Scott Schiaffo, best known for playing the “Chewlies Gum Guy” in Kevin Smith’s debut indie-hit ‘Clerks’ in 1994, became a bonafide member of the View Askew family for his eccentric and memorable performance in the film. He was born in Passaic, New Jersey. Schiaffo is an actor/musician who plays guitar, keyboards, bass, and harmonica. Schiaffo and his Clerks castmates were featured in Season 3 of Comic Book Men EP 11 “Pinheads”. He has featured in the View Askew produced – Lions Gate distributed motion picture “Vulgar”. “Vulgar” has gone on to become a cult film and one of Lions Gate’s most controversial releases to date. Schiaffo recently released a book of collected poetry and short stories called Vicious Dogs Attack Me in Sleepless Nights of Summer and is planning on an audio release of the book with many special guest readers. VariantNEWSSOURCE had the chance to catch up with Scott just in time for the 25th anniversary of Clerks and talk about his experience on the film, its impact and the work he did on the Kevin Smith biopic ‘Shooting Clerks’

Josh (VariantNEWSSOURCE)- With the Clerks 25th anniversary just around the corner, do you feel a sense of nostalgia looking back on that film and the fact it’s still being spoken about this many years later?

Scott Schiaffo- Yes and no. Yes I do reminisce from time to time in my mind and with people from my personal life who can recall where I was at in my personal life when I had first auditioned for Kevin, and NO it does not feel nostalgic because the amazing fans have kept it alive and relevant slowly but surely since its release.

Josh (VariantNEWSSOURCE)- Back when you were filming in Jersey with Kevin, did you have the sense at the time that you were making something special that would stand the test of time?

Scott Schiaffo- After I did my call back and was offered the role of the Chewlies Gum Rep I had a number of phone calls with Kevin and very quickly I was impressed with his sense of humor and intelligence.

He was wise beyond his years. I was older than most of the cast, certainly, I was older than most of the “leading actors” in the cast but Kevin struck me as an old soul. One thing he had in spades was the drive, and it was infectious – he was driven. The “indie” scene was exciting too and he found a cohort in that arena when we began to get to know one another.



He introduced me to Tarantino‘s Reservoir Dogs initially; he’d play the VHS of Reservoir Dogs in RST video where the cast would assemble to rehearse and relax in-between takes in the Quick Stop. And of course, I was blown away, pretty much we all were.

Josh (VariantNEWSSOURCE)- When the role became available during casting, was there something that attracted you to that character when reading the script or did Kevin see that in you and assign you to play the part? How was the process?

Scott Schiaffo- It is pretty well documented that the audition process was 2 fold. At the initial auditions, we all did a monologue of our own choosing, if they liked what you did and saw potential they asked you back to read from the actual script.

I had no idea what character I was going to be reading until the day of my call back. I also did not know the character had 2 scenes because the Chewlie guy’s stuff is broken up by a cutaway to Jay and Bob.

When we began to run through the scene when it was through Kevin said “Ok now the next scene” and I was blown away and said, “the next scene there’s more Chewlies Guy?” LOL and sure enough the second scene is the real meat and potatoes along with the riot and Veronica hosing us all down!

Josh (VariantNEWSSOURCE)- When watching Shooting Clerks, the indie biopic detailing the journey Kevin took to getting Clerks made, do you feel like Chris and the other crew accurately portrayed the time and period of the making of the film the way you remembered it so many years earlier?

Scott Schiaffo- Absolutely! Remember, I was just a gun for hire, an actor who hailed from pretty far away who was fortunate to be offered such a stand out role. If you did not get a lead role in that script, the Chewlies guy was one of the real cherry supporting roles because it was designed to really stand out in the film.

I lived about an hour and a half away from those guys so I felt pretty remote from them all basically.

There is a myth that developed over the years that everyone in the cast of Clerks was either a close friend of Kevin’s or a relative. Not so, in fact, all of the lead roles were cast from the audition process. O’Halloran (Dante), Ghigliotti (Veronica), Spoonauer (Caitlin) and me. None of us knew Kevin personally at all prior to the auditions.

Josh (VariantNEWSSOURCE)- With many major cast members of clerks doing cameos for the film, was there a sense of homecoming seeing so many old familiar faces again?

Scott Schiaffo- I am fortunate that I usually get to see Brian O’Halloran a few times a year doing the Comicon & convention circuit. I also get to see Marilyn Ghigliotti on the scene too, not as much as we’d like as she is no longer on the east coast like Brian and I. I also see Ernie O’Donnell too.

My point is, I do see those guys but none of us were on the set of “Shooting Clerks” at the same time, at least none of them were involved the days I shot my scenes.

Josh (VariantNEWSSOURCE)- Do you get recognized by fans as “The Chewlies Gum guy” still after this many years since the film’s release?

Scott Schiaffo- Not particularly but very early on when it played at the Angelika Film Center in NYC for many months when it was first released, I did get recognized by my voice at the Drama Bookstore in New York City.

That was pretty amazing to me at the time, but the NYU students that were really into the film had seen it so many times the sound of my voice was burned into their minds. Back in those days, facial hair for me was rare, I went around clean shaven and of course in the film I had a full beard.

Josh (VariantNEWSSOURCE)- Can you tell us any crazy stories from the set of the Quickstop and the indie filmmaking done on Clerks? This was a very low budget passion project for Smith and I imagine being on set was something of a unique experience.

