Kevin Smith rekindled his friendship with Ben Affleck thanks to a private jet and getting 'ghosted' by Snoop Dogg

• Writer-director Kevin Smith explained to Business Insider how his new movie, "Jay and Silent Bob Reboot," led to him reconnecting with Ben Affleck.
• The two had not talked to each other for close to a decade, but after Affleck told a reporter during an interview for his Netflix movie, "Triple Frontier," that he was free to do "Reboot," Smith reached out to the actor.
• Smith said Affleck asked if the director could provide a private jet to get him to the set. 
• Typically, Smith would not have that luxury, but he said because Snoop Dogg had requested a private plane for a cameo and then "ghosted" him, Smith could get Affleck a plane.
• "And he was like, 'If you can get me down in a jet I'll play whatever you want,'" Smith said Affleck told him.
• Affleck reprises the role of Holden McNeil in "Reboot," the main character from Smith's 1997 movie, "Chasing Amy."
• Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

 

After nearly a decade of not being on speaking terms with Kevin Smith, Ben Affleck is back in the writer-director's latest, "Jay and Silent Bob Reboot" (in select theaters beginning October 15). 

On the last day of shooting, Affleck shot his cameo scene in which he plays Holden McNeil, the main character from Smith's 1997 movie "Chasing Amy." 

"My boyfriend's back!" Smith proclaimed in an Instagram post in July that featured a selfie of Affleck, Smith, and actor Jason Mewes (who plays Jay opposite Smith's Silent Bob in the movie) on set. Smith went on to detail in the post how he reached out to Affleck after hearing the actor tell reporter Kevin McCarthy during an interview for his Netflix movie, "Triple Frontier," that he was free if ever approached to be in "Jay and Silent Bob Reboot."

 

Smith revealed in a November 2018 tweet that what led to the falling out between him and Affleck was that the director has "a big mouth" and told "too many candid stories" about his famous friend. 

After hearing Affleck's "Triple Frontier" interview, Smith was going to tweet at him, he told Business Insider. But he was dissuaded by his producer Jordan Monsanto, who felt it was impersonal and that he should text Affleck instead. "I was like, 'I got four numbers I don't know if any one of them work,'" Smith said. "I try the first one and it worked."

Smith said they continued to text back and forth, figuring out what character Affleck would play, and eventually landed on Holden. Smith raced to write up a scene, and then Affleck texted him to ask if it were possible to fly him to set on a private plane.

Read more: Kevin Smith on life after the heart attack, reconciling with Ben Affleck, and how "Jay and Silent Bob Reboot" became his most emotional movie in years

The budget of "Reboot" was $10 million and typically a movie of that size can't pull off that kind of luxury. But it turned out Smith had a resource because of a Snoop Dogg cameo that fell through.

"We asked Snoop to be in the movie and his people where like, 'You have to get him a private jet, he doesn't fly commercial,'" said Smith, who was able to make a deal with Kush Boys to be mentioned in "Reboot" in exchange for the jet money.

"Then Snoop ghosted us," Smith continued. "So we have this money but no one to use the jet. Three days later Ben asks about the jet so I was like, 'Normally I would say of course not but I can actually get access to a jet.' And he was like, 'If you can get me down in a jet I'll play whatever you want.'"

Smith sent Affleck his pages and he said the actor was very receptive to what he wrote, in which Holden opens up to Jay and Silent Bob about the joys of having a child and how it brought his life into focus.

"He was like, 'That monologue, that's the kind of stuff I want to say right now,'" Smith said Affleck told him.

"He came so prepared that most of the stuff in that scene is from his very first take," Smith said. "The only reason I had him do it a second time was because I was like, 'You came all this way, let's do it again.' He elevated the movie."

Since shooting "Reboot," Smith said he and Affleck have stayed in touch. Affleck came to his house to see the movie and Smith expects him to come to the movie's premiere.

"It was like getting a piece of your heart back," Smith said. "Not only did it make the movie better, but I got my friend back."

So, since they've patched things up, should we expect the two collaborating more?

"I wouldn't hesitate, but I'm sure he's busy working on his own stuff," Smith said.

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