Kevin Smith took a trip down memory lane and shared his on-set experience with Ben Affleck while filming 1995’s Mallrats.
The American filmmaker praised Affleck for his kind and respectful behaviour while reflecting on the 25th anniversary of their 1999 film Dogma.
In an exclusive conversation with People, Smith spoke about his first collaboration with The Accountant actor, who was also working on the script for Good Will Hunting at the time, while shooting Mallrats.
He recalled, “He would come over and be like, ‘Hey, I’m not shooting for three days. Can I fly back to Los Angeles to work on the script with Matt? We got a meeting with Castle Rock.’ I said, ‘Oh my God, absolutely man, just come back before you have to shoot. So when he would leave, and he did this like three times over the course of shoot, he always left me a thank-you note on my desk.”
Smith, 54, fondly remembered finding a handwritten note addressed simply to “Kevin” left on his office desk each time Affleck asked for time off.
Speaking to the outlet, he added, “I’d go in my office and there’s an envelope that said, ‘Kevin,’ I’d open it up. And it was from Ben: young Ben Affleck going like, ‘Hey man, thanks for letting me go back to Los Angeles for our script. I just want you to know I’m having a real good time in the movie. It’s fun to be around young people. You’re cool and blah, blah, blah.’”
Later in the interview, the Tusk director recalled that the Gone Girl star auditioned for Mallrats because he had enjoyed Smith’s previous film, Clerks.
Mallrats, which featured Affleck, 52, also starred, Jeremy London, Shannen Doherty, Jason Lee, Jason Mews, and Smith himself.
For the unversed, Dogma is being re-released in theatres on Thursday, June 5, in celebration of its 25th anniversary.