Kevin Smith spoke about his friendship with the late actor Alan Rickman after making DogmaWhich was Smith’s fourth film. In the 1999 movie, Rickman played an angel named MetatronWhich helped lead Bethany Sloane (Linda Fiorentino) to stop the fallen angels Bartleby (Ben Affleck) and Loki (Matt Damon). The film also stars Chris Rock and Salma Hayek, as well as Jason Mewes and Smith as Jay and Silent Bob.
While talking with GQSmith talked about being a fan of Rickman for his work in the original Die hard film, where he played the evil Hans Gruber. While Smith was ready to throw DogmaHe was told by an executive of Miramax That Rickman asked about what the director of Chasing Amy is doing next. Smith then cast Rickman as Metatron in the film. Read his account below:
Now, when I watched The Hard for the first time, I fell in love with Alan. I came to the theater to see Bruce Willis, I was a big Moonlighting fan, but I left going, “Who’s the other guy?” So we come around to cast in the movie and John Gordon, who is our exec at Miramax, calls me one day and he says, “Bro, Alan Rickman just came in.” And I thought, – Get out here, yuppie-ki-yee mom, Hans Gruber, are you serious? And he’s like, “He was here, bro.” All he talked about was, “What’s the guy who made Chasing Amy do next?” And I was like “That’s me.” And he’s like, “Yeah.” So Alan joined us…
Smith too Talking about how he became friends with Rickman. He shared that until Rickman died in 2016, he thought the actor was just being polite to him because they worked together. The director shared how when he was in England for a live show, Rickman would attend. Read his comment below:
“We became friends, like that was something I never understood until late in his life. Honestly, until he died. I always just thought he was just polite because we made Dogma Together and stuff. But he was really interested in me and my family. “
Smith also shared one of his favorite behind-the-scenes memories of DogmaWhich included Rickman and Mewes. While they were preparing to film a scene in front of a church, Rickman and Mewes have what Smith described as “An intensive conversation.” At the time, Smith wondered what the two actors had to say. Rickman later told Smith that Mewes was “A true American icon.”
One of my favorite moments was on the set of Dogma, that church in Pittsburgh, and I looked up at the steps of the church, and Alan Rickman is sitting next to Jason Mewes, and they’re engaged in the most profound conversation. And I remember thinking, “What the f–k could these two possibly have to say to each other?” But Rickman was genuinely interested in Jason, he was always just like, “He’s a true American icon.”
What Smith’s friendship with Rickman meant for Dogma
Smith often likes to work with his friends on his films
Smith’s friendship with Rickman shows the type of relationship the director creates with his actors. In his films, Smith likes to collaborate with actors he has worked with before. This includes Mewes, Affleck, Damon and Brian O’Halloran and Jeff Anderson from his debut film Clerks. unfortunately, Dogma was the only Smith film in which Rickman appeared. However, the fact that he and Smith continued to have a relationship after working on the movie shows that Smith is the type of director that actors like working with.
Our take on Smith’s friendship with Rickman
Smith was a fan to a colleague and friend
Since Smith was already a fan of Rickman, it must have been exciting for the director to be able to work with him on Dogma. Rickman attending Smith’s live shows also shows that the actor wanted to continue to support Smith in his career.
In his films, Smith’s characters often talk about franchises he’s a fan of, like superheroes and Star Wars. Throughout his career, Smith has brought other celebrities he is a fan of into his films. This includes Stan Lee MallratsMark Hamill and Carrie Fisher in Jay and Silent Bob strike backand Batman voice actor Kevin Conroy in Yoga Hosers. In addition to bringing in celebrities, Smith allows to pay those who have a great influence on him and influenced him to want to become a storyteller himself.
Source: GQ