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Jason Mewes (CLERKS, JAY AND SILENT BOB STRIKE BACK, DOGMA, CLERKS II and more) is an actor, LEGEND and now he is a director. He directed his first film, “Madness in the Method” which stars Kevin Smith, Gina Carano, Vinnie Jones, Danny Trejo, Stan Lee, Teri Hatcher, Brian O’Halloran, Esther Anderson, Dean Cain and so many more talented people. Did we mention Jason got to direct Stan Lee. Stan Lee plays Stan in the movie. Jason shared his amazing story of directing one of his heroes. The scene in the movie brought tears to my eyes. Jason shared a cool story about Stan Lee and directing him. Jason shares the process of how this project came about and he shared a story about one of his favorite scenes featuring his friend Brian O’Halloran and said it was a favorite but you are going to have to watch the film to find out. Jason Mewes took time and he is funny and I could listen to him talk about the phone book and it would be funny and animated. Even over the phone you feel his energy. The films he has made with not only Kevin Smith but most of his films are favorites. Fan till this day will dress like Jay and Silent Bob, there are comic books, toys, license plates, people quote these movies and fans are dedicated since day one.
Jason Mewes took time to talk to Horrornews.net about his new film so check it out.
Hi Jason, How are you?
Jason- All is good. I appreciate you wanting to talk.
Well, it is an honor to talk to you. This movie, MADNESS IN THE METHOD was so good. That is also one of my mom’s sayings she likes to use, “There is a method to my madness” (Although I think we all can appreciate that phrase.) There are so many aspects that are fascinating with this film. But, there is a method to the madness of this amazing film.
Jason- It makes sense because it is something that you can use constantly. Even with my coffee, I get espresso and I need to have milk on the side. Sometimes they’ll say, “What do you want me to just pour it in” and I say “No, I’ll pour it in myself because I don’t pour in too much in. You got to pour in just a bit to cool it off. But, if you pour in too much it gets really cold and it’s not good anymore and you have to drink it really fast and then you drink the milk after. Anyway, so I always there is a method to my madness in my coffee-making and other things, so yeah I agree, it’s a good one.
Why did you decide to direct MADNESS IN THE METHOD and how did the process come about?
Jason – It all happened because of my buddy Dominic Burns who is a producer on the movie but he is also a buddy at this point. I had done a movie with him years ago called, “Devil’s Tower” and he was the producer on that and I flew out to London and did four days of shooting, it wasn’t a big character but it was still that similar funny guy. I stayed afterwards to do some sight-seeing and he showed me around, brought me to all the cool places. We spent like three or four days together and he was like “Look, man I hope you don’t mind me asking but, what do you really want to do besides, you have been doing the Jay character and you’ve done some indie movies and you’re good at it and you are funny whatever but else do you want to do? I said, I really want to direct now.
You know since, “Clerks II,” Kevin let me fool around and direct an insert and as movie after movie started going on, I noticed with each movie, as I am shooting something my brain started working like you know if the director said, come through the doors or do this or do that. I noticed that even though I was directed by the director my brain would work and I would say how about we do this and this and it was cool because a handful of ideas and directors from indie movies would say, do that instead. That is better or just as good. I just started noticing I liked the idea and the process. I told my buddy Dominic that and I was like I really want to direct and I have done enough movies and I’ve been in front of the camera enough and I have been thinking like a director. So, I really would love to direct but I would like to challenge myself and play like a Hannibal Lecter or “American Psycho” type character or even like a cop but a bad ass cop like you know that show “The Shield?”
Yes!!!
Jason- Yes! Like a detective who is a hard ass, bad ass so these are the two roles that I would like to really try to eventually play. I told him those two things and I went home and a couple of months later he called me up and said, “Well, I hope you don’t mind, I hope you are not offended. I took it upon myself and I wrote a script about what we talked about when you were here. He said, I am emailing it to you and he said, I hope you don’t mind and I said, of course not. So I read it and I liked it but it was a different version of what the movie is now but it was similar and I was like, wow that is great but how about it is this and this instead and then he said great and he re-wrote it and we went back and forth with different ideas.
He said, look I am going to try to get financing for this and I didn’t hear from him for like four or five months. I thought he got another job. One day he called me up and he said, Dude, you’ll never guess, I got this company to finance the movie and they are also going to let you direct it. So from there we reshaped the script a little more but you got to realize that if I really wanted to play on my strengths and if I was going to direct and have to focus on directing and acting. That’s when we made it like, hey how about if it is really Jay Mewes and it’s this and everyone plays themselves but an Earth 12 version of themselves. No one is playing themselves for real but an earth 12 version. So, that is how it came about. I told my buddy Dominic Burns that I really wanted to direct and make a movie and he went out and wrote a script for me and him and I started bouncing ideas of the script off each other. Another dude named Chris Anastasi he helped shape up the script a bit too.
There a few things that truly stand out. This film is one of a kind. Seeing Stan Lee make a cameo I did tear up a little bit. What was that like directing this incredible cast including yourself?
