Long before Marvel had a shared cinematic continuity revolving around the Avengers, Kevin Smith had his own cinematic universe revolving around stoners in New Jersey. Beginning with Clerks, the View Askewniverse chronicled the Jersey-area adventures of a bunch of mall-dwelling slackers, pot-dealing man-children, complicated love interests, and pop culture-savvy comic book artists.
Although the franchise started out with unknown actors like Brian O’Halloran and Jeff Anderson in its indie black-and-white debut, its ensemble has since been populated with a handful of big movie stars. From Ben Affleck to Rosario Dawson, there are a lot of famous faces in the View Askewniverse.
Will Ferrell: Everything Must Go
In addition to playing such iconic roles as Frank the Tank in Old School, Buddy in Elf, and Ron Burgundy in Anchorman, Will Ferrell played the U.S. Marshal on Jay and Bob’s tail in Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back.
In 2010, Ferrell starred in the little-seen dramedy Everything Must Go as an alcoholic who loses his job and his wife and decides to have a big yard sale where he sells all his stuff.
Rosario Dawson: 25th Hour
Rosario Dawson starred alongside Edward Norton and Philip Seymour Hoffman in Spike Lee’s underappreciated gem 25th Hour, the story of a drug dealer reconnecting with his family and friends during his last 24 hours as a free man before he goes to jail for seven years.
After making her screen debut in the cult classic Kids, Dawson joined the View Askewniverse with the love interest role in Clerks II, then reappeared as a different character in Jay and Silent Bob Reboot.
Justin Long: Accepted
Justin Long has appeared in a handful of Kevin Smith movies, from playing a gay pornstar in Zack and Miri (a role he reprised in Jay and Silent Bob Reboot) to playing a podcaster who gets turned into a walrus in Tusk. In 2006, he starred in the underappreciated college comedy Accepted with a pre-Gossip Girl Blake Lively and a pre-Superbad Jonah Hill.
While it’s not a perfect movie, Accepted does carry an important message that the kids who don’t quite achieve the grades to get into college still matter.
Chris Hemsworth: Rush
James Hunt and Niki Lauda shared one of the most intense rivalries in sports history. In translating that rivalry to the screen, Ron Howard could’ve phoned in a generic sports movie, but 2013’s Rush is a terrific movie with a strong focus on its emotional core.
Chris Hemsworth, who joined the View Askewniverse with his cameo in Jay and Silent Bob Reboot, and fellow Marvel actor Daniel Brühl are perfectly matched as Hunt and Lauda.
Salma Hayek: Beatriz At Dinner
Salma Hayek gave an unforgettable performance as Serendipity in Kevin Smith’s Dogma. Although Dogma itself is pretty underrated, arguably Hayek’s most underrated movie is culture-clash comedy Beatriz at Dinner.
Directed by Miguel Arteta and written by Mike White, Beatriz at Dinner stars Hayek as a massage therapist who’s invited into a high-class dinner party when her car breaks down.
Michael Rooker: Super
After making a name for himself with his disturbing performance as the title character in Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer, Michael Rooker gave a markedly zanier turn as one of the villains in Kevin Smith’s Mallrats.
Most recently, Rooker has been working with James Gunn on blockbusters like Guardians of the Galaxy and The Suicide Squad. Prior to that, Gunn cast Rooker to appear alongside Rainn Wilson and Elliot Page in his darkly comic superhero satire Super.
Craig Robinson: Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story
Craig Robinson made his way into the View Askewniverse via a cameo appearance in Jay and Silent Bob Reboot. He’d previously worked with Kevin Smith on the non-Askewniverse comedy Zack and Miri Make a Porno.
Robinson has appeared in a few underrated gems, but the one that stands out the most is Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story, a hysterical parody of music biopics starring John C. Reilly.
Matt Damon: EuroTrip
At the beginning of EuroTrip, the lead character Scotty has his world turned upside down by the revelation that his girlfriend has been cheating on him with a punk rocker played by a cameoing Matt Damon. He sings a song called “Scotty Doesn’t Know” about all the times he slept with Scotty’s girlfriend – with poor Scotty in the audience.
Damon agreed to make this hilarious cameo appearance because the movie was helmed by Alec Berg, David Mandel, and Jeff Schaffer – a trio of Seinfeld writers who went to college with the actor.
Chris Rock: Top Five
Kevin Smith cast legendary standup comic Chris Rock to play Rufus in his religious comedy Dogma. Rock began directing his own movies in 2003 with the political satire Head of State. His third and best film as director, Top Five, hit theaters in 2014.
In addition to directing, Rock wrote and starred in the movie. He plays Andre Allen, a comedian and movie star preparing to marry a celebrity who wants to televise their wedding. When he’s profiled by a journalist, played by Rosario Dawson, he comes back to reality and reconnects with his true passions.
Alan Rickman: Galaxy Quest
Although Alan Rickman was best known for his dramatic work, he gave hilarious comedic turns in Kevin Smith’s Dogma and Dean Parisot’s sci-fi spoof Galaxy Quest.
Rickman stars alongside Tim Allen and Sigourney Weaver as the cast of a classic Star Trek-esque sci-fi series who is mistaken for the real deal by an alien race in jeopardy. The movie’s satire of sci-fi fandom is even more relevant today than it was when it first hit theaters.