Adam Sandler: The 60 Minutes Interview

60 Minutes rewind it's hard to believe it's been 30 years since Adam Sandler first appeared on Saturday Night Live but did you know that Sandler was let go just a few years after he joined the cast we wanted to know why and how he evolved from a TV comic to the rarest of things a humble movie star who's brought in billions of dollars at the box office this month the 53 year old who sometimes described as juvenile may surprise audiences who think they know the Sandman schtick he takes on a gritty dramatic role in a movie called uncut gems and his performance is drawing some of the best reviews of his career we wondered if all the buzz had turned Sandler into a serious self-important actor we got our answer when fresh off an overnight flight he wanted to meet us at a basketball court it looks like a bunch of high school kids or Junior High usually I can keep up with that actually no not usually how you doing this are you on three three on three I fly in try to find a game somewhere play get a little sweat his game says a lot about the real Adam Sandler generous with an assist quick to compliment nice job ready but with sharp elbows and a tongue to match ball hog you've been in New York like 36 hours how many times have you played basketball that's very good so once with you then I played right before this I'd say five five sessions is that what you do pretty much every time it's kind of when I have nothing to do I either I battle eating I say uh I can go eat or go play hoop right right ups and downs of the chubby life I Chandler is an unconventional movies a hamper look a proud father of two with his wife of 16 years Jackie he's a regular guy living a Charmed Life which is all part of his appeal his career is heavy with far-fetched comedies like Happy Gilmore and goofball gets the girl comedies like The Wedding Singer [Music] friends shift and he usually plays a fish out of water character who prevails in the end it's a formula that sometimes Fizzles that's how we roll in our house baby you know when people talk about your career they talk about these ups and then the Downs ups and the Downs man I don't know what the Downs have been I mean maybe in some people when they write about me they talk about my downs but I don't have any Downs I love every movie I've made I've never in my entire career phoned one thing in the critics have said I'm going to read you my favorite ones you know this movie is the last nail in Adam Sandler's coffin another said he's no longer a movie star and another one called you a man child I hear that yeah that makes some sense you're not bulletproof I mean I'm not gonna hurt that stuff doesn't hurt me anymore I think it hurt me 20 years ago it got me 20 years ago as I kind of shell-shocked like what happened they say I suck I thought I was good at this I don't care it needs to be changed do it his new Lewisville may surprise his critics uncut gems is far from a predictable Sandler farce it's an intense dark drama set in the Cutthroat World Behind New York's 47th Street Diamond District he plays Howard Ratner a jewelry dealer and sports Gambler in Desperate Straits a thousand dollars a point it's a plum part with serious acting chops required for every scene everybody always talks about you being such a likable guy and then you play this loud sweaty obnoxious character did you have any reservation about that I was scared yeah and I was like I don't know man I don't like them very much [Music] how are you this is kind of the street where we we shot a lot of stuff got prepared got to it's basically the big part of the movie it is character Rich here yes I had action Sandler researched the role for months creating a Cadence and wardrobe befitting the part roomless glasses gold chains and oversized teeth what's up opposite retired NBA superstar Kevin Garnett who plays himself let me clean this floor let me throw them in the ultrasonic in the movie I tell Kevin Garnett's character let me wash your earrings right let me polish those for you and and that's one of the guys told me that's the first move is get the jewelry off off somebody because they can't leave and you're doing something for them and then you could discuss the flaws of what they have and say I got something a little better for you and that kind of thing it's clever yeah it's very clever the New York Diamond District is a world away from his hometown of Manchester New Hampshire where Sandler roamed the Little League fields the only thing bigger than his hair was his confidence I was always very goofy looking I didn't realize it at the time I thought I was kind of a stud but looking back at it it is pretty pretty ridiculous where'd the confidence come from I got my parents told me I was my mother said how great I was all the time I started to believe her but my father would be like you're great but you ain't that great oh oh my gosh this is it this is the room I grew up in it's like a museum he grew up in this house the youngest of four children the rare comedian who says his childhood was happy but that was my bed that was my brother's bed oh my gosh look at this yeah same carpet same carpet as growing up for sure same sheets same everything his late father Stan was a big man with the big personality an