Where You've Seen The Cast Of Clerks III Before
Although it didn't make a lot of money, 1994's "Clerks" became one of the most important and ground-breaking independent films of all time by showing filmmakers everywhere that anyone can make a movie if they've got the ambition. Kevin Smith used real-life locations and untrained actors to craft a genuinely hilarious film on a shoestring budget. It became a cult classic among film buffs right alongside other indie hits like "Do The Right Thing" and "Slacker," while also being popular with the critics. Upon release, Roger Ebert gave the movie a big thumbs up and praised Smith for having "great invention, a natural feel for human comedy, and a knack for writing weird, sometimes brilliant, dialogue." The film was inducted into the Library of Congress's National Film Registry in 2019, cementing its legacy.
Of course, films as popular as this tend to spawn spinoffs and follow-ups. "Clerks" has given birth to a short-lived animated series and two big screen sequels, 2006's "Clerks II" and 2022's "Clerks III." The latest installment is inspired by Kevin Smith's real-life health scare. The filmmaker suffered a serious heart attack in 2018, and he subsequently decided to incorporate his emotional journey into the story by having Randal go through a similar experience. Plenty of other classic "Clerks" characters make appearances in the third film, though you've probably seen them in multiple other projects in the years since the last entry. Read on to find out where you've seen the cast of "Clerks III" before.
Kevin Smith (Silent Bob)
If you're a fan of independent filmmaking and geek culture, then you probably already know a lot about Kevin Smith. He won numerous awards for his work on the first "Clerks" at events like Sundance and Cannes and went on to become a prolific actor, author, commentator, comedian, and all around pop culture personality. Within the "Clerks" universe, Smith plays the iconic role of Silent Bob as a mostly mute drug dealer who spends all of his time with his companion, Jay. Silent Bob has become an iconic character and there are lots of surprising facts surrounding his creation and development.
Smith is someone you've likely seen before if you're a fan of movies, since he has appeared in lots of them over the years. Not only does he often show up in his own films like "Mallrats," "Chasing Amy," "Dogma," "Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back," and "Yoga Hosers," he has also featured prominently in the movies of others. Smith has made notable cameos in films like "Scream 3," Ben Affleck's "Daredevil," and "The Disaster Artist," and he often pops up in surprising places — he plays an uncredited inhabitant of Kijimi in "Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker."
Beyond the big screen, Smith has also made a name for himself online through his long-running podcast and he has written a surprising amount of comic books.
Jason Mewes (Jay)
The other half of the Jay and Silent Bob dynamic duo is Jay, played by Jason Mewes. A childhood friend of Kevin Smith with a tragic past, his career began when Smith got him on board with the first "Clerks" movie. His turn as the vocal and vulgar Jay became one of the most memorable (and quotable) in the whole film, and Mewes has been synonymous with the character ever since. Like Smith with Silent Bob, Mewes has reprised his roles in numerous different projects in the years since "Clerks" became an unexpected hit.
Like many of the actors who started in "Clerks," Mewes continued to appear in Kevin Smith's later films, such as "Mallrats," "Chasing Amy," and "Dogma," to name but a few. He has also starred alongside Smith in every "Jay and Silent Bob" movie, where they were required to take center stage as leads instead of their usual side roles. Elsewhere, he has plied his trade in films like "Scream 3," "Zack and Miri Make a Porno," and "Fanboys." More recently, he popped up in two episodes of the Arrowverse show "The Flash."
Brian O'Halloran (Dante Hicks)
For those unaware of "Clerks" lore, the first film centers around the exploits of a hilariously realistic convenience store clerk named Dante Hicks, played by Brian O'Halloran. "The main character — Dante, the slacker who is trapped but thinks he's meant for something else — was based on me," Kevin Smith told The Guardian. This seemingly average character is carried by O'Halloran's relatable performance, with the actor bringing Smith's realistic dialogue to life in a believable and interesting way. As one of the two leads of the film, O'Halloran gets a bunch of great lines, including his now famous catchphrase: "I'm not even supposed to be here today."
Brian O'Halloran may be familiar to you if you're a fan of Kevin Smith's filmography, since he has made multiple appearances in Smith's shared film universe (which has become known as the View Askewniverse). He is most famous for his leading roles in "Clerks” and "Clerks II," but he also has plenty of screen time in films like "Mallrats," "Chasing Amy," "Dogma," and "Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back." Beyond Kevin Smith's work, O'Halloran also appears in "Vulgar," "The Junior Defenders," and M. Night Shyamalan's "The Happening," in which he plays a jeep driver.
