes 14, 24, 25) and Bryan Johnson (Episodes 26, 33, 34, 35). Scott Mosier returned on SModcast 27 after a five week absence, having taken a trip to Mexico with his wife, travelling to Scotland for the Edinburgh Film Festival, and falling ill on his way home. SModcast 37 served as a milestone in the history of the program (37 being an important/popular number in the View Askewniverse; particularly in the film 'Clerks') . To celebrate this, Smith and Mosier recorded their longest SModcast to date, lasting an incredible 'one hour and forty-four minutes'; twice the length of a normal episode. After the 44th episode, SModcast took an 11 week hiatus. This was due to the fact that Smith and Mosier were in production of their latest film Zack and Miri Make a Porno. Smith has posted a blog telling that production has finished, and they were simply waiting for the equipment to arrive back to LA for them to continue SModcast. On April 6th, Smodcast returned after an 11 week hiatus. Kevin Smith is a frequent guest on the Opie and Anthony Show. He has made several in-studio appearances and sometimes calls in unannounced. His most notable appearance featured an on-air argument between himself and movie critic Joel Siegel after Siegel made a scene of walking out on a screening of Clerks II. Kevin Smith is a frequent guest on the LA based Kevin and Bean show. In 2007 Kevin became the show's decider as the ultimate authority. His decisions have ranged from who is hotter Kristen Bell or Hayden Panettiere (he choose Bell as she is not a child and will appear in a Princess Leia costume in the upcoming movie Fanboys) to who is the ultimate Batman (Michael Keaton). These decisions along with other appearances on the show are available as a podcast on itunes. Smith has been a regular contributor to UK-based Arena Magazine. In 2005, Miramax Books released Smith's first tome, Silent Bob Speaks, a collection of previously published essays (most from Arena) dissecting pop culture, the movie-making business, and Smith's personal life. His second book, My Boring-Ass Life: The Uncomfortably Candid Diary of Kevin Smith, published by Titan Books, was another collection of previously published essays and reached #32 on the New York Times Best Sellers List. In 2000, Smith and Mosier teamed up with television writer David Mandel (Seinfeld and SNL) to develop an animated television show based on Clerks. This was an idea Smith had been kicking around since the production of Mallrats and, after pitching it to nearly every major television network, ABC TV picked it up for airing in March 2000. After being delayed to May, Clerks: The Animated Series aired only two episodes, out of order, before being cancelled as a result of poor ratings. The six produced episodes were released on DVD in 2001, marking one of the first occasions in which a very short-lived TV series found success in the DVD format. After the series was cancelled Smith planned on turing it into a major motion picture. While that film was never made, Smith has stated that what would have been the Clerks animated film became Jay & Silent Bob Strike Back. Smith also appeared in an MTVu show titled Sucks Less With Kevin Smith. The show gives college students ideas for things to do on the weekends. Smith also played the role of Paul, a cynical married man, in a Showtime television series pilot, "Manchild", filmed in December 2006. However, it was not picked up by the network. After an August, 2001 appearance on "The Tonight Show with Jay Leno" to promote "Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back", Smith returned to the show for monthly segments as a correspondent. The "Roadside Attractions" segments featured Smith traveling to random locations around the country and showcased places like Howe Caverns in upstate New York and the Fish Market in Seattle. While five of these segments were included on the Jersey Girl DVD, twelve or more were aired on the actual show. Smith regularly appeared on the program to introduced the pre-taped bits. From July 2006 on, Smith has guest reviewed on the television show Ebert & Roeper three times, in place of the recovering Roger Ebert. These spots have been notable for the arguments between Smith and Richard Roeper over certain films, with Smith often citing Roeper's poor review of Jersey Girl to discredit his review of the film at hand. On his most recent appearance Smith compared Craig Brewer's Black Snake Moan to the works of William Faulkner. In early 2005, Smith appeared in three episodes of the Canadian-made Degrassi: The Next Generation television show. In the episodes, Smith, portraying a fictionalized version of himself, visited the school to work on the (fictional) film Jay and Silent Bob Go Canadian, Eh!. Smith wrote all his dialogue for the shows he appeared in. All three episodes were collected on a DVD entitled "Jay and Silent Bob Do Degrassi". Smith and Mewes also appeared in 2 more episodes the following season, when they returned to Degrassi for the Toronto premiere of the fictional Jay and Silent Bob Go Canadian, Eh! movie. In addition to appearing on Degrassi: The Next Generation, Kevin Smith is an avid fan of the original Degrassi series, Degrassi Junior