Kevin Smith Says 'Biggest Blowback' of “Chasing Amy” Was When Ellen DeGeneres 'Walked Out' of Lesbian Comedy: We 'Lost Her'
In the documentary 'Chasing Chasing Amy,' Smith recalled lamenting how he felt his 1997 movie 'lost' the approval of 'the most famous lesbian in the world'
Albert L. Ortega/Getty; Eric Charbonneau/Getty
Kevin Smith in Los Angeles on March 27, 2023; Ellen DeGeneres in Montecito, California, on March 2, 2024Kevin Smith is recalling the gut punch of hearing that "the most famous lesbian in the world" walked out of a screening of his 1997 LGBTQ+ movie Chasing Amy.
In filmmaker Sav Rodgers' newly released documentary Chasing Chasing Amy, Smith said, "The biggest blowback, God's truth, that I heard, felt and was told about was when they told me that Ellen [DeGeneres] and [then-partner] Anne Heche went to see Chasing Amy, and it was reported that they walked out in the first half hour."
"And us being like, 'Well, that's the most famous lesbian in the world. We just lost her. That means we're never getting on The Ellen Show,' " added Smith, 54, of DeGeneres, who came out the same year Chasing Amy was released.
A rep for DeGeneres, 66, did not immediately respond to PEOPLE's request for comment on Tuesday, Dec. 17.
Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human-interest stories.
Barry King/WireImage
Anne Heche and Ellen DeGeneres in Beverly Hills, California, in 1999Related: Where Is Ellen DeGeneres Now? A Look Back at Her Past Controversy and What She's Doing Today
Chasing Amy stars Ben Affleck as Holden McNeil, a comic-book writer and artist who falls in love with fellow comic-book writer Alyssa Jones (Joey Lauren Adams). Alyssa, who is a lesbian, reciprocates Holden's feelings — but everything goes haywire when he learns she has had sexual relationships with other men in the past.
The story is told through Holden's lens but also features "harsh terminology" from characters like the homophobic Banky (Jason Lee), whom Smith said is gay and acting out due to his own "repressed" sexuality.
In Chasing Chasing Amy, Smith explores the film's controversial nature, saying he "of course" understands why some people in the LGBTQ+ community might not like it, to this day.
"Absolutely. Believe me, I've had 22 years to get used to that. I got used to that on the f---ing first week it came out," the director added. "There were some people ... who were upset."
The PEOPLE Puzzler crossword is here! How quickly can you solve it? Play now!
Miramax/Kobal/Shutterstock
Ben Affleck and Joey Lauren Adams in Chasing Amy (1997)Despite some negative feedback about the film, Chasing Amy remains one of Smith's most beloved films, and holds an 87% rating on Rotten Tomatoes.
It also resuscitated Smith's once-failing career, which he said in the documentary "began" with his 1994 debut film Clerks and was "killed" with his sophomore effort Mallrats the following year.
Speaking of the latter movie, the filmmaker said, "So you got me needing to do something to stay in this business, or else we were out."
"That's a big part of where [Chasing Amy] comes from. And then, of course, Joey," Smith continued of Adams, 56, whom he met on the set of Mallrats and was dating at the time. "Chasing Amy without Joey would've been a soulless husk, like an idea."
Chasing Chasing Amy is now streaming on demand.
Read the original article on People
