HOLLYWOOD, CALIFORNIA - OCTOBER 14: Kevin Smith attends the Saban Films' "Jay & Silent Bob Reboot" Los Angeles Premiere at TCL Chinese Theatre on October 14, 2019 in Hollywood, California. (Photo by Tommaso Boddi/Getty Images)
It’s been just over one year since filmmaker Kevin Smith suffered a near-fatal heart attack that would eventually transform his health for the better.
The filmmaker wrote on Instagram that he spent the one-year anniversary “living it up” with longtime friends and “Jay and Silent Bob” co-stars Jason Mewes and Jason Lee, to work on the upcoming reboot.
Smith first wrote about his heart attack in a Facebook post last February where he thanked his family for their constant support and wrote, “maybe it’s time to go vegan.”
The “Clerks” director adopted a plant-based diet with the help of magician Penn Jillette’s book, “Presto!: How I Made Over 100 Pounds Disappear.” The potato-centric diet helped him start to shed 50 pounds on his doctor’s advise.
By April, Smith had lost 32 pounds and his daughter Harley Quinn Smith told Page Six News that her father was the “healthiest he’s ever been.” Later that year, during a visit to New York Comic Con, the 48-year-old filmmaker credited Harley, a longtime vegan, for “saving his life.”
Smith embraced his lifestyle full-force, dubbing himself a “health nut“ who loves to practice yoga. But he also discovered newfound love in vegan fast-food chain Veggie Grill. His obsession is the stuff of legends: he drove three hours while filming the CW’s “Supergirl” just to visit a location.
While he was stuck waiting in Chicago Airport, he paid someone $200 to hand-deliver Veggie Grill. “This is what a real hero looks like,” Smith said on Twitter, paired with a photo of himself and his deliveryman.“Not all heroes wear capes.”
While it seems that his original switch was motivated by health – studies have shown that a plant-based diet is an effective way to lower one’s risk of heart attack – Smith has embraced the ethical side of veganism.
Last November, Smith and Harley appeared in an ad for Farm Sanctuary, the first shelter for rescued farm animals in the US, to talk about how turkeys each have their own unique personalities.
“You’re always told by older people it’s OK to eat animals, we’re supposed to eat animals. And, you know, for a long time, that’s what my generation believed. Now we know a lot better,” he said while petting the turkey in his lap.
Smith was recently announced as a writer and producer on the upcoming “Howard the Duck” animated series, based on the 1973 comic series by Steve Gerber.
This post was last modified on October 10, 2021 11:40 am