After not speaking for “nearly a decade,”Ben Affleckand filmmakerKevin Smithhave reunited.
Affleck, 46, appears in Smith’supcoming filmJay and Silent Bob Reboot,a sequel to 2001’sJay and Silent Bob StrikeBack, but also to every film Smith has made, includingChasing Amy,MallratsandDogma.
While at San Diego Comic-Con this week, Smith, 48, shared a happy selfie with Affleckon Instagramand explained in a lengthy caption how the old friends reconciled after years of estrangement.
Smith wrote that Affleck reprises his role as Holden fromChasing Amyin the upcoming film — but the scene that the filmmaker now calls “magical and life-affirming” almost didn’t happen.
“When we started shooting the movie, the scene didn’t exist. This scene — and more importantly, my reunion with a guy who I’ve missed terribly for nearly a decade — only happened because of [entertainment journalist Kevin McCarthy],” Smith revealed.
Smith explained that while McCarthy was conducting a recent interview with Affleck, the journalist asked if he had been contacted for theJay and Silent Bobreboot. “Ben said no, but he was available,” Smith wrote.
Mike Windle/Getty Images; Jon Kopaloff/FilmMagic
Smith then explained that he thought Affleck wasn’t being “serious” in the interview, but the director “finally” reached out to the star after other people encouraged him to.
“I was scared to be rejected, but I texted him, ‘To paraphrase the sad old King Osric inConan the Barbarian? There comes a time when the jewels cease to sparkle, when the gold loses its luster, when the throne room becomes a prison, and all that is left is a director’s love for the people he used to make pretend with,'” Smith said. “And after a long beat of wondering how he’d receive this, my estranged friend wrote back as only he could: ‘Of course you still liken yourself to a king,’ he joked. And then ‘Would be a pleasure to see you again, Old Man.’ “
“So naturally, weepy me — who breaks down emotionally during comic book flicks — was a blubbery mess,” Smith wrote. “Not only did we score an amazing scene for the flick, but I also got my friend back — all because of entertainment journalism.”
Smith added, “It … brought back a massive missing piece of my heart.”
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In an interview withEntertainment Weeklyearlier this week, Smith said, even though theJay and Silent Bob Rebootscene with Affleck “didn’t exist when we started, when you watch the movie you can’t imagine that movie existing without it.”
“Not only did I get that guy in my movie and the scene is fantastic — it’s honestly one of Ben’s finest moments of his career — he gave me my friend back, more importantly,” Smith said. “I haven’t spoken to that dude in eight years. There was a piece of my heart that was missing … To have that back was everything.”
In March, Affleck spoke about possibly working with Smith again in an interview withCollider.
“Your guess is as good as mine,” Affleck said when asked if fans would see his character, Holden, in Smith’s upcoming film. “I haven’t been asked to make an appearance, but you never know, there’s still time. We’ll see. I think if it was up to me, I would rather do Holden than Shannon but I would defer to Kevin.”
In November,a Twitter userasked Smith about their relationship, writing, “Sometimes I wonder what really happened betweenBen Affleckand Kevin Smith that made them not talk to each other,” tagging both stars’ accounts.
Smith 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.”
source: people.com
