If you’re Gen X—or maybe just an extra cool millennial—you probably remember Clerks, Mallrats and the cult film icon Silent Bob, played by actor, director and producer Kevin Smith. 

Turns out Silent Bob is anything but silent. At Burns Court Cinema on Monday night, Smith held a packed audience captive at the premiere of his film KillRoy Was Here, blending comedy and an unfiltered love of storytelling in a compelling talk.

Smith's visit was part of Sarasota's Creative Empowerment Project (CEP), a partnership between Semkhor Productions, Suncoast Technical College, Booker High School and Florida Winefest/Caring for Children Charities that's aimed at fostering independent film production and creative careers for Sarasota youth. There's also a dual-credited Studio Lab and Digital Cinema Program for students in the works. The program brought in Heather Graham last month for a similar event.

"A traditional four-year [film] program isn’t always feasible," says Semkhor Productions founder David Shapiro. "Many students can’t afford it, and taking on debt can limit their options. Plus, the industry is often changing so fast and a vocational model makes sense—if you have the drive, you now have unprecedented access to the tools and opportunities to create.  For those eager to jump in, this offers another path."

KillRoy Was Here is a comedy-horror film shot in 2017 with help from students from Ringling College of Art and Design. The movie features Sarasota spots like Longboat Key, Booker Middle School and Nathan Benderson Park. It also it features Chris Jericho, because what’s a Kevin Smith horror movie without a pro wrestler? (As part of CEP, Jericho also recently visited Booker High School to talk to students about film production).

But before and after KillRoy Was Here screened, Smith did what he does best: told stories about his career and his famous friends, made the crowd laugh and got real about the industry. Here are some of our favorite anecdotes.

White Castle and the Art of Not Giving a Damn

Smith kicked off the night by telling the story of a late-night White Castle craving that led to a bizarre standoff with a cashier. Smith, who went vegan after surviving a widowmaker heart attack in 2018, says the cashier had no idea what an Impossible slider was, despite the fact that the alt-meat sandwich was listed on White Castle's menu. After some confusion, Smith recalled, the cashier disappeared into the freezer for 11 minutes, only to emerge carrying what Smith describes as "a frozen block from the heart of the Arctic." 

As he waited for his Impossible burgers, he was recognized by a man who had last seen him 20 years ago at a Changing Lanes screening Smith had spontaneously invited local students to attend. Smith had expected maybe five people to show up. Instead, 250 fans lined up outside. When Smith went to buy the students' tickets, which totaled $4,500, the theater suspected a scam and refused Smith's credit card. He had to call his business manager, who ended up talking to the theater’s manager on two separate phones held together.

On an Infamous Fan Phone Call to Ben Affleck (Well, Sort Of)

Academy Award-nominated actor and director Ben Affleck and Smith are longtime friends—they bonded when they auditioned for Mallrats together. The fan at White Castle brought up Affleck’s recent divorce from Jennifer Lopez, urging Smith to call and check in on him. Smith initially refused. 

The fan didn't give up. “You gotta call him. Right now,” he insisted.

Because Smith is a self-admitted "people-pleasing codependent," he didn’t say no. Instead, he pretended to call Affleck but actually dialed Jason Mewes, a.k.a Jay from the Jay and Silent Bob films. Mewes didn't miss a beat.

"Yo, yo, yo! This is Big Ben Affleck coming at you!" Smith recalled Mewes saying.

The fan, convinced he was talking to Affleck, poured his heart out to Mewes, offering support about Affleck's divorce. “I promise you, in a year’s time, things will be better," he said. "They call it the present because it’s a gift.” 

Mewes, as Affleck, responded, "I gotta go. Matt Damon’s taking me to Target."

On Art, Film School and Filming in Sarasota

KillRoy Was Here, which was filmed with help from students in Ringling College of Art and Design's filmmaking program, was originally supposed to be a short film. But Smith proposed doing an entire feature, instead. The film became an experimental collaboration—a way to give the students real industry experience.

One of Smith's favorite moments of filming? A scene that required an actress to eat a flower that was stuffed into her mouth. The Ringling students sculpted one out of marzipan so it would be edible. "They didn't need me. They figured it out themselves," Smith said. "That’s what filmmaking is—everyone bringing their own art to the table."

On Superheroes and 'Playing Pretend'

When asked about his well-known love of comics, Smith explained that superheroes represent something fundamental: Being the one person who runs toward danger when everyone else runs away. He admitted he’s not sure he’d have that courage in real life, but he’s always wanted to believe he could. That’s why he keeps reading comics and why, he said, those stories still matter to him.

"When I was a kid, I used to make pretend. Then, for a few years, I didn’t—because I was in high school or whatever," he said. "But even then, I was in plays. After that, I went to work at Quick Stop for a red-hot minute. I made pretend there, too. Then I made a movie about it. So honestly, at age 54—almost 55—I’ve spent more of my life making pretend than I have living in actual existence. And let me tell you, it’s great.

"I welcome anybody who wants to play in that field because that’s what the arts are all about—making pretend beyond the age of reason when you’re supposed to stop," he continued. "Creating art requires what I’ve always thought of as a reasonable amount of unreasonability. Most people are reasonable. They follow the rules. But artists? We’re the ones saying, 'I want to make pretend, man.' I chose filmmaking, which is one of the dumbest art forms on the planet because it requires you to say, 'I need to self-express—give me $20 million and Ben Affleck, fast.' But chasing that urgency for self-expression has carried me through 31 years of a career."

On the Power of Showing Up

As the night wound down, Smith got raw. He talked candidly about his struggles with mental health and how, two years ago, he checked himself into a treatment facility. He emphasized that asking for help is never a weakness, and that sometimes the strongest thing you can do is admit you need support.

More than anything, he wanted people to know that art, storytelling, and creativity aren’t just for the elite. They’re for anyone willing to take a step toward them.

"You’re no good to anyone unless you’re good to yourself first," Smith said. "If you’ve always wanted to try storytelling, if you’ve watched movies and thought, 'I could do that,' guess what? You can do it. The only difference between me and you is that I keep trying and telling people I’m [a filmmaker] until they believe me. Sometimes people say, 'Fake it until you make it.' But it’s not faking—it’s believing. You can’t expect anyone else to believe in you if you don’t believe in yourself first. And goddamn if that didn’t make all the difference.

"Art won’t come knocking on your door," he continued. "You have to take a step toward it first. But if you do, art will race up to meet you like a big-ass Saint Bernard, lick your face and change your life. But it requires that you make the first move."