Kevin Smith is a really great guy.

He once shot a film near where I lived, and I was just getting into filmmaking, so like a good young stalker, I found out what hotel he was staying in and left a letter explaining my journey and asking if it would be possible to sit in on rehearsals (obviously I was coming at the whole filmmaking thing with a theatre background).

I carried on with the rest of my day and called my friend John later that evening and told him what I did. We laughed and joked about wouldn't it be cool if, then carried on discussing our day. So imagine both of our surprises when I told him I had to go because Kevin Smith was on the other line.

To be honest, I don't remember much about our conversation. He thanked me for the letter and said I wouldn't be able to come to rehearsals for legal reasons. But then we proceeded to talk for the next hour about filmmaking and the struggles of doing things on your own, but also the struggles of working with a studio and answering to people on your creativity.

That hour flew by pretty quickly.

In the weeks to follow, I managed to get an internship at the local casting office and actually got to work on set. I had previously stopped by set and introduced myself and gave him a thank you note. When I began working he remembered me and made a point to check in from time to time to see how I was doing. He also made sure I was able to stay on set, even when I didn't always have a reason to be that was related to my internship.

I walked away from that experience still a n00b when it came to filmmaking, but learned a lot about life and the industry in general. It's so true that the feel of the set comes from the top down. The laid back, family feel spoiled me. But most of all, Kevin's kindness made me feel safe to go after the things I wanted, and helped me realize there were people out there who wanted me to succeed as much as I wanted to be successful.

Through that experience I realized that anything is possible. It's a memory I keep for rainy days. And planted in me a desire to one day be the person helping others realize their dreams. So even though we never interacted again, I'm thankful for the impact Kevin had on my life.

Let me tell you about my pal, Zac.

First, I feel the need to mention that I don't think Zac and I are friends. I mean, he doesn't know my last name (?) or my birthday and we've never gone out for sushi or any other meal (yet).

But we are also not not friends. And this is one of the many reasons why I think he's awesome and want everyone to be not not friends with him, too.

I was first introduced to the talents of Mr. Levi when Chuck premiered. I had had a long hiatus from television, which lasted pretty much all of middle school and high school, and had just recently begun watching shows again. At the time my viewing consisted of Heroes, which premiered the year before, and getting 24 on DVD through Netflix. I still didn't really have time for TV, but my friend Nick recommended it, based on our mutual love of nerds, spies and Adam Baldwin, and after the pilot we were both hooked.

Admittedly, the first few episodes I continued to watch because yay Adam Baldwin! But that "Zachary Levy" kid was growing on me. It was during a conversation with Nick after episode 4 or 5 that I realized my mildly dyslexic tendencies had gotten the best of me and I was reading his name wrong the whole time. I looked it up on IMDb to make sure, and from there the spiral started.

Zac loves Jesus, is an unassuming nerd, rides motorcycles and does other adventurous stuff and is a constant dreamer. He's basically the more successful, male version of me. I wish I knew him in middle and high school, because we'd probably be best friends. Or we'd annoy each other with our stubbornness. Or both. Probably both.

The best part about Zac, and the part I rediscover every time I have the pleasure of any interaction with him, is his love for people and his passion to make the world a better place. Lots of people say they feel that way. Few people do everything in their power to live that way whenever possible.

I'll let you Google stalk him yourself to find out all these things are true (but don't actual stalk him, that's bad). Why he is the hero of the week is for a reason not even he knows. You see, Zac has played a huge role in shaping the vision of Show and Talk. So much so, in fact, that I should probably give him a producer credit.

You see, the short short version of how the show came about is that as much as I love late night shows, I was tired of seeing superficial interviews. Five to eight minutes of banter and talking about what the publicist wanted you to say, with very little information about what makes you you. But Zac was always the exception. Even in the shortest of interviews he found a way to share at least a fun story about himself, and I could tell when he was sad he couldn't talk more outside what he was obligated to say. There was always a passion he brought to the interviews.

And see, there it is again. Passion. This guy has it in spades.

My favorite memory with him occurred in New York City during the run of First Date. My joy of being there to support him AND see my first Broadway show was dampened by also being in town to celebrate the lost life of someone who had been very influential to me. I shared a little of this with him and he was nothing but loving and comforting. His words carried me through the weekend while I mourned with the family, and regardless of what the "official" title is of our acquaintanceship, he was a true friend to me that weekend and I'll never forget it. I also like to share that with everyone I can, because public accolades are in order. As I said, everyone needs to know his awesomeness.

Now, he is not without fault. Biggest of all, he keeps stealing my ideas. Like, seriously. Think about it. Nerd HQ is nothing more than a live action version of Show and Talk. He's accomplished pretty much all of my acting goals: being a Disney prince(ss), being a superhero and being on Broadway. I'm sure there are others, but I try not to think of things that make me sad. Like I said, more successful version of me.

And don't get me started on Nerd HQ. Or Operation Smile. That's another hero tale for another time.

Lately I've been talking a lot about how important it is to give back (if you haven't heard it yet, it'll be my Mission Monday topic for next week). If there's anyone I think deserves to be given to, it's Zachary Levi. The man gives so much of himself, and I know a blog post doesn't come close to matching what I've seen him do for others and what he's done in my life. But it's a start.

So there. It's official. Hero status for life, that guy. He's pretty swell.