High and Degrassi High and references to the original are present in some of his early films. Smith directed the pilot for a CW network show called Reaper. Tv.com's summary of the show is "A twenty-something slacker finally scores a job as the devil's bounty hunter." He describes it as "less Brimstone or Dead Like Me and more like Shaun of the Dead than anything else". He also goes on to say that the reason he took the job is that he has always wanted to direct something he did not write, but never had an interest in doing it on the big screen. He has since said he'll never do it again. At the 2007 San Diego Comic-Con, it was announced that Kevin Smith would write and direct an episode of the Heroes spin-off, Heroes: Origins. Smith is the first director officially announced for the series. However, the project has been indefinitely postponed due to the 2007 Writers Guild of America strike. Smith has also cameoed in the second season premiere of the sitcom Joey, where he played himself, on an episode of Law & Order in 2000 (episode "Black, White and Blue" playing Tony's wife's nephew), Duck Dodgers (2003 as Hal Jordan, voice only) and Yes, Dear (2004, as himself and Silent Bob). Smith appeared in the second episode of season two of Veronica Mars, playing a store clerk. He stated on his webpage that Veronica Mars is some of the best television work ever produced. In the third season of the HBO series Entourage, Michael Bay and Kevin Smith are directing and writing Aquaman 2. In reality, Smith wrote a script for the Superman Lives movie, while Bay was attached to direct a separate Superman movie. In Entourage, the characters awkwardly react with obvious disappointment at Smith's involvement. Smith has speculated that, that jab and another from season 2 may have been motivated by a book he was involved in, in 1995 where he criticized Rob Weiss and his movie Amongst Friends. At his 37th birthday Q&A in August 2007, Smith assured the audience that he was not offended by the jibe, but rather that he is always tickled when his name is mentioned on television shows. He said that whether the comments are positive or negative, his reaction is "The magic box said my name!" Smith owns and operates Jay and Silent Bob's Secret Stash in Red Bank, New Jersey, a comic book store largely dedicated to merchandise related to his films and comics. The current location is its second. The store was moved to a defunct ice cream parlor on Broad St. after Smith sold the Monmouth St. property. The New Jersey location is managed by Smith's long time friend Walt Flanagan, who appears frequently in Smith's films. A second Secret Stash in the Westwood section of Los Angeles was opened in September 2004 and was managed by long-time associate Bryan Johnson, who has appeared in Smith's films as Steve-Dave. Smith had announced that he would close after his lease expired and Johnson wanted to resign, but eventually relocated to Laser Blazer, a DVD store in Los Angeles. Kevin has also become well known for his relationship with his fans, and states in the closing credits of Clerks II that he "spends way too much time on the internet". One of the first filmmakers to use the internet to reach (and build) his audience, Smith opened The View Askewniverse in late 1995. Smith has an online blog, "My Boring Ass Life", that chronicles his life and work. Often brutally transparent, his blog has exposed celebrities and the inner workings of Hollywood, as well as given fans a peek into the Smith household. The majority of the site's contents were published in print as "My Boring Ass Life". He posts almost daily at his web board where he posts new information about his films, and interacts with the fans. Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back's fictional website became real in 2002, converting into an entertainment website covering movies, music, comics, toys, and video games. It is now Quick Stop Entertainment (www.quickstopent.com) - the home of SModcast. Also under the Askew Internet banner: News Askew- a daily collection of news items relating to Smith, his films, and the people he's worked with. He remains very active on MySpace and Facebook as well. Smith regularly holds fan gatherings - usually in the Red Bank, New Jersey area. Trailer Trash (1995) was the first of these. Held at the Count Basie Theater as a benefit for the theater and hosted by Smith and Mosier, it consisted of two hours of old film trailers. This is largely held to be the first "Board" event - as Smith used his then-nascent website to spread the word about the benefit. The "Chasing Amy" gala (1997), however, set the formula that'd be followed for over a decade to come. Loyal posters on the message board at www.viewaskew.com were invited to an early screening of "Chasing Amy" at the now-defunct Middletown Multiplex. Afterwards, there was a get-together at the Broadway Grill on Broad Street in Red Bank, and Walt Flanagan opened Jay and Silent Bob's Secret Stash after hours for an autograph signing. In 1998, View Askew held the first in a long series of private film festivals called Vulgarthon at the Clearview Cinemas in Red Bank, New Jersey. The sold-out event featured screenings of all of Smith's films