12 Things You Didn't Know About 'Clerks'

They were rude, lazy, and profane, but the characters in Kevin Smith’s debut film ‘Clerks’ inspired a generation of slacker films — and probably a few slackers. Shot in black and white and mostly at nights at a real New Jersey Quick Stop, the movie followed an absurd day-in-the-life of a convenience store clerk named Dante (Brian O’Halloran), his video-store clerk neighbor Randal (Jeff Anderson), and various other Smith-world characters, including Jay and Silent Bob (Jason Mewes and Smith himself). 'Clerks' won over audiences at the Sundance Film Festival and went on to be a VHS success story. In honor of its 20th anniversary and the recent news that 'Clerks 3' was a go, we're taking a behind-the-scenes look at all the dirty secrets you didn't know. Click through our slideshow, then head over to our video here about how 'Clerks' helped create the Kevin Smith universe. (Gifs created by Lisa Aileen Dragani)