Did you feel the urge to sing?
No, but I had to perform anyway. My mother forced me to do the "Hanukkah Song." "Get up and sing!" my mother says. I didn't want to. My poor nephew--it was his day. My mother's like, "You're here. Everyone would be so happy to hear you sing." I said, "Ma, the band's doing pretty good without me." She was practically shouting, "Please, you sing for everyone else. Why can't you sing for the family?" So I sang the "Hanukkah Song," and everyone stared at me. 

Have you ever sung at a wedding in real life?
I sang a song at my sister's wedding. My mother forced me into that, too. But that one felt all right. I sang Ringo Starr's version of "You're 16." It was the only song I knew all the words to. 

The Wedding Singer has a lot of funny stuff, but there are also moments when you get a little serious.
The ultimate goal was to make people laugh, but my character had to be believably in love. You have to believe that this guy wants to be with this woman and that he's got some pain because he can't be with her. I didn't want to only make fun of that. I could relate to Robbie Hart. I'm working on being him. 

Did you have to hold yourself back? Isn't your instinct as a comedian to go full out?
My comedy is different every time I do it. I don't know what the hell I'm doing. But I felt comfortable playing this guy. And it felt good being with Drew Barrymore. Drew was fun to work with, because she's so relaxed, and she makes acting look so easy.

What was the toughest moment you ever faced at the end of a relationship?
I remember one time a girl broke up with me in sixth grade on the phone when I was eating dinner with my family. My mom said, "Adam, Kim's on the phone." And I said to my dad, "See that? The girls are calling." I got on the phone and said hello. And then I hear, "This is Kim." And she tells me the girl I was dating wants to break up with me. I said, "Okay." I walked back to the table, and my Dad says, "How'd that go?" I said, "Good." He said, "What'd she say?" I told him, "She said she was excited to see me tomorrow." He said, "All right. Good job." And then I stared at my plate and tried not to cry the whole dinner. 

You seem most at home playing guys who are just on the edge of being pathetic.
I like people in those situations. I'm not comfortable being around too many people. I don't like being out in public too much. I don't like going to bars. I don't like doing celebrity stuff. So most of the characters I play are people who don't always feel comfortable beyond their small circle of friends. 

Can you understand how the business can destroy someone like Chris?
I can't understand it. I can't analyze it. I just know that Chris was very happy sometimes, and then he had down times. It's hard for me to believe he's not with us anymore. The Wedding Singer will be the first time I've done a movie and Farley won't be calling me up the night it opens. He always called me opening night and said, "I saw it." He'd always tell me the audience reaction and what he thought.

How tough was this business for you in the beginning?
I still get very scared when I step in front of a live audience. When I was younger and did a stand-up gig, it would take me two weeks to recover. Sometimes I'd get so panicked that I would stutter. My brother said, "You should sing more. Then, you'd know exactly what words to use and you could relax more." That's what got me started doing the funny songs. 

Do you remember your first musical performance?
My first public performance was singing "House of the Rising Sun." It was in a seventh-grade talent show. I remember my mother driving me home afterward, and she said, "You kept cracking your voice." So she thought I didn't nail it. But I thought I did a pretty good job. 

Are you a good audience for yourself?
I don't laugh at me. I used to. I used to get the giggles when I'd see myself. But now, I see myself onscreen, and I sure don't laugh. Seeing Farley always made me laugh. I saw Tommy Boy a couple of months ago. I was in my bedroom, and it was on HBO or something. I was laughing my ass off watching him. Chris always made me laugh. 

Do you worry about picking the right roles?
I don't think people say, "I wonder what Adam's next movie is going to be." My movies just kind of sneak up on you. I don't have to worry too much about what everybody is going to say. Anyway, I really don't pay attention to what the world says about my movies. I just care about what my buddies think.