that'd been released up to that point, as well as smaller films Smith either financed or had a hand in producing. The event was subtitled "Five Flicks, Forty Bucks". Vulgarthon was held every other year after that, always in Red Bank (except in 2005 when it was held in Los Angeles). These events usually have fans flying in from different countries to attend. To date, there have been five Vulgarthons. The most recent, Vulgarthon 2006, featured screenings of the then-yet-to-be released Clerks II. Besides Smith himself, guests have included Brian O'Halloran, Jason Mewes, Ben Affleck, Jason Lee, Jeff Anderson, Joey Lauren Adams, and Smith's wife Jennifer. In 1999, Smith held a one-off "Dogma" screening, benefiting the Diabetes Foundation. In August of 2007, Smith held a Birthday Prom that was board-inspired and populated as well. For the last year, Smith has been having board-based poker games and tournaments, in which members from his website's message board roll cards with Smith, Mewes, and others, usually at Jay and Silent Bob's Secret Stash in Red Bank (though, a few times, at Smith's own house). The longest game lasted from 7pm to noon the next day. References to "Degrassi Junior High" (1987). References Hockey in all of his films (Clerks: Dante closes the store to play hockey; Mallrats: Renee breaks up with Brodie because he is playing Sega Hockey; Chasing Amy: Holden and Alyssa break up at a hockey game; Dogma: Azrael's imp sidekicks are dressed as hockey players and carry hockey sticks.). Frequently references Star Wars (1977) and its sequels. Frequently casts Brian O'Halloran, Ben Affleck, Matt Damon, Jason Lee, Jason Mewes, and Scott Mosier. Frequently references John Hughes movies. Frequently references Steven Spielberg movies. Frequently shoots scenes based in or outside of Quick Stop convenience stores. Always refers to comic books in his films. The hero of each of his films usually has a best friend who wears a backwards baseball cap e.g. Randal Graves in Clerks. (1994), Banky Edwards in Chasing Amy (1997), and Silent Bob in Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back (2001). Uses the "sh" rule at least once in every movie. Example "Breakfast Shmrekfast". Always uses a "The director would like to thank" special credit column near the end of his films' end credits. He usually thanks, among others, God, his wife Jennifer Schwalbach Smith, Scott Mosier, Jason Mewes, and the film's crew. Frequently shows a character or group of characters reacting to a strange action happening off screen. (Dogma: Poop monster gang fight; Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back: Biggs and Van Der Beek monkey fight; Jersey Girl: Ollie busting in on Gertie and Bryan; Clerks II: The donkey show). Suspects that he was hired to write the doomed "Superman Lives" script after someone at Warner Brothes saw the exchange in Mallrats between TS and Brodie involving Superman's reproductive habits. Warner executives told Smith to cut a romantic scene between Superman and Lois on Mt. Rushmore. Kevin complained said, "This has the best dialog in the script." Executives responded, "This is a toy movie. People don't care how good the dialog is.". Harley Quinn, Kevin's daughter's name, may also be a play on the Harlequin character from the Italian commedia dell'arte, the same reference that the creators of the Batman character were making. Smith's daughter, Harley Quinn Smith was born. She is named after the character, Harley Quinn, in the "Batman" (1992)(The animated series). Owns a comic book store, Jay and Silent Bob's Secret Stash in Red Bank, New Jersey. References in every movie to Julie Dwyer dying in the YMCA pool. Frequently refers to characters from his own movies. Ex: In Chasing Amy, Alyssa (Joey Lauren Adams) tells Holden (Ben Affleck) that she slept with Shannon Hamilton. Shannon Hamilton was the character Ben Affleck played in Mallrats. Sold his comic book collection for money to film Clerks. (1994) and after the film was a success he bought the collection back. Was hired to write the script for "Superman Lives" (2000). The script was rejected and Tim Burton elected to personally rewrite it. Brother of Virginia Smith. Runs a production company in New Jersey called ViewAskew. Graduated from Henry Hudson Regional in Highlands, New Jersey in 1988. Wrote the first eight issues of the Marvel Knights series of Daredevil. In the graphic novel edition of all eight issues, the introduction was written by Ben Affleck. Kevin began writing the Green Arrow comics for DC. Did some rewrites for Coyote Ugly (2000). Received an honorary degree (Doctor of Humane Letters) from Illinois Wesleyan University on May 7, 2000. Attended Vancouver Film School but dropped out halfway through. Will not use the opening credit "A Kevin Smith Film" because he believes a film is the work of ALL the people involved, not just the director. His all-time top 5 favorite movies (in no particular order) are: JFK (1991), A Man for All Seasons (1966), Jaws (1975), The Last Temptation of Christ (1988), and Do the Right Thing (1989). Appeared in the video for "Because I Got High" by Afroman with Jason Mewes. Insists on editing all of his films. Shot a pictorial of his