Jeff Anderson (Randal Graves)
Brian O'Halloran's co-star in the "Clerks" franchise, Jeff Anderson plays Randal Graves in all three films. Kevin Smith based the character on a colleague of his. "Randal was Bryan Johnson, my friend who worked with me at Quick Stop Groceries and RST Video, where we shot the film," Smith told The Guardian. "He didn't give a f*** about what anyone thought. He would fight with people, make fun of them to their face. He was the guy I secretly wished to be." Smith actually intended to play Randal himself to begin with, but he had trouble memorizing the dialogue so he drafted Anderson in.
Like the previous two installments, Anderson features prominently in "Clerks III." After surviving his heart attack, Randal is inspired to stop watching films and start making them instead. As yet another actor who made his career by appearing in Kevin Smith's films, Anderson may be familiar to fans of the View Askewniverse through his performances in "Dogma" and "Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back." He wrote, directed, and starred in the 2002 romantic comedy "Now You Know," and later had a memorable supporting role in the Seth Rogen-Elizabeth Banks film "Zack and Miri Make a Porno," his last major appearance prior to "Clerks III.
Marilyn Ghigliotti (Veronica Loughran)
One of the leading female roles in "Clerks" is that of Veronica Loughran, played by Marilyn Ghigliotti. Veronica is Dante's girlfriend throughout most of the first film, but their relationship is strained after several conversations about their dating histories. Veronica's fate remained uncertain by the end of the first film, and she hadn't been in any of the View Askewniverse movies until "Clerks III" (not counting a minor appearance alongside her "Clerks" castmates in "Jay and Silent Bob Reboot").
Unlike most of her co-stars, Ghigliotti had some acting experience prior to "Clerks" — albeit very limited. A few years before Smith's film, she appeared in an unrated, New Jersey-set horror/sci-fi/comedy hybrid by the name of "A Taste for Flesh and Blood 2: Raising Hell." It was "Clerks" that kickstarted her career, however. In the late 1990s, she appeared in comedies like "Get a Job" and "A Packing Suburbia," and she would later return to genre fare with films like "Dead and Gone," "Alien Armageddon," "Starship: Rising," and "Lake Eerie." She's also a makeup artist in the entertainment industry and has worked behind the scenes on several projects.
Rosario Dawson (Becky Scott)
Joining the "Clerks" family in the 2006 sequel "Clerks II," Rosario Dawson brought some much-needed life to the franchise with her performance as Becky Scott. Becky is the manager of the Mooby's fast food joint that Dante and Randal start working at after a fire destroys their previous place of employment. Over the course of the story, Becky and Dante develop an intimate relationship that culminates in an unplanned pregnancy. Kevin Smith "brought Becky back in a very controversial way" for the third film, Dawson told The Hollywood Reporter. "But it was heartbreaking, and it also just felt really special and important and magical."
As one of the most famous and successful actors to appear in the "Clerks" series, Rosario Dawson has featured in some of the biggest film franchises of all time, such as "Star Wars" and the Marvel Cinematic Universe. She shot to prominence with early appearances in films like "Kids," "Men in Black II," and "Sin City," and Dawson has since become world famous for her role as the live-action version of Ahsoka Tano in the "Star Wars" universe. As Ahsoka, she has been seen in "The Mandalorian," "The Book of Boba Fett," and she will front the upcoming solo series " Ahsoka."
Amy Sedaris (Doctor Ladenheim)
Amy Sedaris is an incredibly talented and popular writer, actor, and comedian whose first appearance in the "Clerks" franchise is as Doctor Ladenheim in "Clerks III." The character is named after a real-life doctor that looked after Kevin Smith when he had his heart attack. "Her humor shines through in 'Clerks III' but it's the humanity and calm in the face of certain death she brought to fake Doctor Ladenheim that I love," Smith said in an Instagram post.
If you love a good comedy, Amy Sedaris is probably someone you're already familiar with thanks to her decades-long career in film and television. She gained initial entertainment buzz from her role as Jerri Blank in the comedy series "Strangers with Candy," which she co-created with Stephen Colbert. Some of her other notable parts are in films such as "Elf," "Chef," and "The Lion King," in which she voices a Guinea Fowl. TV credits include "BoJack Horseman" and "At Home With Amy Sedaris," a variety-meets-talk show that has been nominated for four Emmy awards.
Ben Affleck (Boston John)
Another critically acclaimed individual to appear in Kevin Smith's films is Ben Affleck, a two-time Academy Award winner who also happens to be a longtime friend of Smith. He plays Boston John in "Clerks III," which is definitely not his first performance in Kevin Smith's filmography. Affleck began his relationship with Smith after being cast in "Mallrats" as Shannon Hamilton, followed by leading roles in both "Chasing Amy" and "Dogma."
