Kevin Smith leads tributes to Clerks actress Lisa Spoonauer

Kevin Smith led tributes to Clerks actress Lisa Spoonauer after her tragic death on Saturday (20May17) aged just 44.
The director helmed the cult 1994 film, in which Lisa starred as Caitlin Bree, and shared his shock after the actress passed away at her home in Jackson Township, New Jersey.
Alongside a picture of himself and Lisa on the set of Clerks, Kevin wrote: “As strong an actress as she was, Lisa was an even more excellent Mother to her daughter Mia. Whenever we’d Facebook later in life, she’d gush about her baby girl proudly. My heart goes out to Tom, Mia and Lisa’s family. Thank you for dreaming my dream with me. You changed my life, Lisa.”
Kevin’s lengthy essay also saw him recall how he cast Lisa in the film, despite her being unsure about whether or not to star in the movie.
“In 1992… I popped into an acting class at Brookdale Community College and watched the students from the back. Lisa was easily the most natural and authentic voice in the room. She didn’t sound like she was acting at all; she delivered scripted dialogue as if she was inventing her conversation in the moment, like people do in real life. Captivated, I approached Lisa cold in the parking lot after the class and said ‘This is gonna sound creepy but… Do you wanna be in a movie?’ Fearlessly, she replied ‘Not if it’s porn.'”
After giving Lisa a copy of the script and his phone number, Kevin received a phone call a few days later in which Lisa said, “Well it’s not porn, but everybody talks like it is. It’s funny. I’ll do it.”
Lisa’s first time on the shoot saw her shoot a seven-minute scene with Brian O’Halloran, which Kevin cites as one of his favourite scenes he’s ever shot.
“Lisa and Brian CRUSHED it in one long take that still remains one of my favorite scenes I’ve ever shot – not because it shows off any directorial flare (it doesn’t) but because it exemplified how great the performers were since we never had to cut away from their 2-shot,” Kevin added.
Lisa is survived by husband Tom Caron and daughter Mia, and will be remembered by friends and family at a ceremony in New Jersey this Friday.