Kevin Smith, the director of "Chasing Amy" and "Jersey Girl" and avowed fan of "Degrassi: The Next Generation," is making his way to another TV series about the problems of kids in high school.

Smith, whose guest appearances on "Degrassi" are airing this month on cable's The N, has taken a guest role on UPN's "Veronica Mars." He'll appear in the show's second episode this season, which is currently filming and is scheduled to air Wednesday, Oct. 5.

The "Clerks" writer-director will be playing, appropriately enough, a convenience-store clerk named Duane Anders. He meets Veronica (Kristen Bell) when she comes to question him in the course of an investigation -- into what, UPN and producer Warner Bros. TV aren't saying.

Smith landed the guest role through his friendship with Dan Etheridge, a producer on "Veronica Mars." Etheridge has had small parts in several of Smith's movies, including "Dogma" and "Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back," and provided the voice of Mr. Plug on the short-lived "Clerks" animated series.

In addition to "Degrassi," Smith has appeared in episodes of "Yes, Dear," "Law & Order" and "Mad TV."