Ben Affleck Playfully Roasts Kevin Smith Over Daughter Harley’s Movie Decision
Ben Affleck and Kevin Smith go way back, with Ben starring in some of Kevin’s most famous films like Mallrats, Chasing Amy, and Dogma. But even as old friends, Ben isn’t shy about poking fun at Kevin. Recently, when Kevin offered his daughter Harley Quinn Smith a lead role in his new movie The 4:30 Movie, she turned it down. And Ben was quick to praise her decision with a playful jab at Kevin.
In an interview with PEOPLE, Kevin recalled the moment he told Ben about Harley passing on the role. Ben, with his signature humor, said, “That’s a smart kid. No Kevin Smith movie has ever made any actor’s career better.”
As Kevin recalled, “I told [Ben] that Harley passed on the movie and he was like, ‘That’s a smart kid. No Kevin Smith movie has ever made any actor’s career better.’”
Harley, who has appeared in several of her father’s movies, including Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back from 2001 and 2016’s Yoga Hosers, had a good reason for turning down the lead role in The 4:30 Movie. According to Kevin, she thought it through and decided it wasn’t the right fit for her. Ben, who shares a close bond with Harley, reportedly praised her for having the “integrity and [the ability] to be like, ‘I don’t want to do that.’”
But Harley didn’t stay away from The 4:30 Movie completely. Instead of playing the lead, she made a cameo as Sister Sugar Walls, a “hooker nun” in a fake trailer shown in the movie. The film, set in 1986, follows a group of teenagers spending an afternoon at a New Jersey movie theater, with the story reflecting Kevin’s own high school experiences.
The 4:30 Movie, Kevin’s 16th feature film, is close to his heart. It’s a semi-autobiographical tale about the moment he nervously asked his high school girlfriend out to a movie. For him, capturing that raw emotion was more challenging than his usual style of focusing on witty dialogue. He wanted the movie to feel authentically ’80s, and praised his cast and crew for helping achieve that vibe.
With a star-studded cast including Rosario Dawson, Jason Lee, and Method Man, alongside newcomers like Siena Agudong and Austin Zajur, The 4:30 Movie is shaping up to be a nostalgic love letter to the ’80s.
