By Antony Teofilo
It's arguable that, as celebrities go, there's no one more accessible than Kevin Smith.
Nevertheless, even a peon like me is bombarded with requests for autographs. Aspiring screenwriters stealthily pass me scripts they hope will end in Mr. Smith's possession, and other journalists of a more respected stripe than I will ever achieve have been known to inquire for my help in setting up interviews with him.
Needless to say, I am powerless in all of these pursuits. The great thing, I tell them, is that all one must do is watch the ViewAskew Web sites, and odds are, in a month or six, Kevin Smith might be in your neighborhood, and you can get your very own chance to approach the man yourself.
At the risk of peddling hero-worship, I will admit that I have noticed something that many other people don't seem to understand yet: Kevin Smith is mortal. He is only one man. He's a father, a husband, and, generally speaking, a dude who just doesn't really get into the whole party / schmooze scene, no matter which coast upon which he's hanging his hat.
Perhaps it's his track record as a breakout independent director with an active desire to develop undiscovered talent (for reference, have a look at DRAWING FLIES, BIG HELIUM DOG, VULGAR, etc.), or maybe it's the fact that Kevin comes from the rank and file armchair movie moguls who work in video stores all over the world, but people want to get to know this guy, to thank him, to dissect his thoughts. (Guilty on all counts here...you're reading this column because I watched MALLRATS on a whim in a second-run college movie theater nine years ago...long story).
Fact is, if you've got a good reason to contact Mr. Smith, it's not that difficult to do (put the emphasis on the word good in that sentence, though).
Like any worthy goal, there's a tough goalie out in front, protecting the net, and even checking the occasional goon, when necessary. She's Mr. Smith's cover-all filter/bodyguard/manager/PR rep, the woman who often decides the merits of the many requests that come through ViewAskew's doorways each and every day.
If that's not enough to put the fear of Alanis into you, put this in your pipe and smoke it: she also happens to be his mother-in-law. She helps manage the many personal appearances Kevin makes, and to decide which and what events are important in the life of Kevin Smith. The focus and power she brings to Mr. Smith's life is quite the...
Gail Force
A Brief Interview With Gail Stanley, Assistant to Kevin Smith
By Antony Teofilo
Antony Teofilo: Within JERSEY GIRL's personnel, you're Kevin Smith's assistant. You're also his mother-in-law. Which of those comes first?
Gail Stanley It depends on the day [laughs].
AT: When you're in a production like JERSEY GIRL, how many hours a day do you spend managing Kevin's affairs?
GS: I'd say generally about twelve hours a day. Kevin is awfully good to me in that I don't generally stay around and work the usual fourteen to sixteen-hour days that are usual.
AT: Specifically, what do you do for Kevin?
GS: I'm the one who has to say "no." I take all his calls. Depending on Kevin's schedule, I book interviews, and college gigs with the Auburn Moon Agency. I handle any other requests that come in. That means things like his appearance in COMIC BOOK: THE MOVIE, Mark Hamill's project. I get the calls, and handle everything that I can without having to bother Kevin, if possible.
AT: How many requests for Kevin's time would you say come to you weekly?
GS: I couldn't even begin to tell you. It ranges from high school kids who want help with essays, term papers, and book reports on Kevin, and I do my best to help them when I have time, all the way up to offers for movies that come in. I handle pretty much all of that. My job is a really mixed bag.
AT: How do you decide what requests for Kevin's time get through, and which don't?
GS: Just by experience. We get a lot of offers from a lot of young people who want Kevin to direct their movies, and we can't do things like that. People call me to ask about Miramax, or they'll ask me where they can find Jon Gordon, or how to contact his office. Generally, I just sort of know what needs to be passed directly on to Kevin, and what I can handle for him.
AT: Do you have any involvement in the graduate thesis papers that have been written about Kevin's work?
GS: No, not really. Most of them have the savvy to get their own materials. And they attend his college gigs.
AT: Kevin's very in-demand as a writer of magazine columns, comic books, and the like. Do you schedule time for Kevin to write within a day?
GS: Kevin's very independent as far as his writing goes. I don't get involved in that. Mostly, he just sits in his office and writes when he can. The comic book writing that's done is handled strictly between him and the comic book company. He's pretty accessible to the people who really need him to be. His old buddies, people he's worked with in the comic book industry...I get the panic calls when he's late getting his comic books written [laughs]. I think the industry understands that deadlines are pretty much out of the question when he's making a movie. It's always in the back of Kevin's mind, but sometimes he has to put that on the back burner, even though he doesn't like to.
AT: How do you keep track of everything you have to do?
GS: Occasionally, I don't. [Laughs] It's a lot of little details, and I really do have to just write things down because he's so active. He gets a lot of calls to do cameos in movies, little spots on DVD extras, that sort of thing.
AT: There's a lot of positioning and politics involved in what you do. How do you balance things? Film is a very social type of business. I would imagine it's a challenge to manage the delicate mix of personal relationships in Kevin's career.
GS: I've never had a problem. The people I deal with at Miramax are always very accessible and respond to what we need. We have our own little network. I know that if I need something from Miramax's office, I know that they'll take care of it, and vice-versa. We put it together.
AT: Thematically, with JERSEY GIRL, Kevin's really changing directions as a storyteller. There's a lot of concern among Kevin's hardcore fans that they're not going to recognize JERSEY GIRL as a film made by Kevin Smith. What do you say to that?
GS: Kevin is Kevin, and he will always be Kevin. He's matured in his writing, but there's still that humor. I think that if you're a Kevin Smith fan, you'll enjoy this movie. He's just taken a little different path this time.
AT: JERSEY GIRL seems like a very personal story. Many of Kevin's characters have been based on real people he knows, or real situations he's found himself in. When you see something that you recognize out of your own past, or your family's past, how does it feel to see that playing itself out on the big screen?
GS: I have to smile. [Laughs]. I have to smile, and nod. I just chuckle. I think Kevin will always put a little of his life in his movies. He's very loyal to his friends, and always involves them. I always see little tidbits of his past in his films, and I think it's very touching.
AT: How did you feel about your own cameo in JERSEY GIRL? Was it a battle to get you up there?
GS: It was. I was afraid Kevin might torment me a little bit, knowing Kevin's sense of humor, which can be a little twisted at times. I thought he might aim that at his dear old mother-in-law, but he behaved himself pretty well.
AT: What did you do before you worked for ViewAskew?
GS: I was the assistant to the chairman of the board of a private Toyota distributorship. He was the first man in the United States that the Toyota brothers allowed to sell their cars. It was a corporation of about 2500 people.
AT: Was the work similar?
GS: Yes. I took care of everything from A to Z, just like now.
Antony sends his fondest greetings to Gail Stanley, and doesn't hesitate to admit that none of the almost-thirty JERSEY GIRL articles (and counting) you've read on the Shoot so far would have been close to possible without her dedicated assistance and care.
