Kevin Smith Reddit AMA

Hey Kevin! Great to have you back. Two things:

Have you talked much to Megan Phelps-Roper after she ditched the WBC? It would be amazing to hear her on Smodcast.

Can you give us any info about Moose Jaws? Because it’s already one of my favorite movies in advance.

Also, I’m crazy glad you got funding for Clerks III. Mainly because in April of 2013 you told me I could be in it. I haven’t forgotten, Kevin.

Spoke to Meghan via email a few times since she left WBC. We almost got to sit down in Los Angeles but I was in North Carolina making TUSK. Hope to catch up in the new year.

MOOSE JAWS will close out the True North Trilogy that began with TUSK, continues in YOGA HOSERS and ends with MOOSE JAWS. It’s very simply JAWS with a moose. Set at a summer camp. Robert Kurtzman building giant man-eating moose.

CLERKS III looking like June! And of course you can be in it!

What are your thoughts on Twin Peaks coming back?

Elated to be seeing Cooper and Co. again. Such a fun idea to return. That gum I like IS going to come back in style!

What is your Top 5 movies? And, if you could redo any movie you were in what movie and why? Who would you cast?

In no particular order… JAWS JFK DO THE RIGHT THING THE LAST TEMPTATION OF CHRIST A MAN FOR ALL SEASONS.

A MAN FOR ALL SEASONS is probably the easiest to re-do, as it was originally a play by Robert Bolt before Fred Zinnemann turned it into the Paul Scofield film.

Hi Kevin! Long time fan with two quick questions for you!

1) Will you be working with Rosario Dawson again? I truly believe her work in Clerks 2 was one of her best roles to date, and I’d love to see her reprise it.

2) On a scale of 1-10, with 1 being not at all and 10 being Jason’s complete and utter nightmare, how much of a bad influence are you going to be on Jason Mewes’ new baby?

1) Hoping to work with her again on CLERKS III next year.

2) I’ll go with a 1. I’ll be the fat, spend-y uncle who buys the kid fun stuff that Jason will confiscate and play with himself.

…?

It happens.

Kevin, where’s Bellicosity? I’m dyin.

2015, Walt and I will finish our Batman epic. And this time, no characters will have a “bladder spasm”.

How many push ups can you do?

With a gun to my head? Maybe 40, tops.

Kevin, like many people on Reddit and r/trees, I think of you like a brother from another mother. How do you still seems so approachable and real despite being a celebrity? Do you think it has anything to do with your age and where your career was when you started regularly smoking pot?

I hope Tusk does great as well the rest of your creative outlets.

It’s easy to remain me, as I don’t know how else to be. It’s a fun, high-profile gift of a job, but it IS just a job. Why be an asshole to people simply because I got lucky?

And also, most folks are only approaching to say something nice. I’d be stupid to brush off a pat on the back from a stranger. Even if it’s someone who wants to say “TUSK sucked!”, I still have time for them. They took the time to watch MY shit, I got time enough to hear what they have to say, good and bad. And honestly? 99.9% of the time is positive feedback.

Hi Kevin Smith! Thanks for doing this AMA!

Important question. You have been sentenced to death for a crime you did not commit. What would you choose as your final meal?

A DoDo egg. Let ’em accomodate THAT request.

Or I can say “As my final meal, I want to eat the foot of someone who saw TUSK in a theater!” It’d take ’em a LONG time to find that cat…

My History of Comedy professor credits you for being the first director to use pop culture references in jokes… for example, the Star Wars gag in Clerks. When writing those scenes, were you aware that you were entering unchartered territory?

Quentin did it first: the discussion of LIKE A VIRGIN and Madonna at the start of RESERVOIR DOGS. That was life-changing for me. I was like “We’re allowed to talk about other movies in movies now? I WANT IN!!!” Because that was my whole world and lexicon then: movies. My friends and I didn’t have real conversations as much as we quoted RAISING ARIZONA at one other. So when I saw Q’s characters doing it, I felt empowered to do it with my characters as well. And that was CLERKS.

Any hints on the contents of the upcoming Nerd Block? Will there be any Funko Pops included? Why isn’t there a Tusk Funko Pop series? Someone should get on that.

It’s not all Batman, as some imagined it might be. I was very democratic when I attacked the Block.

