When it comes to movies viewers love to hate, Jersey Girl is on that list. Of course, the film came at a time when the media was oversaturated with Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck’s relationship news, which was brutal for the couple the first time around. It served as a low point in Affleck and director Kevin Smith’s careers as Smith wanted Eliza Dushku for J. Lo’s part. But it marked a different low point for Jay and Silent Bob Reboot’s Jason Mewes, as an arrest warrant was involved.
Mewes was being interviewed on Steve-O’s Wild Ride podcast where he made a surprising revelation. Of course, the Clerks star didn’t appear in the 2004 comedy. He and Smith had been attached at the hip before then with several films under their belt. But Jason Mewes didn’t appear in Jersey Girl as he was facing legal troubles. The actor broke down why Kevin Smith prevented Mewes from being in the movie.
For one, it was like, ‘I need you to get better, or you can’t be around the house. And, you can’t do the next movie.’ I was supposed to be in Jersey Girl, but I couldn’t be in it. It wasn’t so much that Kevin was like, ‘I’m not putting you in it 100 percent because you’re getting messed up and you’re in a bad place.’ It was more like, ‘You have a warrant out for your arrest, and we’re filming in Philadelphia or Pittsburgh,’ or wherever they filmed it, and you could get arrested and then we’ll have to shut the movie down.
Kevin Smith was right to keep Jason Mewes from starring in the film. As the Mallrats star mentioned, his arrest would’ve led to production being shut down for days. It could’ve led to a possible domino effect, including timing, scheduling issues, and money loss. Plus, Jason Mewes would’ve been a liability as his addiction took over his life. At that point, he was unreliable, and Smith needed to show him some tough love.
Despite not getting part in Jersey Girl, Mewes revealed Smith supported him during his battle with substance abuse even going as far as to put him in rehab on several occasions. But around the time of the 2004 comedy, the two long-time friends had grown distant. Jason Mewes ended up turning himself in for violating his probation as related to previous drug charges. He continued to battle his addiction until finally getting sober in 2010. As he mentioned in his interview, the actor-comedian has maintained his sobriety for a decade.
Since then, Mewes and Kevin Smith have continued their friendship and film partnership as seen in Smith’s Clerks 3 set photo between the two men. Fans will see Jason Mewes and Smith’s dynamic in full effect have when the Clerks 2 sequel drops in 2022. It will be one of the countless upcoming movies viewers can look forward to seeing this year.