Kevin Smith was 24 when Clerks, his film debut, was released — younger than even Orson Welles when he made Citizen Kane. His career has been a whirlwind, filled with peaks and valleys and challenges. He’s worked for big studios and gone fully, truly independent. He’s made movies and written comics and rebooted He-Man. He’s had a major health scare that turned him into a health-conscious vegan. And on the last day of the first half-century of his life — the day before he goes full circle by returning, once again, to his initial triumph — Smith was appropriately reflective and humble.