Jason- Of course. It was awesome. Stan, like you said, my buddy Dominic he was there. Two things and stories about that. What was awesome about Stan and my crew, I got to mention everybody that jumped on board and we didn’t have a lot of money on the movie. So everyone that was acting in it was really awesome because no one got paid a normal rate. I don’t know what anyone’s normal rate is but I know they didn’t get paid that. Dean Cain, Teri Hatcher, Vinnie Jones, Danny Trejo and Casper Van Dien, no one got paid what they normally got paid. They said Oh, Mewes is directing his first movie and they wanted to part of it and I thought that was amazing. Also the crew, none of the crew were getting paid the normal overtime. When Stan came and whenStan would see Kevin (Smith) and I, it’s funny for years, Stan would say, “Kevin when are you going to put me in another movie?”
And he would always joke with Kevin about putting him in another movie. So when I started to make this movie I said, well Stan always tells jokes with Kevin and of course he isn’t going to joke with me because I had never made a movie. I am assuming that if he wants Kevin to put him in a movie, maybe he’ll do my movie. So we reached out to his person at the time which was this gentleman Max that used to handle him and it was a couple of days that we didn’t hear anything and we were working from 7 at night till 7 in the morning and we were doing night shoots. And about 2 in the afternoon I get a call from Max and Max said hey sorry it took us a few days to get back, we were out-of-town but Stan would love to come down and shoot and be in the movie.
How long will it be and I said an hour to an hour and a half at the most. I can get him and in and out and he goes well, that’s great because he’s home by six o clock at night and Stan will never miss dinner with his wife. They eat at six o clock at night every night so he should be home by six and it is like 2 o clock in the afternoon. I was like well great so what are you thinking and he said we could be there today by 4 o clock and I could you an hour and a half and then we’d have to leave at 5:30 to make to it home by six. And I was like okay great but in the back of my head I was like oh my goodness everyone just off work at like 7 and everyone is probably sleeping. I started reaching out to the producer Dominic and we started reaching to the crew. But it was amazing everyone was like, dude we’ll be there and everyone came to set and was there by 3:30 and Stan got there by 4:00 and we shot and my buddy makes fun of me because after we did the first take you know I was like, Stan can you stand here and say this and he said his line. I was like, could you do it one more time and like maybe throw in this or that and he did it again and I literally couldn’t help myself but think in my head like oh my gosh, not only am I directing him but he is here, he showed up. He is in my movie and I started tearing up and I had to walk away and my buddy Dominic saw me and you know every time we talk about it he’s like, oh you cried and I was I couldn’t help it.
(I was tearing up and trying not to cry more myself)
Jason- So yes it was really amazing. Yeah! I just feel so lucky that he was willing to come down and play and be in my movie. It is such an honor man, it really is.
It is really powerful though. This group of people and Stan Lee. It is as if all the forces come together. This is so good. It is amazing for so many of us because we grew up watching the movies you guys made and quoting these movies. And add in our Legendary Stan Lee! (YOU DID THAT JASON MEWES)
Jason- Awesome, awesome. I am super stoked. I am really hoping people dig it. I just came from GalaxyConand it was really nice. So many people came up. I get to show my movie on Friday, also in a few months the “Jay and Silent Bob Reboot” comes out so it has been so awesome because all I heard all weekend from people was that they already got tickets for Friday and for the Reboot. It has been really awesome. It will be nice when people actually see the movie. We had a screening at San Diego Comic Con.
What do you want to say to the audiences that will be watching MADNESS IN THE METHOD and to your fans? People still love these movies. They are lasting, “Clerks II”, “Jay and Silent Bob,” “Dogma.” People quote these movies, they watch them over and over. People dress up like you and Kevin Smith.
Jason- Yeah! I am just grateful. I really am. It is not something I had planned. Kevin said, “I think you are funny and I am going to write you into the movie.” I went back to my roofing job, delivering pizza and doing construction so I am saying it is not something that I had planned. I never would have thought that so many years later we would be doing Pod cast and we would have toys and comic books and I would get direct my movie, I’d get to meet Stan Lee and then direct Stan Lee. And then the people who have followed, the people who have been on board since the beginning. It is so cool for me, I know I keep mentioning the conventions but it’s like the best place for me to interact with people and the fans. A woman would give me a hug and say, I love your movies, and they kept me out of dark places. One generation passes it to the next. It is awesome that people pass it down from generation to generation. That’s why I’s excited about “Jay and Silent Bob Reboot” because I really hope that because it is new and Kevin wrote all this new stuff and with social media. I am hoping it brings a whole new audience. The last movie was thirteen years ago and it is really awesome. I have a story-telling show telling stories about the movies (Jay Mewes & His A-Mewes-Ing Stories) and the past twenty years meeting Alan Rickman, George Carlin and Chris Rock and my wife and Kevin work together as business partners so it is a family affair. It’s been amazing.
Thank you so much for taking the time to talk with me for Horrornews.net. It was an honor to talk with you. You are one of the most talented humans ever. You and Kevin have made films that are lasting and now you have made MADNESS IN THE METHOD for all of us. Thank you so much.
Jason- Awesome. Thank you so much for chatting with me. You have a fantastic day. Awesome. I appreciate it.
Thank you.
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