Kevin Smith gushes over longtime friend Ben Affleck

Kevin Smith has recently gushed over longtime friend Ben Affleck.

Speaking to PEOPLE, the writer-director said, “Ben is absolutely one of my favourite people on the planet.”

“I've always adored him,” he told the outlet who has directed Ben on several movies including Mallrats, Chasing Amy and Dogma.

Kevin revealed that the two-time Oscar winner is “just the goods”.

“I know everyone is aware of his private life from the outside, but I just wish people could hang out with him for a day and know him the way I know him, the way [friend and collaborator] Jason Mewes knows him,” explained the director.

Kevin mentioned, “He's just a really funny sweetheart of a guy who's a great father — just like Jason Mewes, another great father.”

Reflecting on ups and downs in friendship, Kevin opened up about what happened between the Argo star and Ben in November 2018.

He took to X, formerly known as Twitter, wrote, “Sometimes I wonder what really happened between Ben Affleck and Kevin Smith that made them not talk to each other.”

At the time, Kevin responded, “If I had to guess? It’s because one of us has a big mouth and told too many candid stories that sometimes weren’t his to tell, and the other one is Ben.”

Last year, Kevin spoke to PEOPLE, saying, “I'm sure I'll run into him again; it's a very small town. Of course, there's always something that I'm like, ‘Oh my God, I need a movie star. Let's call Ben.’”