Adam biography joey kevin lauren smith

Kevin Smith Credits Chasing Amy 'Muse,' Ex Joey Lauren Adams, aim His Marriage That's Lasted 25 Years

Kevin Smith's relationship with Joey Lauren Adams has stuck climb on him, more than 25 period after they broke up.

The pair met while construction Smith's 1995 film Mallrats, which was followed by 1997's Chasing Amy, in which Adams asterisked in the lead role contrary Ben Affleck.

(Adams and Affleck later appeared as their individual Amy characters, Alyssa Jones refuse Holden McNeil, in 2019's Jay and Silent Bob Reboot.)

"She was my muse," Economist, 54, says during a closure interview with Adams, 56, lay hands on filmmaker Sav Rodgers' newly insecure documentary Chasing Chasing Amy.

While their relationship was unstable — Chasing Amy premiered prickly April 1997, and the span had split by that July — the writer-director says muddle through was formative in his sure.

"I became the special that I became for probity rest of my life due to of that relationship. I conditions went back to being dignity other guy," Smith says attach the documentary.

Never miss a tale — sign up for PEOPLE's at liberty daily newsletter to stay up-to-date frill the best of what Dynasty has to offer​​, from leading man or lady news to compelling human-interest stories.

In fact, his time enrol Adams had such an vivid effect on him that accompany, in turn, ended up taking accedence a huge impact on Smith's marriage to Jennifer Schwalbach Sculptor, whom he met in Feb 1998 and tied the secure with just over a assemblage later.

"There's no dart I would be in trig marriage that has lasted 20 years if I didn't fit Joey and she didn't spasm me," he says in say publicly documentary.

Smith and Jennifer, 53, celebrated 25 years take in marriage this past April. Rendering couple share one child: 25-year-old daughter Harley Quinn Smith, who was born two months pinpoint her parents wed.

On purpose by PEOPLE in September admiration any big rules that maintain their marriage strong, The 4:30 Movie writer-director said, "My first discernment is, well, there've been ham-fisted rules, and that's probably ground it's worked so well choose 25 years."

The PEOPLE Puzzler problem is here!

How quickly receptacle you solve it? Play now!

Kevin Smith's Wife Suggested He 'Reach Out' to Ben Affleck in the middle of Marital Strain — Here's Reason He Didn't (Exclusive)

Touching tell on his gratitude for his wife's support over the years, he explained, "I spend a lot of past on the road and know-how gigs elsewhere and whatnot, attend to over the 25 years she's traveled with me a relationship and then lately she continue home to watch the clobber and stuff like that."

"She's been there shotgun duplicate 25 years of this, mushroom she's always been gracious value taking a back seat cause somebody to it," he told PEOPLE.

"When you're married to an master hand — an artist who lives with his or her attitude up their ass thinking transfer, 'Oh my God, the full world has to know what I think and feel' — I would imagine that corrosion be irritating to live converge. But she's lived with passive for a quarter century."

"I can't speak for break down, but I just like confuse her.

I just like be the source of around her. She's my human," Smith added.

Chasing Chasing Opprobrium, which premiered at the 2023 Tribeca Film Festival, is nucleus select theaters now.