wife, Jennifer Schwalbach Smith, for Playboy Magazine. Because so many people asked him what happened to the characters Jay and Silent Bob between the films Chasing Amy (1997) and Dogma (1999), Smith wrote a graphic novel detailing their (mis)adventures between the two films. The book is entitled "Chasing Dogma". Cast Alan Rickman as Metatron in Dogma (1999) after learning Rickman was a fan of Chasing Amy (1997). His daughter plays his character, Silent Bob, as a small child in Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back (2001). In 2005, he appeared as himself in several episodes of the Canadian TV series teen drama, "Degrassi: The Next Generation" (2001). Although he is married in real life, for his appearances on this show, Smith (as a character in the show) is said to be single, in order to allow him to make out with one of the main (adult) characters in the series. In a review of Clerks. (1994), one critic described his writing style as "David Mamet meets Howard Stern." Said in his DVD commentary of Dogma (1999) that actress Linda Fiorentino was very difficult to work with, even to the point that she wouldn't speak to him some days. In retrospect he says he wishes he had cast Janeane Garofalo as Bethany instead (Garofalo appears in Dogma as Liz at the abortion clinic). While filming Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back (2001), accidentally mispronounced Eliza Dushku's last name, and subsequently simply called her "Duck Shoot." Biography/bibliography in: "Contemporary Authors". New Revision Series, Vol. 131, pages 408-413. Farmington Hills, MI: Thomson Gale, 2005. Was at one point attached to write the script for Scary Movie 3 (2003). Won a Harvey Award, given for achievement in comic books, in 1999 for Best New Talent based on his work with Marvel's Daredevil as well as his comic book series "Clerks" and "Jay & Silent Bob" for Oni. At one point or another, he was set to write (and in some cases direct) the big- screen versions of Scooby-Doo (2002), Alien Love Triangle (2002), Daredevil (2003), and "The Six-Million-Dollar Man". Favorite bands: The Police, Talking Heads, Run DMC, Public Enemy, Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band, The Cure. Made a bet with Ethan Suplee (Willam in Mallrats, also in other Kevin Smith films) after filming Mallrats that he could lose more weight in 10 years than Ethan. Ethan won the bet. Has maintained that had he not had the success with Clerks. (1994), he would still be a clerk at the Quick Stop and RST Video in Leonardo, New Jersey. Had a long running feud with Jeff Anderson shortly after Clerks. (1994) was released and ended just before production began on Dogma (1999). This explains Anderson's absence in Mallrats (1995) and Chasing Amy (1997). Was a guest critic for Ebert & Roeper while Roger Ebert was recovering from throat surgery. He reviewed the films for the weekend of August 12-13, 2006. He gave thumbs-up to World Trade Center (2006), Step Up (2006), and Half Nelson (2006). He gave thumbs-down to Scoop (2006). Pitched a superhero movie to Miramax in 1999 and Miramax chairman Harvey Weinstein loved it. It was described as a "Justice League" type of superhero team that has to disband because of the government. Once on their own, the film would follow the same type of format used in Pulp Fiction which would be stories inter connected. In the end the team would have to unite to defeat one of their own, turned villainous. Smith just never got around to writing a full script. It was also pitched to HBO as a possible series. Once wrote and produced two pilots for sitcoms. One was called, "Hating Hal" and the other one was "Hiatus". Has said that after his career is over he'd like to teach film and creative writing courses at a college. Wrote a script called "Busing" in 1994 for Hollywood Pictures. It was described as "Clerks in a restaurant". Parts of this script became Clerks II (2006). Wanted to write and direct a big screen adaptation of the book "Sex and Rockets". Has stated that he had an idea for a children's book and that he'd like to write it before his little girl reaches her teens. Turned down offers to write and/or direct: "The Hulk", "Iron Man", "The Punisher", "Fantastic Four", "Green Lantern" and "Madman". Tried to produce remakes for C.H.U.D. (1984) and Race with the Devil (1975). In high school, he video taped his school's sporting events and town meetings for the local cable access station. Once tried to buy a warehouse near his View Askew production office in Red Bank, New Jersey, to convert into sound stages for independent films. He even approached Miramax president Harvey Weinstein to split the bill. However, the warehouse owner wanted too much money. Wrote a short story in his college creative writing course about a serial killer, who also happened to be a priest. He received the best grade in the class. The reason why there hasn't been a Jay and Silent Bob video game yet, is because Smith wants to be fully involved in the game's creation and he simply does not have the time. He does insist there will one day exist a Jay and Silent Bob video game. Once considered buying a local movie theater in Red Bank New Jersey and showing all kinds