TUSK merch will likely start swimming around once the flick comfortably finds its niche on home video. But we moved too fast to do any merch for theatrical release: 6 months after the podcast that birthed the flick, I was standing on a set saying “Action!” to Justin Long, dressed like a walrus.

Big fan, Kevin. Thanks for doing this AMA!

Who is your all-time favorite comic book villain and who would you cast to play them in a live action film?

I still remain a Mysterio man. And I think Nic Cage would crush that role.

Hey Kev!

What are your thoughts on Anime/Manga and its huge surge in geek culture?

While not a big Anime/Manga guy myself, I love when ANYBODY picks up anything illustrated beyond the age most folks think that sort of thing should end. Comics keep us young.

How was your over all experience working on the set of Degrassi: the next generation? Did you take away anything profound working with the kids on the show?

Loved my DEGRASSI days. I’d say it was a dream come true, but I never dreamed I’d ever be on the show when I used to watch it with Jay Mewes at Quick Stop on Sunday mornings. Wild.

Top 2 most profound thoughts I had while working with the young performers on DEGRASSI…

1) These kids were cum when I made CLERKS.

2) If they cut me open like a Tauntaun, at least 3 of these kids would fit inside of me.

All those kids were very sweet about pretending to know who I was. I’m sure most of them were like “Who’s this middle-aged fat American roaming the halls here all the sudden?”

Hey Kevin! Have you thought of adding a Métis character to Moose Jaws since you’ve got the movies based in central Canada?

I have not. Will think about it now. Thanks!

Hello, how are you doing today? I was thinking that it would have been cool if you were here as the Silent Bob character and only posted one comment and left. I think you would be the only person allowed to do that on Reddit.

Or, conversely, since he’s Silent, when given a keyboard, he’s chatty and eloquent. But he overuses emojis…

Hey, why don’t you come to Salt Lake Comic Con and do Hollywood Babble-On or Fatman on Batman?

Because you never ask me sweetly anymore…

Hi Kevin! Two questions:

Will we ever see a part 2 of Widening Gyre?

And

Will the rest of Canada ever see Tusk in theater?

1) Yes! In 2015!

2) So far, it’s just these theaters: http://seesmod.com/CanadianTusk/

Hey Kev, you’ve talked in the past about how a Star Wars spin-off based on Boba Fett would be a no-brainer. Now that one is in the pipeline, can you give us an idea as to what take on the character you’d like to see?

Give that penis a sandwich,

A Boba Fett flick would need very little dialogue and lots of bounty-huntin’ action. If they do an origin story, it might be nice to see where he acquired the Wookie scalps his doll came with.

Hey Kev! Some questions: You’ve touched on this before, but you haven’t really elaborated on it: Why did Quentin Tarantino turn down the role of Guy LaPointe in TUSK? And what made you offer him the role in the first place? He definitely would’ve brought something different to the part than who you casted in the end…

When can we expect to see the comic book adaptation of TUSK to hit stores? And what about the Blu-Ray? Any particular special features you’re excited for with the home-video release?

Also, whatever happened to the HELENA HANDBAG musical? Obviously your plate is super-full (and sugar-free, YEESH) at the moment, but is it still on the horizon?

Anyways, thanks for making TUSK, taking everything like a champ and spearheading the importance of living a “Why Not?” life. I can’t wait for what’s to come!

1) Was told he didn’t want to act right now. Heard later he thought he was being offered the Wallace part. We got lucky with our next try.

2) BluRay of TUSK is December, I think. There’s a deleted scene that centers on a painting depicting the Halifax Explosion, commentary, interviews, Behind-the-Scenes stuff. Lionsgate is doing a killer job. They’re one of the only companies that still goes all-out on bonus features.

3) HELENA is on a horizon that’s at least 2 years from now.

Thanks for the kind words! And thanks for going to see the flick!

Kevin, thanks for doing this AMA! I love the show Comic Book Men. I just wanted to know, what is your favorite comic? Thanks! (Also, Red State was awesome.)

THE DARK KNIGHT RETURNS is still my favorite comic series of all time.

Thanks for watching the show, man!

It’s noon in NYC, what are you having for lunch?

When I lunch later, it’ll likely be a turkey burger sans bun. This is Day 5 of no processed/added sugar for me. I’m feeling so fucked up, having withdrawals like I’m on a drug.

Hey, Kevin! Greetings from Montana!