These early roles were important for Affleck's career before reaching mainstream stardom with the 1997 release of "Good Will Hunting." Having co-wrote the film with Matt Damon (who also co-starred), it proved to be a massive success which netted the duo an Academy Award for best original screenplay. His career continued with starring roles in "Armageddon," "Daredevil," "Pearl Harbor," "The Town," "Gone Girl," and "Argo," for which he also won an Oscar. He is also recognized for his portrayal of Bruce Wayne in the DC Extended Universe, though Affleck's time as Batman was given both significant praise and criticism, with many fans weighing in online throughout his tenure as the Dark Knight.
The name of Affleck's character in "Clerks III" is actually an inside joke, Smith told Variety. "I had written a part for him that was predicated on this old message board that we had at Viewaskew.com," the filmmaker said, revealing that "Boston John" was the online handle of someone who used to post regularly.
Fred Armisen
One of the most recognizable actors on the "Clerks III" cast, Fred Armisen is a comedy mainstay with 14 Primetime Emmy nominations to his name. As was first revealed in the film's trailer, Armisen plays someone who is auditioning for a part in Randal's movie about himself in "Clerks III." He is shown reading Dante's iconic line "I wasn't even supposed to be here today" along with Ben Affleck and Sarah Michelle Geller in a cameo role, while both Dante and Randal watch their auditions.
Armisen is a prolific comedian, actor, and writer who became famous after joining the cast of "Saturday Night Live." He got his start on the famous sketch show in 2002 and remained a part of the cast for over a decade. Throughout that time he took roles in films such as "Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy," "Tenacious D in the Pick of Destiny," and Kevin Smith's "Jay and Silent Bob Reboot." Armisen is also known by many for his acclaimed roles in shows like "Portlandia," "Documentary Now!," and the Showtime series "Moonbase 8," which he co-created. More recently, he appeared as Doctor Tom Schmidt in the TV adaptation of "What We Do in the Shadows."
Sarah Michelle Gellar
Like Fred Armisen and Ben Affleck, Sarah Michelle Gellar appears as an auditioning actor in "Clerks III." Kevin Smith seems to love silly cameos and surprise appearances in his movies, so having the star of "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" show up for a random role in "Clerks III" totally makes sense. The pair are friends, having worked together on Netflix's "Masters of the Universe: Revelation." Smith, who produced the animated series, brought in Gellar to voice the character of Teela. "She's bliss," Smith told Looper in an exclusive interview. "Of course, I'm way familiar with her work. She's a pop culture icon — has been for decades now, thanks to 'Buffy,' thanks to playing Daphne in 'Scooby-Doo.'"
As "Buffy" fans have no doubt noticed, Hollywood doesn't seem to cast Sarah Michelle Gellar in as many roles as they used to for some reason. It's easy to forget just how big of a career Gellar had back in the 1990s. She is probably recognizable to any television fan of that era thanks to her stint as Buffy Summers, which lasted from 1997 to 2003. Gellar also starred in films like "I Know What You Did Last Summer," "Scream 2," and "Cruel Intentions" in the late '90s, and she went on to play Karen in "The Grudge" and "The Grudge 2" in the mid-00s.
Her star has faded since then, but Gellar still does a lot of voice work. In addition to "Masters of the Universe: Revelation," she's voiced characters in everything from "Star Wars: Rebels" and "Robot Chicken" to video games like "Call of Duty: Black Ops" and "Call of the Dead."
Justin Long
Appearing in "Clerks III" as a medical professional is none other than Justin Long. Long is an actor, director, and comedian who has developed a healthy working relationship with Kevin Smith over the years. With his first View Askewniverse appearance in "Zack and Miri Make a Porno," Long has since continued appearing in Smith-directed films like "Tusk" (which could also be getting a sequel in the not too distant future), "Yoga Hosers," and "Jay and Silent Bob Reboot." But where else do you recognize him from?
Justin Long has had a significant career in the entertainment industry, appearing in numerous comedy and horror roles since his debut performance as Brandon in "Galaxy Quest," which got him nominated for a Saturn Award. Since then he has become known by many for his roles in movies such as "Jeepers Creepers," "Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story," "Live Free or Die Hard," and the criminally underrated comedy "Accepted." In terms of his working relationship with Smith, topping "Tusk" will always be a huge task.
"My agents definitely didn't want me to do it," Long said (via Bloody Disgusting) of the bizarre monster movie, in which he's transformed into a walrus. "I needed to challenge myself. It was scary — it wasn't like a no-brainer, but I knew I was going to do it because I was a big fan of Kevin's." Those who work with Smith usually want to do so again, and "Clerks III" is proof of that.