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A30 PEOPLE & ARTS
Tuesday 15 OcTOber 2019
Kevin Smith crafts his 'real big

cinematic gravestone'

By RYAN PEARSON The resulting movie, in the- — who was much more
Associated Press aters this week, is a some- creative and prolific or all
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Twen- times silly but heartfelt the good things. He was
ty-five years after "Clerks," examination of nostalgia the new guy and stuff. I
Kevin Smith says he's craft- and growing up. Co-star- don't mind that. I love Kev-
ed his "real big cinematic ring longtime friend Jason in Smith from the past. ...
gravestone." Mewes (the Jay in the titular That's the guy that started
The 49-year-old writer-di- duo), it's packed with meta the journey. I continue it,"
This Sept. 25, 2019 photo shows Kevin Smith, left, and Jason rector-actor said a major references to other films Smith said. "So far, it feels
Mewes posing during an interview in Los Angeles to promote heart attack in February and to what Smith calls his like I'm honoring the jour-
the film "Jay and Silent Bob Reboot." 2018 prompted him to re- own "myopic career." ney that I started."
Associated Press write his script for "Jay and The New Jersey native has The heart attack seems to
Silent Bob Reboot" to make been podcasting for 12 have re-focused Smith on
a more personal statement years. He's written comic filmmaking. He tells a story
about fatherhood and ag- books and he's toured with of lying on the operating
ing — and leaving a lega- performances that mix table and feeling utterly at
cy. jokes and his unique brand peace with the prospect
"Like this is my headstone, of verbose opinion and of death — until he real-
where it's like 'Here lies Kev- hyper-self-aware, hyper- ized that the last movie he
in Smith. And this is what detailed storytelling. He made was "Yoga Hosers," a
he was like.' The movie acknowledges he was a poorly-received 2016 fan-
encapsulates everything more driven filmmaker — tasy thriller. He couldn't go
that I tried to do in movies and perhaps sharper writer out on that.
over like 25 years and stuff — at the start of his career, He also knew he had to im-
and talks about my life, my when he made "Clerks" in prove his health. Following
podcasting. It's a nice rep- 1994 and "Mallrats" the next his 20-year-old daughter
resentation of who I am," year. Harley Quinn Smith's ad-
Smith said in an interview. Famously made on a shoe- vice, he went vegan and
Calling on friends and call- string $27,000 budget, lost more than 50 pounds.
ing in favors, he recon- "Clerks" debuted to ac- "Heart attack — second
nected with actors from claim in 1994 at the Sun- biggest thing that hap-
his past, including "Chas- dance Film Festival. It's a pened to me after 'Clerks,'
ing Amy" and "Dogma" profane, grungy, black- I would imagine. Like my
star Ben Affleck. Some flew and-white slice-of-life film whole life, I've been talk-
to the New Orleans set for centered on a New Jersey ing about 'Clerks,' for the
just two hours of work in the convenience store that last 25 years. Like, 'I made a
cameo-packed final act. served as a showcase for movie and it really worked
"And you don't really get Smith's brand of eloquently out!' And then suddenly
away with that many times ribald dialogue. Smith, a the heart attack gave
in life — pretty self-indul- Hollywood outsider who me something new to talk
gent. But since I survived played stoner Silent Bob in about, where I'm like — 'I
the heart attack, I figured the film, moved quickly to had a heart attack and
people would be like, let build his own Gen X slacker it really worked out!' So, I
him go. He almost died. franchise of sorts. don't know if I get another
He's a little happy with life "Sometimes I got to face one of those. But so far, so
right now," Smith said. Kevin Smith from the past good," Smith said.q

Queen Latifah to receive Harvard black

culture award

Queen Latifah is among beth Alexander, Secretary
the honorees being recog- of the Smithsonian Institu-
nized by Harvard University tion Lonnie Bunch III, poet
this year for their contribu- Rita Dove, co-founder of
tions to black history and Black Entertainment Tele-
culture. vision Sheila Johnson, art-
Harvard is set to award the ist Kerry James Marshall
W.E.B. Du Bois Medal to and Robert Smith, founder,
Queen Latifah and six other chairman and chief execu-
In this Monday, Aug. 26, 2019, recipients on Oct. 22, ac- tive of Vista Equity Partners.
file photo, Queen Latifah ar- cording to the Cambridge, The award is named after
rives at the MTV Video Music
Awards at the Prudential Cen- Massachusetts, school's Du Bois, a scholar, writer,
ter in Newark, N.J. Hutchins Center for African editor, and civil rights pio-
Associated Press and African American Re- neer who became the first
search. black student to earn a
CAMBRIDGE, Mass. (AP) Other honorees include doctorate from Harvard in
— Music artist and actress poet and educator Eliza- 1895.q