thePULSEKnockin’ on Kevin’s door
A chat with ‘Jersey Girl’ director Kevin Smith
His latest, though, a rather grown-up romantic comedy in theatres now called Jersey Girl, is a departure from his work of the last decade. In it, there is no Red Bank, New Jersey, the universe all his previous films had in common, and there is no Jay and Silent Bob, the stoner duo that he and troubled pal Jason Mewes rode to fame. The very sharp and cordial Renaissance Dude, who will soon give new life to the Fletch franchise, took the time to talk candidly about Jersey Girl stars Ben and J.Lo, fatherhood and Star Wars with us during his recent publicity tour:
Did the many delays in Jersey Girl’s release allow you to ‘Kubrick’ until the last minute?
It certainly allowed me more tweaking time. The first cut was 130 minutes, so I did cut a half hour. I also got to swap-out some of the songs as I got tired of them, and I pulled some lines out, too. I tend to tag a joke three times: I write three punch lines, so it wasn’t so difficult to find stuff to trim and balance between the jokes and the drama. I’m so not the Kubrick type, though; I’m actually pretty lazy as a director.
Did you know that Ben Affleck could really act as well as he did in Jersey Girl?
The nice thing is that because we did Chasing Amy together, I was very familiar with what he could do. It has been a while since people saw that side of Ben. People are used to seeing him in tights, shooting a gun or landing on a giant space rock. I just tend to write as close to Ben as possible, the charming, erudite guy I know and love. I write to strengths, playing to who he is in real life.
Do the characters that Ben plays represent a certain aspect of your personality? How about Jason Lee?
Definitely, in past flicks. The two guy characters that Ben and Jason would typically play were me, split — who I am, who I like to be: my proxies. I have been fortunate to have been blessed with both of those dudes, they really do stand in for me and play different parts of my personality. They help me work out issues, which is either really cheap or really expensive therapy.
How much of Ben’s on-screen daughter, Gertie, was based on your experience as Harley Quinn’s dad?
Not so much, really. Harley wasn’t even a year old when I started writing Jersey Girl, and when I finished, she was 3. A lot of extrapolation went into the daddy-daughter dynamic. There was a lot of guesswork involved, but I guess I got a lot of it right.
Ben Affleck and his movie daughter, played by Raquel Castro
Was the break from the Red Bank Universe a clean one, or were you tempted to Hitchcock a Jay and Silent Bob in there somewhere?
There was never the urge, and Jason was strung-out heroin and OxyContin and on the run, anyway. I could have done a quick cameo as a delivery guy, but I made a conscious decision early on to pick a direction stick with it. Chasing Amy could have stood on its own, but at times it got too touchy-feely, and the Jay and Silent Bob bit helps bridge that. In a way I felt like chicken shit, which is why I promised wouldn’t pull out old tricks to use as a safety net in Jersey Girl.
Did you have any fears about making a film that features a child in such a prominent role?
I was working from a position of blissful ignorance. I didn’t know that it was so hard to find a kid who can act so well. A lot of kids sound like they’re acting or straight-reading text. Thankfully, we were all drawn to Raquel [Castro], who is a strong, natural actor, not to mention the strong resemblance to J.Lo, who plays her mother.
In that your wife was your muse for Jennifer Lopez’s character in the movie, how did your wife feel about you killing off the character in such short order?
She didn’t quite see it as the Valentine I maintain it was. She read script and said, “I don’t see it — I die, and you [Ben] end up with Liv Tyler.” I told her, “It’s about how much I would miss you if you were gone.” I think it was a little too outside-the-box for her.
Liv Tyler
Did you write George Carlin’s role [as Ben’s father] specifically for him?
Yes, it was written for him. After hanging out with him on Dogma and Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back, I got to know the real-life George Carlin. He has a certain gravitas, and he’s not always trying to be funny. Talking to him, you get a real sense of a long and storied life. He has a wonderful face that reads like a life lived and lessons learned. This role gave him a chance to show people that he can be more than just funny. Most actors appreciate chance to play opposite, but this role is George.
One gets the feeling from this film that Highlands itself is a main character. What did you set out to communicate about the place?
I have never really referenced my hometown before. Highlands is a great little place, and I wanted to set the whole movie there and give it its props. It’s a very salt-of-the-earth real place, and a nice kind of grounded universe to grow up in.
Which of your upcoming projects are you most excited about?
I’m pretty happy about The Green Hornet. I’m a big comic book geek [Smith owns New Jersey comic shop Jay and Silent’s Secret Stash], and I’m glad to have the opportunity to put that all up on big screen. It’s a bit of a stretch for me, in that I will to move a camera around.
Given that you’re such a fan of the franchise, would you direct the inevitable Star Wars: Episode 7 if it was offered to you?
No way, man. That would be way too much pressure.
