Silent Bob will finally speak up as the SPEC Connaissance Spring Speaker.
Better known as his mute on-screen persona, Kevin Smith has both directed and acted in films including Dogma, Chasing Amy, Mallrats, Clerks and Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back. He will speak at Irvine Auditorium March 22.
Organizers say the speech will likely have wide appeal.
"Kevin Smith has such a following among people who are in college now," Social Planning and Events Committee Connaissance Director and College senior Caitlin McElroy said. With "the kind of movies we've grown up on, we thought he would be a good candidate for our crowd."
SPEC Connaissance decided on Smith after conducting a survey last spring to gauge student preference for speakers.
"Students wanted to hear someone from Hollywood," McElroy said.
Last year's event featured West Wing actor Martin Sheen, who discussed his commitment to community service.
Any student can use their PennCard to enter an online lottery. If selected, they can buy $5 tickets to the event. The lottery opens tomorrow.
Students have said that Smith will be more than welcome on campus.
"I think it's good that they're bringing in someone who is more trendy and mainstream," College senior Vanessa White said. "I think he might appeal to a wider audience and people who might not necessarily have heard of him."
Smith's appearance will also be a huge event for Penn's film-making community.
"I think that would be interesting because there are a lot of people at Penn interested in filmmaking, and there aren't a lot of people associated with the film industry who come," said College junior Rachel Pearlman, who is studying film.
Smith rose to fame through his 1994 film Clerks, which many credit with launching his career.
He is also known as a comic-book writer, creating Clerks (the Comic) in 1998 and collaborating on Marvel Comic's Daredevil.
Smith's films are usually filled with pop culture references, especially allusions to Star Wars and New Jersey.
His films are also known for for sexual references and graphic displays of bodily functions.
Smith is currently working on Clerks II, a follow-up to his first film, and will be appearing in Catch and Release, a comedic romance featuring Jennifer Garner.
