Lifelong ‘Star Wars’ fan and filmaker, Kevin Smith, made news recently when he was invited to the set of ‘Star Wars: Episode VII.’ Smith was given this rare, honorary experience last week and got to actually go on the set at Pinewood Studios. This weekend he attended the Neuchâtel International Fantastic Film Festival in Switzerland and briefly talked about his experience during a Q&A session. One fan asked Smith, “What was it like being on-board the Millennium Falcon?” While much of what Smith experienced at Pinewood remains unknown ,due to the high secrecy of production and non-disclosure agreements, he went on to give an emotional eleven minute answer.

Smith began by telling the audience about how he was contacted by J.J. Abrams via email while they were filming in Abu Dhabi. Smith recounts the email fondly and says that Abrams wrote, “Hey man, how are you? I’ve been thinking about you, we’ve started shooting the movie. If your ever gonna be over in England why don’t you come by the set?” He went on to talk very passionately about how he transformed back into a kid upon arriving at the set. “What I saw, I absolutely loved. It was tactile — it was real. It wasn’t a series of fucking green screens and blue screens in which later on digital characters would be added. IT was there, it was happening. I saw old friends who I haven’t seen since my childhood, who aren’t really friends, but I love them more than some of my fucking relatives. I saw uniforms, I saw artillery that I haven’t seen since I was a kid. I saw them shooting an actual sequence in a set that is real. I walked across the set, there were explosions. And it looked like a shot right out of a Star Wars movie. I watched them do it four times, standing next to JJ.”

There a lots of other great parts to his response in the full video. Anyone familiar with Smith and his work, notably ‘Clerks,’ is aware of his passion for ‘Star Wars’ and its really inspirational to hear his thoughts on both Abrams and ‘Episode VII.’ Check out the full video below via Kevin Smith’s Livestream page, (the ‘Star Wars’ talk starts at minute marker 35). You can also check out Smith’s website where he shares his thoughts on all things in the geek realm, including ‘Star Wars,’ here.