Kevin Smith's "Porno" a dream come true for actor Seth Rogen - Asbury Park Press, 10/26/08:

While in high school, Rogen became a fan of Smith's work after friends recommended he see the Monmouth County native's first film, 1994's "Clerks," which was shot in Middletown.

What excited Rogen immediately when he first saw "Clerks" was that "the guys really talked how we talked to one another. This guy just actually did it. He made a movie about guys like us."

"It was like crazy synergy, and everything crystallized in that moment where I was like, "I want to work with this guy,' " Smith explained via phone. "So I started writing for him, thinking of writing this dude a lead — he's a co-star right now, but I'm going to write him a lead. He'll become very well-known and famous, and then he'll owe me forever."

"I was like, "Clearly I missed my window. Now, this dude is super-famous,' " Smith said, suggesting he thought the actor would never consider starring in the movie after such breakout success.

Luckily for Smith, Rogen had been dreaming about working with him since seeing "Clerks" as a teenager, and after reading the script, the flattered actor immediately agreed to star.

"It just proves "Clerks' is the gift that just keeps on giving," Smith acknowledged.