Writer and director Kevin Smith recently revealed the one condition that comic book legend Stan Lee had to appear in Mallrats. Panned by critics and a disappointment at the box office, the 1995 comedy movie Wasn’t an immediate success for Smith. But thanks to its self-aware geekiness, witty dialogue, and an appearance by the late Stan “The Man” Lee, Mallrats has continued to cult classic status since its release nearly three decades ago.
In a video for GC, Breaking down his most iconic films, Smith shared an anecdote discussing how Lee’s cameo came about. The filmmaker said he wrote the role as a Stan Lee-type comic book guru, but producer Jim Jacks, who knew Lee, suggested that Smith rewrite the script to include the Spider-Man co-creator. He obliged, and Jax sent the script to Lee, which led to a call to Smith from Stan himself.
Stan Lee is one of the cast. He has several scenes in the movie. He has several scenes in the movie because of him. He wasn’t even supposed to be in the movie, Stan Lee wasn’t a character in the first draft, or two of Mallrats. Jim Jacks, who is our producer, read the scene that happened with Brody, where Brody meets the guy who gives him advice. He’s like, “Who’s the comic book guru supposed to be?” And I was like, “Oh, it would be like a Stan Lee, or something like that.” And he goes, “Well why don’t you just make it Stan Lee?” And I was like, “Well, I don’t know Stan Lee.” And Jim Jax says, “Okay I do.” And that’s when I realized Hollywood is good, like all the f-kers know each other. So he goes, “Why don’t you write the scene for Stan, I’ll bring it to him and see what he says?” And I’m like, “Okay.” So I redo it for Stan. So called at noon, and it was Stan Lee calling. I was like “Oh.” And he says, “Hey, this is Stan Lee.”
It was during this phone call that Lee gave Smith his caveat about appearing in the film. Since his conversation was about a girl who got away, he wanted Smith to extend the dialogue with Lee jokes, so that it would not upset his wife, Joan Lee. However, Smith soon figured out that The reason was to expand the Stan Lee brand And thought it was smart.
And he said, “Hey, this is Stan Lee,” and I was like, “Oh my God, I know who you are.” I said, “That’s crazy, man, like, I grew up listening to you. I’m a huge fan. A big lover of the work, obviously.” He goes, “I can tell, I read the pages. I’m very flattered”. And I was like, “Well, can you do it? Do you want to do it? Come play with us? And he says, “Well, here’s the thing, Kevin. You talked to me in the movie about the girl who got away in a very nice monologue. If I’m in a movie like me, talking about the girl who got away, The girl I got in the house will lock the door and not let me back in the house. What I’m suggesting is to put in one more scene where I talk about how I was just kidding. So, Joan Lee won’t be mad. And I thought that was incredibly sweet, so I wrote another scene where Stan meets TS, Jeremy London’s character….
I’ve known him for a long time, and what I found out is that Stan is nothing if not brilliant in expanding the brand of Stan. So, Stan figured out how to get another scene in the movie. Stan didn’t really care what Joan would have thought. It was a movie. He didn’t give a shit. There was a guy who made Thor, for God’s sake. But he was like, “You know, that would be a good way to expand my role in the movie.” So, he was smart. Smart as hell, old Stan Lee.”
What Stan Lee’s cameo meant to Mallrats
It provided geek credibility
Kevin Smith already has Established himself as a card-carrying geekThanks to the iconic Empire strikes back/Death Star chat in his hit indie comedy, Clerks. The filmmaker doubled down with MallratsWhich further branched out to his place in the Gekiver. Brodie (Jason Lee) is a walking encyclopedia of comic books and even foreshadowed the 1996 Marvel/DC Comics crossover in a conversation with Rene (Sean Doherty). Stan Lee’s cameo was a big deal, though.
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Stan Lee was already a household name to comic book readers at the time Mallrats was released, so to see him pop up in a film that was so geared towards them Lend some much-needed credibility. Mallrats Wasn’t Lee’s first screen role, as he appeared in a cameo in the 1989 TV movie The Trial of the Incredible Hulk. However, as Smith points out in the video, his role here is more than a cameo, as he has multiple scenes and many lines of dialogue. Lee even appeared on the film’s poster.
Our take on Stan Lee’s Mallrats Cameo
It set the tone for the movies to come
Before MallratsStan Lee didn’t do much acting, outside of narration and providing voice work in various Marvel projects in the 1980s. But Mallrats Demonstrates that Lee was not only a prolific storyteller, but he could also act. This set the stage for his nearly 40 cameos in Marvel-related films and television series. In fact, Stan Lee’s cameos became so synonymous with MCU films that his absence from them since his passing has been noticeable. It’s all thanks to Lee trying to squeeze in a little more screen time Mallrats.
Source: GQ