of movies. He said one week could be Scorsese themed with Taxi Driver and Mean Streets, then the next week could be superhero themed,like the original Batman and Superman movies. During his childhood he was a big fan of Tom Savini's special effects work. Has considered making a Green Arrow film with Jason Mewes as the lead. He loves Wes Craven's A Nightmare On Elm Street and New Nightmare. Has stated he is a big fan of Freddy Krueger and Robert Englund. He is contemplating opening a real Mooby's fast food restaurant. Has three favorite horror movies: "A Nightmare On Elm Street" "C.H.U.D." and "The Evil Dead". He also loves "Halloween". Shortly after Clerks was released theatrically, Smith taught an acting class at his old high school, Henry Hudson Regional. After Mallrats, pitched an idea he had for a Jaws 5 to Universal. They gave him the go ahead to write a treatment, but he had other projects to work on. In the fall of 2002, the town of Paulsboro in New Jersey named a street after him: Kevin Smith Way. This was in response to Smith using the town to film in. Is an avid fan of the rock bands Soul Asylum, Alice In Chains, Metallica, Rob Zombie, Pantera, Sevendust, Nirvana, and Godsmack. Is a fan of actor/stuntman Kane Hodder and has stated a desire to work with him one day. He was the first and only guest on Michael Moore's Fox pilot "Michael Moore Show, The" (1997). Wrote and produced with Jason Lee, a pilot for a sitcom, to star Lee, called "Hiatus". The premise had Lee's character coming back home to open up a comic book store after living in California for a few years, trying to make it as a struggling actor. Unknown to his family and friends, he was actually a porno star for a while,when he didn't land any "legitimate" work. Had an idea for an science fiction alien themed story that was to be a part of the film anthology called "Alien Love Triangle" but his idea was never used. He has stated an interest in turning his idea into a feature one day. Played goalie during games of street hockey with his friends Bryan Johnson, Walter Flanagan, and Brian O'Halloran. Was approached by Dimension chairman Bob Weinstein to do a Jay and Silent Bob/Hellraiser crossover movie in the same vein as the old Abbott and Costello meets the Wolfman type crossovers. Smith declined. One of his life long dreams is to host "Saturday Night Live" (1975). Wrote and acted in comedy sketches in the town's annual talent show. His comedic writing even made the local papers. Godfather of his daughter Harley is Jason Lee. Has two dogs named "Mulder" and "Scully". Was member of the dramatic jury at the Sundance Film Festival in 2000. As a teenager his girlfriend's mother wrote "Kevin Smith will never be a famous writer." on a sheet of paper and told him that if he ever proved it wrong that she would eat the paper. He still has the sheet of paper, and considers the mother a close friend. However he does not speak with the former girlfriend anymore. Wrote all of his own dialog for the five episodes of "Degrassi: The Next Generation" (2001) that he appeared on. Directed the Pilot of Reaper (2007) just to prove to himself that he could direct a script that he did not write. Is an AMPAS member. Every one of his View Askewniverse movies happens to feature either one of Smith's ex-girlfriends or his wife: - Kimberly Laughran appeared in Clerks. as Heather Jones and in Dogma as the woman in the elevator. - Joey Lauren Adams appeared in Mallrats as Gwen Turner and in Chasing Amy as Alyssa Jones. - Smith's wife Jennifer Schwalbach Smith appeared in Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back as Missy and in Clerks II as Emma Bunting. He is a New Jersey Devils fan. In his high school talent show, he entered at least two skits per show, with mixed reviews. All were styled like his films "Clerks" or "Mallrats" regarding dialogue (though cleaned up to PG-13) and wild plot. Some "clicked" and had the audience laughing uncontrollably. Many, however, were unable to effectively communicate the genius in his head to the audience. During the media furor surrounding the "Bennifer" romance between Affleck and Jennifer Lopez, Smith often found himself acting as an unofficial spokesperson for the couple, given his closeness to Affleck and the fact the couple were both appearing in his romantic comedy "Jersey Girl" (2004). When the pair's previous film outing "Gigli" (2003) was labled a bomb of epic proportions and the relationship subsequently fell apart, Smith and his film's marketers made a painstaking effort to point out that Lopez's role was pivitol but brief in an effort to distance his film from the "Gigli" catastrophe. Instead, "Jersey Girl" (which opened to mixed reviews and unspectacular box office but came nowhere near the flop that was "Gigli") focused on Affleck as a driven, urban p.r. exec who becomes a widowed single dad stuck in the Jersey suburbs with his dad and his daughter, and unexpectedly gets a second chance at love. Smith threw out much of his juvenile humor (it would be his first film without Jay & Silent Bob, for example) and attempted to tell a more straightforward, romantic story, with mixed success. |
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