Ben Affleck's "Potty Mouth" Nearly Cost Him Kevin Smith Role

Ben Affleck having a “potty mouth” almost cost him a role in his first Kevin Smith movie. From Ben Affleck’s many cameos to playing Bartleby in Dogma, he is one of the actors most commonly found in Smith’s work. Smith’s first feature film, Clerks (1994), is one of his only movies that Affleck is not featured in.

While speaking with People, Smith reveals that Affleck almost lost the role of Shannon Hamilton in Mallrats before he even auditioned. Producer James Jacks did not want Affleck to be cast because of the language the actor used when filming Dazed and Confused (1993), and Mallrats already included “enough bad language.” Check out Smith’s recollection of Jacks’ comments below:

He’s got a potty mouth. He’s always cursing. We had him in Dazed and Confused. There were only a few uses of the word f— in Dazed and Confused, but when Affleck got there, he increased it. Every scene he’s throwing f—- around like crazy.

We don’t want him in this movie. You’ve got enough bad language in the movie.

Even though Jacks was opposed to casting Affleck, Smith recalls how Affleck “wore the character very, very well” during the audition and the producer’s stance changed.

So he auditioned and much to Jim’s chagrin, he was the guy.

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

It was during Mallrats that Smith got to know Affleck, which would set up their many collaborations to come. At the same time, Affleck was working on Good Will Hunting‘s script, and every time he asked to leave the production to go to Los Angeles, Smith gave him permission.

Working with him on set over the month and change we made Mallrats out in Minnesota, that’s where I fell in love with Ben Affleck and discovered who he was. He’s so f—— funny, so smart, so charming. And here he was playing bullies in movies, including my own.

I’d go back to my office later in the day and there would be a thank-you note: “Hey man, I want to thank you for letting me go to Los Angeles and do this and take care of my script. I’m having such a great time on this movie, man. This is great. Thank you, Ben Affleck.”

Beyond respecting Affleck and enjoying working with him, Smith saw his potential to be a lead actor. Fortunately for Affleck, Smith was already thinking about how to make this possible when they spent time together after making Mallrats.

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

I just wanted you to know I’ve been working on this script Chasing Amy, and I’m writing the lead for you to play. And there’s dead silence. And after a beat, he goes, “Finally.”

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

Affleck went on to play prominent roles in Armageddon (1998), Pearl Harbor (2001), and in multiple DC movies as Batman/Bruce Wayne. Affleck and Matt Damon won the Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay for Good Will Hunting (1997). Argo (2012), which Affleck directed and starred in, won the Academy Award for Best Picture.

If he had been passed over on Mallrats due to his “potty mouth” or if Smith hadn’t allowed him to go back to L.A. while working on the Good Will Hunting script, Ben Affleck could have had a very different career. Instead, he became one of the biggest names in Hollywood and is a mainstay in Smith’s films.