Actor and director Kevin Smith broke his silence with a foul-mouthed discussion last night.
Smith, who directed -- and played the character Silent Bob in -- the cult favorites Clerks and Dogma, spoke to a packed Irvine Auditorium about homosexuality, being overweight and his Hollywood enemies.
Smith summed up his directing skills as "just turning the camera on and having people walk in front of it until it's OK."
He said that he has had a number of bad experiences in Philadelphia, such as when his father suffered a heart attack after a similar question-and-answer session.
"My 'Q and A' was so funny, I killed my father -- one of the horrible things that happened to me in Philadelphia. The first was Jersey Girl," Smith said, referring to the film starring Ben Affleck and Jennifer Lopez.
He both questioned audience members about their own sex lives and discussed those of his family, including having to watch his father fondle his mother drunkenly at his brother's wedding.
Smith peppered his talk with jokes about homosexuality but also described his comfort with gay people.
"My brother is gay and married to a man," Smith said. "That's about as gay as you can get. ... I voted for Brokeback Mountain this year for best picture. I thought it was kind of pimp, though not gay enough. I want to see glistening hard bodies."
Smith also told humorous stories of the actors he has met making and casting movies over the years. He particularly vilified actress Reese Witherspoon, a long-time nemesis.
"I couldn't imagine spending three months with her. I couldn't imagine spending three minutes with her," Smith said.
When Smith found out that actress Selma Blair -- his friend --was also friends with Witherspoon, he tried to coerce Blair into revealing the address of "Wheezy Reezy," his nickname for Witherspoon.
"I was like ... 'What are you doing Friday night? I want to roll up on Reezy's house and egg that,'" he said.
Smith said that being overweight has colored his attitude, just as being from New Jersey influences the characters in his films.
"I grew up fat and have a very small dick, so I tend to kind of overcompensate," he said. "I write what I know, and I know New Jersey."
While Smith discouraged clapping after his answers, students were entertained by his tirades.
"He's a great personality, as you can see in his films, and has a really interesting approach to directing," College senior Flora Chang said.
The Social Planning and Events Committee's Connaissance arm brought Smith to speak. U2 frontman Bono and actor Martin Sheen have been past Connaissance speakers.
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