Kevin Smith spoke about his friendship with the late actor Alan Rickman after making Dogma, which was Smith's fourth film. In the 1999 movie, Rickman played an angel named Metatron, who helped guide Bethany Sloane (Linda Fiorentino) to stop the fallen angels Bartleby (Ben Affleck) and Loki (Matt Damon). The film also starred Chris Rock and Salma Hayek, as well as Jason Mewes and Smith as Jay and Silent Bob.

While speaking with GQ, Smith talked about already being a fan of Rickman for his work in the original Die Hard film, where he played the villain Hans Gruber. While Smith was getting prepared to cast Dogma, he was told by an executive from Miramax that Rickman asked about what the director of Chasing Amy was doing next. Smith then cast Rickman as Metatron in the film. Read his below:

Now, when I watched Die Hard for the first time, I fell in love with Alan. I came into that theater to see Bruce Willis, I was a big Moonlighting fan, but I left going, "Who's the other guy?" So we come around to cast in the movie and John Gordon, who's our exec at Miramax, calls me one day and he goes, "Bro, Alan Rickman just came in." And I was like, "Get Outta here, yippeee-ki-yay mother, Hans Gruber, are you serious?"And he is like, "He was here, bro." All he talked about was, "What is the guy who made Chasing Amy doing next?" And I was like "That's me." And he is like, "Yes." So Alan ed us...

Smith also talked about how he became friends with Rickman. He shared that until Rickman died in 2016, he thought that the actor was just being polite to him because they worked together. The director shared how whenever he was in England for a live show, Rickman would attend. Read his comment below:

"We became friends, like that was something I never understood until late in his life. Honestly, until he ed away. I always just thought that he was just being polite because we made Dogma together and stuff. But he was genuinely interested in me and my family."

Smith also shared one of his favorite behind-the-scenes memories of Dogma, which included Rickman and Mewes. While they were preparing to film a scene in front of a church, Rickman and Mewes had what Smith described as "an intense conversation." At the time, Smith wondered what the two actors had to say to each other. Rickman later told Smith that Mewes was "a true American icon."

One of my favorite moments being on the set of Dogma, that church in Pittsburgh, and I looked over on the step of the church, and there's Alan Rickman sitting next to Jason Mewes, and they are engaged in the most intense conversation. And I thinking, "What the f--k could these two possibly have to say to each other?" But Rickman was genuinely interested in Jason, he was always just like, "He's a true American icon."

What Smith's Friendship With Rickman Meant For Dogma

Smith Often Likes To Work With His Friends On His Films

Smith's friendship with Rickman shows the type of relationship that the director creates with his actors. In his films, Smith likes to collaborate with actors that he's worked with before. That includes Mewes, Affleck, Damon, as well as Brian O'Halloran and Jeff Anderson from his debut film Clerks. Unfortunately, Dogma was the only Smith film that Rickman appeared in. However, the fact that he and Smith continued to have a relationship after working on the movie shows that Smith is the type of director that actors like working with.

Our Take On Smith's Friendship With Rickman

Smith Went From Being A Fan To A Colleague and Friend

Since Smith was already a fan of Rickman, it must have been exciting for the director to be able to work with him on Dogma. Rickman attending Smith's live shows also shows that the actor wanted to continue to Smith in his career.

In his films, Smith's characters often talk about franchises that he is a fan of, like superheroes and Star Wars. Throughout his career, Smith brought other celebrities that he is a fan of into his films. This includes Stan Lee in Mallrats, Mark Hamill and Carrie Fisher in Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back, and Batman voice actor Kevin Conroy in Yoga Hosers. Besides bringing in celebrities, it allows Smith to pay tribute to those who have made a big impact on him and influenced him to want to become a storyteller himself.

Source: GQ