Kevin Smith’s love of Star Wars runs deep. So when the director and New Jersey legend got to work with Princess Leia herself, he was over the moon.
“My celebrity crush growing up was Carrie Fisher,” Smith, 54, tells Us Weekly exclusively in the latest edition of the magazine, on newsstands now. “I never married her — like 11-year-old me wanted — but I did get to work with her in Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back.”
The fifth film in the View Askewniverse, a fictional universe created by Smith after the success of his 1994 movie Clerks, Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back features the titular characters, played by Jason Mewes and Smith, and references the fifth installment in the Star Wars movie series, The Empire Strikes Back.
Fisher wasn’t the only actor from the franchise that Smith idolized, though.
Brie Larson, Joseph Gordon-Levitt and More Celebs Who Love ‘Star Wars’
“The actors I looked up to growing up were David Prowse and Peter Mayhew because they played Darth Vader and Chewbacca, respectively, in the Star Wars movies,” he told Us. “And because they were tall as f— as a kid.”
Keep scrolling for more fun facts from Smith, including his most starstruck moment:
Smith’s new coming-of-age comedy, The 4:30 Movie, opens in theaters September 13.
1. My first car was a yellow Volkswagen Beetle with wooden bumpers. Surprisingly, I wasn’t the envy of my classmates.
2. My favorite place to hang out in New Jersey is Smodcastle Cinemas in Atlantic Highlands, the movie theater I co-own with my friends. I get to watch all the flicks I want for free now, mortgage aside.
3. The only quality I share with Silent Bob is the backward baseball cap. In real life, you can’t shut me up.
4. My favorite way to spend the weekend is stuffing my face in front of the television with the girl of my dreams.
5. My favorite movie is Clerks. It made all my dreams come true for the last 30 years.
6. My most starstruck moment was just before Iron Man 2 came out, when Robert Downey Jr. came over and said “Hi” to me while I was grabbing a smoke on the loading dock at San Diego Comic-Con.
7. My favorite item in my wardrobe is a vintage pair of JNCO jean shorts. It’s a length the new incarnation of the company doesn’t make anymore. Like me, it’s a relic from the ’90s.
8. My celebrity crush growing up was Carrie Fisher. I never married her, like 11-year-old me wanted, but I did get to work with her in Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back.
9. The TV series I’m binge-watching right now is Only Murders in the Building. These guys could have a real future in comedy.
10. Mr. Charlie’s vegan “Not a Cheeseburger” with a side of “British Fries” is my go-to fast-food order.
11. The actors I looked up to growing up were David Prowse and Peter Mayhew because they played Darth Vader and Chewbacca, respectively, in the Star Wars movies and because they were tall as f— as a kid.
12. My favorite meal to cook is French toast. I soak the s— out of that bread. Also, I can make a pretty amazing hummus.
13. My favorite book is The Dark Knight Returns by Frank Miller and Klaus Janson.
Surprise Cameos! See Ben Affleck and More in Kevin Smith’s ‘Clerks 3’ Trailer
14. The song I usually sing during karaoke is “Welcome to the Black Parade” by My Chemical Romance.
15. I used to collect comic books, but now I sell them at my comic book store, Jay and Silent Bob’s Secret Stash in Red Bank, New Jersey. We’re celebrating 27 years in business.
16. Three items I can’t leave the house without are my phone, my backward baseball cap and my jorts.
17. To unwind, I hold intense sessions with the German Consulate, a.k.a. I hike Runyon Canyon with my two shepherd girls, Lucky and Birdie.
18. My best subject in school was creative writing.
19. My first job was as a busboy at a seafood restaurant in 1984, making $1.83 an hour plus tips.
20. My dream profession is being a morning radio host. I wake up early, and I love the sound of my own voice.
21. My fondest childhood memory is when my Catholic parents allowed me to unintentionally shoplift souvenirs at Disney World when I was 8.
22. The most famous person in my phone book is Ben Affleck, but the most famous person in my phone book who hasn’t blocked me is Jason Mewes.
23. The app I use the most is Waze. I do a lot of gigs on the road, so I’m always in some place I’ve never been before.
24. One thing I learned from my time working at a convenience store is that I used to think the job would be great if it weren’t for the f—ing customers. Now I know that job was great because of the f—ing customers.
25. The proudest moment of my career was the day Jason and I put our hand- and footprints in the forecourt of the TCL Chinese Theatre in Hollywood. Two boys from Jersey are ensconced in cement beside movie legends like Myrna Loy, Cary Grant, Jack Nicholson and R2-D2.