electrical contractor who coached his kids little league teams and who Sandler calls his hero her mom Judy was a nursery school teacher she is his biggest fan and sometimes harshest critic what'd you think of uncut jams oh I loved it it was very different very different very different yeah especially his Wolf's teeth I told you she goes straight to the team you didn't like that look not exactly I spent all those money to make his teeth nice and whoa what did your mom think about all the cussing in the movie anytime I curse she hates it I concur amazing you can really rope them together I agree yes thank you yes I can wrote them nice my mother didn't teach me to curse and I didn't teach him it's been fun all right ma stay out of the shots now you had your moment his family remains an important influence on his life and his comedy I used to do my grandmother an impression of my grandmother everybody used to like around the house well you know Adam she always used to say well you know you cannot digest cantaloupe that's not good for your stomach that's why you always get bellyache she didn't know I was faking belly aches to stay out of school she thought it was the cantaloupe his first job was at the Puritan what's up everybody a local landmark in Manchester New Hampshire famous for its ice cream not it seems Adam Sandler a cherry Seinfeld and not a Sandler it's disgusting when it was time for college he went to New York University which allowed him to work the city's stand-up clubs at night he worked hard at it hitting this stage at Comic Strip live more than 500 times when you go to bathroom public bathrooms are never fun you know you always go in there with the same deal take one piece of toilet paper and put it there another piece over there then you pulled on your pants and August away what were you making money came in here I think it was 10 bucks a night 10 bucks that was good didn't care stand up is how Adam Sandler discovered what would become a trademark of his act using the guitar to sell his jokes [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] I was so nervous every time then I'd get up tonight I wouldn't remember what I was supposed to say and go blank and um you have the guitar in your hands because that way I was at least doing something it was the security blanket yeah yeah yeah yeah still living in the dorm he got his first big break a guest spot on America's most popular sitcom The Cosby Show it didn't last long I did four episodes and I remember wanting to be on five you know I was always at that place in my life I think you're so low-key that you don't really realize that you were so ambitious I was very driven man I don't know what the hell was going through my head what did you want was it I got to get to SNL I gotta be a movie star I wanted the Eddie Murphy I wanted that being like Eddie Murphy meant becoming a movie star but first getting to Saturday Night Live he made it there when he was just 23 years old the story will continue after this holy moly look at this this is it this is the best the best my brother said to me when I was applying for colleges um I I said what should I study he goes why don't you be an actor you should be a comedian I said yeah yeah I'll do that that was kind of that stupid yeah his time at SNL was spent alongside among others Chris Rock David Spade and the late Chris Farley that was far at least he had a desk right there he was always crazy and funny um Spade was over here Chris Rock was here and you guys keep it a lot nicer than us we would feel their generation loved them critics did not just a few years in even powerful SNL executive producer Lauren Michaels couldn't save Sandler it was the rare moment in the history of the show where the network and the critics were on the same side everybody agreed that this group of people weren't funny was he fired or did he quit I certainly think I could protect him but I think uh it's gonna be it could be a rough year that's right that's right it was almost like a recommendation maybe it's a good time to to resign right something like that my heart was broken and I was scared and then you don't like telling anybody hey you know that that the thing I was doing they said I was no good at it see it's the first time nearly 20 25 years after leave last laugh but it was his heartfelt tribute that night to Pal Chris Farley who died in 1997 of a drug overdose that stole the show I say it in rehearsal when we were first doing it in the daytime and I kept getting choked up I think it was just being at SNL and being in the place that I hung with the man and but yeah Farley was the guy that we all just said well he's the funniest now who's next you know thank you so much Sandler is holding a Zone Netflix says his latest stand-up special was a hit and that more than 70 million people watched murder mystery his film last summer with Jennifer Aniston are you kidding me I'm sorry on screen on stage or on the court Adam Sandler is more than just fun to watch that's called the perfect pass he's the most versatile smart ass in the game right on baby

Channel: 60 Minutes

Views: 2,870,239

Keywords: 60 Minutes, CBS News, Adam Sandler, comedian, New York City, actor

Id: C2M7j0UuMFY

Length: 12min 14sec (734 seconds)

Published: Sun Mar 26 2023