For many of Kevin Smith's fans, it is Kevin's honesty about being a fan himself that wins them over.
It's no wonder that so many can relate to a celebrity whose big break came from familiar experiences..
"Clerks gets called a cult classic, or the seminal indie film of the 1990s. But I didn't set out to make that," Smith told The Guardian in 2006. "I wanted to do a film in which the characters sat around talking about sex and Star Wars, just like my friends and I did, and made people laugh."
What "Star Wars" fan hasn't had a Dante and Randal moment arguing over the internal temperature of a tauntaun (or equally pedantic topic) with a friend? As fans, we share a bond through our passion for the culture we love.
So what would you do -- somewhat hypothetically -- as a "Star Wars" fan, if you received a personal invitation to the premiere of "The Force Awakens," only to realize you had a prior engagement?
On Dec. 15, "Star Wars" super-fan Kevin Smith addressed this not-so-hypothetical conundrum via his Instagram account.
"This is my invite to the @starwars The Force Awakens premiere that happened last night in Hollywood, a mere 4 blocks from my house. And I hear it was spectacular. See, instead of sitting my fat ass at #graumans [Grauman's Chinese Theatre] going ape-shit for the return of Han, Luke & Leia, I was on the @comedyworksdenver stage saying stuff to a bunch of awesome people who'd sold out my Q&A shows months in advance. You can probably imagine how thrilled I was to get that premiere invite and how crushed I was when I realized the Force awakened on a night I was already engaged elsewhere. The choice was simple: stay home and be a fan or go to Denver and be true to the fans. And as I sit here in the Hoth-like Colorado snow reading all the online coverage about the once-in-a-lifetime premiere's legions of Stormtroopers and the early rave reactions to JJ's brilliance, you'd think I'd be as violently hostile as a Kylo Ren. But as much as I love being a fan, I love having fans way more. So while being at #graumanschinesetheatre yesterday would've been a night to remember for a lifelong #starwars fan like me, my fans always come first. Shit, I have so few, I feel like I know most of you by name. And you folks in Denver made missing that premiere way worth it. I'm looking forward to the rest of my Colorado shows in C.Springs, Boulder, Durango & Aspen this week, but last night's Denver crowd will forever hold a piece of my heart as the people I put before Star Wars."
Already having a bond with Kevin Smith via fandom, many fans would have understood and sympathized had he rescheduled -- just look at the comments made on his post. However since Smith is a fan, he understands the thrill of buying tickets as soon as they go on sale. He knows the satisfaction of tweeting how stoked you are before going to a show. And he knows the sheer joy of sitting in an audience with hundreds of like minds, sharing in an experience that will never be forgotten, as a fan.
