Kevin Smith on Clerks II

Edinburgh's ban on smoking in enclosed spaces doesn't seem to bother Kevin Smith. In the city to promote the 2006 Edinburgh International Film Festival's UK premiere of Clerks II, he's spent an inordinate amount of time outside on the pavement, leaning against the wall, smoking cigarettes while wearing his trademark long black coat. In short, he looks just like his cinematic alter ego, Silent Bob. Only with talking. Lots of talking.

At the Clerks II party at private members club Hallion it's all free booze, schmoozing and Charlize Theron and her sparkling entourage. Outside, the man of the hour is content to chat with fellow exiles-in-smoking. On the few occasions when Smith does venture inside he leans against the wall and looks exactly like a guy who, frankly, is wondering how long before he can head outside for another ciggie.

The following day, when Film4 meets with Smith in the lobby of the Sheraton Hotel, he's the one without a hangover although, as he can't smoke, he's not exactly at ease.

It's been 12 years since Smith, inspired by watching Richard Linklater's indie classic Slacker, maxed out a dozen credit cards and made Clerks for $27,000. The tale of Dante and Randal, two wasters working in a convenience store who spend their day bitching about customers, talking crap about movies and sex and doing everything they can to avoid grafting, it was a huge underground hit and launched Smith's career, resulting in critical hits - Chasing Amy (1997), Jay And Silent Bob Strike Back (2001) - and critical misses - Mallrats (1995) and Jersey Girl (2004). But critics don't register in Smith's world: this man's army of fans are so loyal that they make Elvis devotees look like part-timers. So, did he make a sequel to Clerks at the behest of the fans?

"No!" he laughs, adding with typical self-deprecation: "It was because I ran out of ideas! I wanted to tell a story about what it felt like to be in my thirties," he expands. "I thought, 'Since Clerks is a story about what it's like to be in my twenties, why not just use Dante and Randal as the way in again?" And there's something kind of nice. There's a built-in poignancy in showing those guys 10 years later, especially if you open up your head: why not use the dudes who helped you the first time around, the characters particularly? Some people have been like, 'It's Jersey Girl, man. Since Jersey Girl didn't work he had to go back to this', and those cats have missed the target but hit the tree."

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