Proceeds from hits Clerks, Chasing Amy and others will be used to fund ‘Women In Film.’
In a dramatic response to the Harvey Weinstein sex-abuse scandal, writer/director Kevin Smith (Clerks, Dogma) will donate all future residuals from films he made with the disgraced producer to Women In Film, an advocacy group with the stated mission to “achieve gender parity in the film, television, and digital industries.”
Smith made the announcement during the October 13th edition of his podcast, Hollywood Babble-On, chokin up with emotion as he spoke.
My entire career is tied up with this man. It’s been a weird fucking week. I just wanted to make some fucking movies, that’s it. That’s why I came, that’s why I made Clerks. No fucking movie is worth all this. Like, my entire career, fuck it, take it. It’s wrapped up in something really fucking horrible. I’m not looking for sympathy. I know it’s not my fault, but I didn’t fucking help.
I sat out there talking about this man like he was a hero, like he was my friend, like he was my father and shit like that.I was singing praises of somebody that I didn’t f‑‑‑ing know. I didn’t know the man that they keep talking about in the press. Clearly he exists. But that man never showed himself to me.
Weinstein and Smith had a decades-long working relationship — starting with Smith’s feature debut, Clerks, which was picked up for distribution by the Weinstein-led Miramax, and which also included Mall Rats, Dogma, Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back and Zack and Miri Make a Porno.
Smith mentioned that Weinstein had recently approached him about making a sequel to the cult film Dogma, which deconstructed Christianity — particularly Roman Catholicism. Smith said he declined because he did not want to face the uproar that making a film about such a controversial topic would entail.
This follows up on Smith’s initial twitter statement, “He financed the first 14 years of my career — and now I know while I was profiting, others were in terrible pain. It makes me feel ashamed.”
He financed the first 14 years of my career – and now I know while I was profiting, others were in terrible pain. It makes me feel ashamed. https://t.co/T0hInW7EqJ
— KevinSmith (@ThatKevinSmith) October 9, 2017
A spokeswoman for Women In Film confirmed to The Hollywood Reporter that donating the residuals was Smith’s idea, and that they were currently working out the logistics.
“It’s historically much harder, of course, for a woman to get a film made than a man,” Smith noted. Concerned that the scandal will damage the profitability of the fims he made with Weinstein, he also pledged to give $2,000 a month to the organization “from now until the fucking day I die.”
“And hopefully that just goes to people that get to make shit without having to deal with some fucking animal saying, ‘Here’s the price,’ ” he said.