Scott Schiaffo- Aside from the high energy and excitement, there was no wacky or bizarre story the days I was on the set.

It was funny that customers would wander in after-hours thinking the place was open and meanwhile the store is very much closed and we’re shooting a movie with the windows blocked out. People could not wrap their heads around that because it was pretty unheard of at the time.

Remember, indie filmmaking and certainly, digital technology was in its infancy. Today throw a rock and someone is shooting a movie on their iPhone. Back then we shot on film and it was rare to shoot a feature film in NJ.

Josh (VariantNEWSSOURCE)- What was the experience of working on the film ‘Vulgar’ like for you?

Scott Schiaffo- Bryan Johnson’s film Vulgar was a real treat for me as I was cast, once again, to go head to head onscreen with actor Brian O’Halloran. That alone made it very exciting as well as a nice professional feather in my cap at the time.

Once again I was fortunate to be cast in a bombastic scene. I was blessed to get that role too, another role and scene that was written to really stand out. What character actor doesn’t want to have a crazy standoff with the police on camera?

Josh (VariantNEWSSOURCE)- How did your involvement with Shooting Clerks come about? And what went into the process of playing Kevin’s father in the biopic?

Scott Schiaffo- That project and script had taken on many different iterations from day one before anything was actually shot. Putting together the cast and planning out the locations proved to be extremely challenging for the film makers being they were from overseas to boot. Budget dictated many decisions as it always will in indie film making.

I was not cast as Don Smith initially. I was going to play one of the Q & A hosts at the Sundance film festival, but as fate would have it and as the project grew in scope, I was eventually asked if I’d like to play Don Smith and I was honored and a little overwhelmed all at once.



Kevin’s father looms quite large in his life and legacy so I felt that this was such an important role to get “right”. Granted, Don Smith is not onscreen all that much but his scenes are critical and need to be treated with real sensitivity and respect.

Kevin credits his father with unwavering support and positivity that kept Kevin driven and going. Don Smith was not a man of many words, but when he had something to say it usually was poignant.



Kevin’s father also planted the film bug early by taking a very young Kevin to the movies as their special thing to do. If memory serves I think Don Smith may have even let Kevin leave school early or maybe take a day off and they would go to matinees together. Seeing Jaws blew a very young Kevin away, especially since they lived close to the Jersey Shore.

Josh (VariantNEWSSOURCE)- With the 25th anniversary next year for the indie classic, do you know if we can expect a theatrical run for screenings celebrating the film?

Scott Schiaffo- Honestly there is nothing set in stone just yet but I have seen some buzz going around the convention circuit on social media.

Josh (VariantNEWSSOURCE)- When Clerks 2 released, was their ever any discussion of bringing your character back into the fold?

Scott Schiaffo- No direct discussions with me but they did keep the Chewlies brand alive and worked it into the original opening sequence. To me keeping the Chewlies brand alive is more important to me than actually seeing or needing the jerky ole Chewlies guy onscreen.

Additionally, the Chewlies brand is prominent in the store in Kevin’s film “Yoga Hosers” so that warms my heart and keeps the Chewlies guy in people’s minds. I’d certainly love to have any walk on or supporting role in the future.

Josh (VariantNEWSSOURCE)- With Shooting clerks seeking distribution currently, is there any time frame available for when we can expect a home video release or limited theatrical run?

Scott Schiaffo- I do not have any of that info at this time, but those guys are very active on social media and you can bet they will keep us all posted on the when, where and how “Shooting Clerks” gets a proper release to the public.

Josh (VariantNEWSSOURCE)- Lastly, are there any projects you’re doing now you can tell us about and where can we follow you on social media to get all updates on projects or appearances you have? And are there any convention plans you’d like to share that are coming up?

Scott Schiaffo- Things in the convention world do all but stop each year at this time. The month of December, with the Holidays and New Year, the film/music business takes a hiatus.

At this time, I am working on a project with the artist Scott Meany. Scott Meany did all of the artwork and layout for my first book, “Vicious Dogs Attack Me In Sleepless Nights Of Summer” in 2014.

Scott (Meaney) did an outstanding job and really made the material and book come to life. We have a graphic novel in the works and I can say that so far the creative sessions we’ve been having have been extremely eclectic and enjoyable for me.

Please do follow along with me on Facebook at facebook.com/scottschiaffo. I have a personal website where fans can purchase personalized collectibles from me and many of my castmates, with the majority of the proceeds going to the Angels of Animals here in New Jersey. www.scottschiaffo.com, and www.scottschiaffo.com/angels

I am also on Twitter and IG all at my full name ScottSchiaffo and I welcome all who come aboard. Kevin Smith fans are the most awesome folks on the planet, sure I am partial but I have honestly never had any bad or less than stunning interactions with Kevin’s fans, they really embrace him and are usually very sensitive and polite individuals.

Check out the Indiegogo page for the film here

Check out ‘Shooting Clerks’ on tour in cinemas, film festivals, and comic cons in 2019 during the 25th Anniversary of Clerks with a projected VOD and Home Video Release later that year!

The Synopsis for ‘Shooting Clerks’:

“The true story of how convenience store clerk Kevin Smith made his grainy $27,000 film Clerks (1994) with maxed-out credit cards and the people who aided him in his indie crusade.”

– Josh O.