Ben Affleck’s ‘Potty Mouth’ Almost Cost Him the Role of Kevin Smith

Ben Affleck have a “pot mouth” almost cost him a role in his first Kevin Smith film. Ben Affleck’s many cameos as Bartleby in Dogmahe is one of the most common actors in Smith’s work. Smith’s first feature film, Clerk (1994), is one of his only films in which Affleck does not appear.

By speaking with PeopleSmith reveals Affleck almost lost Shannon Hamilton’s role in Mallrats before even auditioning. Producer James Jacks didn’t want Affleck to be cast because of the language the actor used during filming. Dazed and confused (1993), and Mallrats already included “Enough of the bad language” Check out Smith’s memories of Jacks’ comments below:

He has a dirty mouth. He always swears. We got it in Dazed and Confused. There were only a few uses of the f— word in Dazed and confusedbut when Affleck got there, he upped it. Every scene he throws shit like crazy.

We don’t want him in this movie. You have enough swear words in the film.

Even though Jacks was opposed to Affleck’s casting, Smith recalls how Affleck “portrayed the character very, very well” during the hearing and the position of the producer has changed.

So he auditioned and much to Jim’s dismay, it was him.

Mallrats became Affleck’s Kevin Smith film debut, with his performance as a cruel store manager becoming only the first of many characters he would portray in Askewniverse.

It was during Mallrats that Smith got to know Affleck, which set up their many collaborations to come. At the same time, Affleck was working on Goodwill HuntThe script for, and every time he asked to leave the production to go to Los Angeles, Smith would give him permission.

Working with him on set over the month and the changes we made Mallrats Minnesota is where I fell in love with Ben Affleck and discovered who he was. He’s so funny, so smart, so charming. And here he was playing bullies in films, including mine.

I was going back to my office later that day and there was a thank you note: “Hey man, I want to thank you for letting me go to LA to do this and take care of my script. I’m having a great time on this movie, man. It’s great. Thanks, Ben Affleck.”

Beyond respecting Affleck and enjoying working with him, Smith saw his potential to become a leading man. Luckily for Affleck, Smith was already thinking about how to make this possible when they spent time together after directing Mallrats.

I was like, “My God, this guy should be a leading man. I don’t understand why he’s not a leading man.”

I just wanted you to know that I worked on this script Chasing Amyand I write the lead role so you can play it. And it’s dead silence. And after a moment he said, “Finally.”

Directed and written by Smith, Chasing Amy (1997) is a romantic comedy-drama in which Affleck plays the lead role of Holden McNeil. With a critical rating of 86% and an audience rating of 83%, Chasing Amy is widely considered one of Kevin Smith’s best films of all time.

Affleck later played a leading role in Armageddon (1998), Pearl Harbor (2001) and in several DC films such as Batman/Bruce Wayne. Affleck and Matt Damon won the Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay for Goodwill Hunt (1997). Argo (2012), directed and starring Affleck, won the Academy Award for Best Picture.

If he had been ignored Mallrats because of his “pot mouth” or if Smith hadn’t allowed him to return to Los Angeles while he was working on the Goodwill Hunt scenario, Ben Affleck could have had a very different career. Instead, he became one of the biggest names in Hollywood and a mainstay of Smith’s films.