Kevin Smith 'Just Melted' in Ben Affleck's Arms After Reuniting on 'Jay and Silent Bob Reboot'

Kevin Smith tells PEOPLE his reunion with Ben Affleck was more emotional than he'd planned for

Kevin Smith‘s friendship with longtime friend Ben Affleck is the stuff of Hollywood legend.

The 49-year-old actor spoke to PEOPLE ahead of the debut of his new film Jay and Silent Bob Reboot which features cameos by a slew of stars including Jason Mewes, Affleck, 47, and Matt Damon.

“It was everything,” Smith said of Affleck’s involvement in the film. “It allowed me to elevate the movie. Suddenly I could include a scene that didn’t exist prior to him being involved that is like one of my favorite scenes I’ve ever shot. It’s really probably the best scene in the movie.”

Affleck reunited with his estranged friend to once again play Holden McNeil, the lead character from Smith’s 1997 romantic comedy Chasing Amy. Besides allowing Smith to revisit his beloved creation, it also reintroduced him to his friend.

“More importantly, it told me that like all that time did matter. I used to wonder like, ‘You know, man? Like we don’t talk anymore. What about all those movies we made? Didn’t all that time together mean anything to him and stuff?'” Smith tells PEOPLE.

Affleck has starred in six films directed by Smith, all of which were released over the course of a decade.

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Smith continues, “I found out resoundingly, absolutely, yes. When he showed up in New Orleans — because he came down to where we were shooting to roll in his scene — I was overwhelmed. I just instantly, when I walked into his trailer and saw him, just melted in his arms, started crying. And that’s the kind of guy that can really hold you, man. He’s like Batman-big and stuff.”

“I was tiny in his arms. I felt so taken care of and stuff,” Smith says. “It just transcended.”

Affleck and Smith were photographed together at Smith and Mewes’ hand and footprint ceremony at the TCL Chinese Theatre on Monday.

The trio posed for photographs as Mewes and Smith planted a kiss on Affleck’s cheeks.

In July, Smith shared a happy selfie of himself and Affleck and explained in a lengthy caption how the old friends reconciled after “nearly a decade” of estrangement.

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After hearing that Affleck would be open to making an appearance in Reboot, Smith was encouraged to reach out to the Justice League star.

“I was scared to be rejected, but I texted him, ‘To paraphrase the sad old King Osric in Conan the Barbarian? There comes a time when the jewels cease to sparkle, when the gold loses its luster when the throne room becomes a prison, and all that is left is a director’s love for the people he used to make pretend with,’” Smith said. “And after a long beat of wondering how he’d receive this, my estranged friend wrote back as only he could: ‘Of course you still liken yourself to a king,’ he joked. And then ‘Would be a pleasure to see you again, Old Man.’”

“So naturally, weepy me — who breaks down emotionally during comic book flicks — was a blubbery mess,” Smith wrote. “Not only did we score an amazing scene for the flick, but I also got my friend back — all because of entertainment journalism.”

Smith added, “It … brought back a massive missing piece of my heart.”

In November, a Twitter user asked Smith about their relationship, writing, “Sometimes I wonder what really happened between Ben Affleck and Kevin Smith that made them not talk to each other,” tagging both stars’ accounts.

Smith responded, “If I had to guess? It’s because one of us has a big mouth and told too many candid stories that sometimes weren’t his to tell, and the other one is Ben.”

Jay and Silent Bob Reboot is in theaters now.