Kevin Smith known better for his long verbal diatribes in public Q&As or for writing long passages of dialogue for his talky movie character. The producers of "Live Free or Die Hard" knew he couldn't kick butt with Bruce Willis, so they gave him a role that better suited his talents.

"I play a character that has a lot of expository dialogue," said Smith. "I’m the only person in Die Hard who talks, and doesn’t shoot somebody. When I got there, I was like, 'Len, can I get a gun?' He's like, 'No.' But it's fun."


Kevin Smith (middle) in the forthcoming "Catch and Release."

Every action movie needs a guy to explain what's actually going on. "It's that role in the action movie where you provide a bunch of information that they need to head into act 3. I provide a lot of information about the villain."

Ever the self-critic, Smith has no illusions about his acting chops. "It could all change. By the time they get in the editing room, they might be like, 'You suck, yank him out.' But as it stands now, in the script, and as I shot it, they talk about me a lot and then you finally meet me."