My agent, my manager, had to go to the office to read it because they couldn’t get a copy. This messenger came over with the script and was like, ‘Okay, I’ll be back in three hours.’ So I’m like speed reading it and trying to get it all, and I’m cracking up hysterical. There’s a Bollywood moment, donkey show… There is pretty much everything in there. I was excited I was going to be the movie.”
Dawson continued: “So yeah, I loved [Clerks] and thought it was great. I actually think he’s grown so much as a writer and a filmmaker that with all of the raunchy comedy that’s in there and the points of controversy that he tends to throw into a lot of his stuff, there is such a strong thread of heart and structure to this that is really touching. As surprised as I was reading it, they’ll be surprised that it’s in there - to the level that it is. It really is, at the heart of it, about friends. It’s about that choice you make between Hollywood and like the fact that he’s making Clerks 2 which seems so, ‘That’s a Hollywood move to make a sequel of your most successful film.’ It’s not at all. It still has that artistic integrity, that independent film integrity to just being great people, great story, but not for everyone. But for the right audience, you’re going to be very happy.”
On Kevin Smith’s Dialogue and the Atmosphere on the Set: “I have five uncles on my mom’s side alone and one of them being a comic book artist. So, when you’re around the guys and how they talk about things, you get that sort of thing - that exact kind of dialogue that was in this script. It was really fun. This is what people do.”
Although Dawson was a fan of the first Clerks, she wasn’t sure what the returning cast, including Jeff Anderson and Brian O’Halloran, would be like to work with. “These people are friends with each other, this is a family, this is something that’s really important and they are actually making really good stuff,” explained Dawson. “I came in wondering, ‘This script is really amazing, but it’s really verbose. I’ve never met these guys.’ I didn’t know what the deal is. They all seem kind of goofy. Is this going to be a professional gig where everyone is going to have their lines memorized and show up for work on time, or is this going to be kind of improv where we just go with the flow? It’s just dialogue and conversation anyway.’ I was really curious.
They showed up and Jeff was really on top of it, and Brian was really on top of it. I was like, ‘Wow, this is really gonna be like work. This is going to be a hard time.’ It was great. It got me on my game. It was really great. You’re working with people who are great and holding you accountable, but also willing to sit around and laugh with you.”
No Fast Food Experiences for Rosario Dawson: Dawson began acting when she was 15 and never had to suffer through working at a fast food place. “I didn’t have any other jobs really. My brother was a busboy, and my best friend growing up worked in a diner down the block. She’s definitely that brassy type, ‘You didn’t give me a tip last time? So, you don’t get no change. See you tomorrow.’...
Page 2: Rosario Dawson on Kevin Smith's Script, Being a Name Actress, and Her Comic Book