My question is; if you could see your favorite, most ambiguous comic book character be spun off into a movie, who would it be?

I’d like to see a movie or TV show about THE QUESTION. Such a great character.

Do you have to redo scenes often from laughing during filming?

From time to time, we’ll blow a take with some laughs. But that’s part of the fun of the job as well. If we blow the take, yes – we usually grab it at least one more time.

Hey Kevin! Long time listener of the podcast, and huge fan of your movies. My question : If there was one thing you can go back in time and tell a younger version of yourself (you can go back to any age), what would it be?

“Stop. Eating. So. Much. Junk.”

And maybe “Don’t be afraid to make TUSK. It all works out.”

What was the first comic book you ever bought?

I think it was a Marvel STAR WARS comic book. I’d gotten lots of comics from friends and relatives prior to that, but that was the first comic I bought with my own money. And then I subscribed and got it directly from Marvel. It used to come in a plain brown wrapper. And receiving a new issue addressed to me once a month was what I loved most in the world, long before I discovered sex.

With another person, not with the comic book.

Holy shit I’m finally early to a kev smith ama! So many questions….ok, I haven’t heard any anti clause talk lately, still happening?

Saw tusk, twice, even better the second time! Once again, Michael parks killed. Can’t wait for the dvd release! Thank you so much for all you do, a large chunk of the happiness in my life as been because of reading/watching/listening to you work. #walrusyes

ANTI-CLAUSE still happening. We just moved it to after MOOSE JAWS.

Thanks for taking the journeys with me. Means the world.

Hi Kev! Big fan since Clerks. When will the production of Clerks 3 start?

It’s looking like June, back east.

Hey Kevin! Thanks for doing this. Longtime fan here, although I understand that I am a dime a dozen (and I’m perfectly okay with that!). My Dad got me “Clerks” for Christmas back in 2005 (when I was 12) because he thought it’d appeal to me, and I don’t think he’s ever been more correct about anything. The following years I watched every movie you’d directed religiously and loved them all. As I aged I found that the themes present in your films became more and more relevant to me, and I felt like I sort of grew with them—for each rough patch in my life it seemed like there was a film I could totally relate to, and I would appreciate each flick even more as time went on (still waiting on the mirror experience to “Strike Back,” though…).

Anyways, sorry to ramble, but here’s my question: don’t you think it’s kinda ironic that critics often cite your “desire to make movies for yourself” as one of your only weaknesses? I’m a living example that even if you grew up in a drastically different setting (born & raised in Texas), a lot of the concepts in your films are still universally beautiful and relatable, so I find this critique bothersome—even though I know you don’t give a shit about what they say. If you’re making them for yourself you sure do represent a big portion of the world! Thanks Kevin.

Most filmmakers I know do it for themselves first, the audience second. But to be honest, that’s the only way I’m interested in doing the job. There are PLENTY of people who’ll make movies for mass consumption. I can’t do that: those aren’t the stories I’m interested in telling. In SEEING? Totally. But making them? Let the talented people do that. I’ll be over here making the only films I can: Kevin Smith movies.

And at the end of my life, that’s what I’ll have to show for it: a bunch of Kevin Smith movies. A big, flabby body of work that will speak to who I was and what I did while I stomped on the terra.

People have been telling me I’m doing it all wrong for 20 years now. If they keep saying it another 20 years, it’ll mean I’m still making Kevin Smith movies. And that’s fine by me.

Do you have full confidence that JJ is doing the right things for Star Wars?

Fuck yes. From what I saw? He’s making a STAR WARS movie I really, really want to see.

Who’s your favorite superhero?

I know this is a boring answer, but it’s Batman. I do a whole podcast about it: http://smodcast.com/channels/fatman-on-batman/

Gonna try not to ramble. First, loved Tusk. Tusk and Red State are the best things you’ve ever done, right next to Clerks. I say that after loving every other movie you’ve made (that I’ve seen, I haven’t seen Cop Out). The way you use humor makes the rest of those movies way more tense and creepy. Glad you’re back doing films. Especially this new shit.

I’m a lifelong Batman fan, the Animated Series being my introduction to the character. Do you still watch cartoons? What’s your favorite?

Thanks for the kind words, sir!

I still watch cartoons and was a big fan of BEWARE THE BATMAN before it disappeared.