Adam Sandler Consoled Julie Bowen Amid Happy Gilmore Doubts
Adam and Julie — who are 58 and 55, respectively — played lovers Happy and Virginia in the 1996 sports comedy. But despite the fact that Adam is only 3 years older than her, Julie was convinced that she wouldn't be cast in the forthcoming sequel, which drops on Netflix later this month. She told The Hollywood Reporter, 'I thought, 'Well, I won't be in it.' And that was OK… It's been 30 years, he's got a hottie. He's got some little bitty on the side, like a cart girl.'
Now, Julie has opened up further about her thoughts being cast in Happy Gilmore 2 during a new appearance on Michael Rosenbaum's Inside of You podcast. 'I didn't think they'd bring me back at all,' she shared. 'I mean, who am I supposed to be? He's got to have a younger woman in this one, Happy Gilmore 2.'
After reiterating that she 'was surprised to be in it,' Julie later revealed the sweet way that Adam urged her to stop downplaying her role. 'I keep saying, 'I'm in it for, like, a heartbeat. I'm in it for, like, nothing,' and Adam's like, 'Stop saying that! You're the heart of the movie!'' she shared.
Elsewhere on the podcast, Julie recounted what it was like auditioning for the first Happy Gilmore film, admitting that she was 'very nervous' after seeing so many 'super sexy girls in the waiting room.'
'They were all sexy and they had it together,' she recalled. 'I was wearing jeans, maybe. I don't know, it was something very normal. The girl that had gone in before me was real, real, bombshelly. I went in after, and I was very nervous 'cause I was like, 'They're gonna hire a hot girl,'' she said.
You can find Julie's full appearance on the Inside of You podcast here. Happy Gilmore 2 will be available to stream on Netflix from July 25.
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Rather than dwelling on that, though, I wanted to start by asking whether there was anything about making that gave you hope, or made you feel better about human nature in an unexpected course, Squid Game is a show that explores the darkest aspects of our social and political situation, while also diagnosing an absence of humanity. So to see a story like that resonate with people all around the world? I was happy the show we had worked so hard on was successful. But another part of me, I have to admit, felt quite bitter about the fact that these issues resonated with so many people in such an urgent way. Later, though, I had another thought: The show ultimately says that we need to wake up and look at what we're doing to each other. So, the fact that people all around the world are connecting with this show and stopping to engage with and think about these themes — our collective loss of humanity — that could also mean there is hope for us. That's the hopeful way of looking at the whole phenomenon. The Front Man is profoundly enigmatic throughout the full run of . What did you come to understand about his beliefs and motivations throughout the process of making the show?You get a brief backstory of him in the series. He had a previous life as a police detective. He was a very ordinary guy with an ordinary family. But due to some really extreme and unfortunate circumstances, he lost his wife and child, and he experienced intense betrayal and desperation, which is what drove him to take part in Squid Game. Once inside the Game, he witnesses even more brutality and extreme cruelty right in front of him, and all of this makes him into an extremely pessimistic and cynical person who believes that there is no hope left for the world or humanity. And so, as he watches Gi-hun, he thinks that Gi-hun is too naive — and that he will end up just like himself, and only time will tell. 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Or is this encounter a sign of his somewhat restored humanity — that he wanted to give her closure, and personally deliver the money her father won? I asked that exact question to the director when we were filming — and he responded by asking me the same question. So we ended up talking a lot about this scene — what is he feeling at that point, and what should my headspace be while I'm trying to bring the scene to life? At the end of the day, I would have to say it's closer to the latter. He's had a little bit of humanity restored and he's offering what Gi-hun left behind with a little sliver of the goodness that's left in his heart. But at the same time, his strongest feeling is simply to make sure that everything is done fairly and by the rules of the Game. However, it's also perfectly natural for the audience to consider a lot of possibilities, as you just have. Is there another motive behind this? Is he signaling the beginning of a new game? Is he sowing the seed so that the Game can be continued? All of that is ultimately open for interpretation. We knew this scene would spark a lot of speculation, so we put a lot of thought into it — even down to the detail of whether the green tracksuit should be bloody or whether it should have been washed. Similarly, I was wondering why the Front Man gave his brother the baby and the baby's money. Could this be one more test of humanity versus greed — to see what his altruistic brother will do with all of that cash? Or does he simply think that his brother is a reliable person and this is the right thing to do?After everything he's been through, I think the Front Man is a little sick of testing people or putting them through trials at this point. I think that impulse may have left after the Game ended — especially after everything he went through in his confrontation with Gi-hun, and after witnessing Gi-hun's sacrifice. So I think he left the baby with his brother mainly because he doesn't have a lot of options. Most of all, like always, he wants to follow the rules. The baby won the game, so the money should go to the baby. His brother is family and he knows very deeply that his brother is a reliable and trustworthy person, and that he will protect the baby and make sure no one takes the child's money. The rules say the money goes to the child, and his brother can help ensure that. Okay, one last scene interpretation question. The Front Man's reaction to seeing the recruiter played by Cate Blanchett on the streets of Los Angeles — is he surprised, or did he already know that there's another recruiter out there and the Game, or Games, will continue elsewhere? I wasn't sure how to read his director and I talked a lot about this scene as well. What's interesting is that when I first read the script, I had a different impression. I thought the Front Man had already known that there was another game — exactly the same — unfolding in another country. But I asked the director, just in case, and he told me, 'Please play the scene by imagining that you didn't know she was there.' This was really confusing for me, because I got a very different impression from the script and we were quite close to filming at that point. So we discussed it quite a lot, and here's the tone I decided to go for in that moment: As the series started, the Front Man had nearly no hope left in humanity — there was only a tiny little shred of goodness left in him, subconsciously. But through his journey with Gi-hun, he was able to nurture that sliver of hope, and by the end, as his Game came to a close, he's trying to look at things differently, thinking, 'Maybe Gi-hun was right; maybe there's something still there.' And he's trying to reach this sense of closure, and the potential for a new beginning — and then he sees this other recruiter, pulling new players into the Game. And now he realizes that this never ends. It's all going to just keep going. So, that sense of bitterness is the main feeling he's experiencing in that moment. I actually wondered whether what I was trying to communicate would be delivered to viewers, so thank you for the question. Cate Blanchett's appearance has sparked a lot of speculation about a potential U.S.-based spin-off. I know nothing is official, but now that the Front Man knows the Game is underway in America, how do you imagine the Game would work in the United States?Well, depending on the culture and local circumstances, I suppose the ambience and the arena and the specifics of the games could be a little different. There could be some U.S. elements in there. But still, as we've been discussing, I believe the reason the series received so much love across the world is because people everywhere can relate to its overarching theme of loss of humanity. I think that aspect is essential, so the U.S. players would have to go through a lot of hardship and face impossible choices. The essence of the Game would be the same. Another possibility fans have gotten excited about is a Front Man spinoff or prequel. If Netflix and some of your key collaborators are behind it, would you be up for it?Director Hwang and I have been joking about a Front Man spin-off since the beginning. We both thought that the Front Man or the recruiter could be interesting for more story, because we haven't really explored these characters in their entirety yet. Their backstory is still vague, and their character is still a little murky. To look at the Front Man with a full character study would be a very fun thing to do. 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