The Wedding Singer Interview
From TNT Online

Sandler plays every guy's best friend and every girl's sweetie in The Wedding Singer.

By David Poland

Adam Sandler has become a star with his own special brand of insanity. National fame came almost overnight at "Saturday Night Live." Since then, he's ridden high on the crest of Happy Gilmore, Billy Madison and the hit singles, "Lunch Lady Land" and "The Hanukkah Song." The third movie from Sandler and his regular production squad -- director Frank Coraci, writer Tim Herlihy and producer Jack Giarraputo -- is The Wedding Singer. It's a story about Robby Hart, the world's best wedding singer and the world's worst judge of women. Mostly, it's about watching Adam Sandler bounce off the walls. We caught up with Sandler in Los Angeles.

			Adam Sandler

			rough cut's David Poland

Where did you come up with the idea for this film?

I knew guys like that. I know guys like that now. This guy, Robby Hart, he's kind of ... . I don't really know a guy like that. He's such a great guy, a nice guy who does everything for the right reasons.

Unlike you?

Yeah, but I was in a band in high school. I had buddies in bands, and we all played the cover tunes.

Did you ever play a wedding?

I played at my sister's wedding. That was the first time I was on stage -- at my sister's wedding. I was 11 or 12, and I sang "You're Sixteen." I knew all the words to it, and it went over all right. Then I sang "Yesterday" by Paul McCartney, and they just started booing me. "One was enough," they said.

Were you the funny guy as a kid?

I was the funniest guy in my bathtub. I know that.

Did you get in trouble in school?

I didn't get in bad trouble. I wasn't the guy who the teacher was scared of, like, "My God, what is this guy going to do?"

What about at home?

My parents always laughed at me -- always shook their heads a lot. My dad did the fork drop. He'd be eating, and then I would say something stupid, and he would go (Adam mimes dropping the fork). My mom was always very ... ummm ... . My dad still makes fun of my mom every time my mom mentions somebody. She says, "I talked to Nancy Cass the other day. She loves you." Then you hear Dad in the background, "Everybody loves you."

Did your parents want you to become a lawyer or a doctor?

Ah, no. They knew the brain power wasn't there. My sister's a dentist, my brother's a lawyer, and my other sister's a smart girl. There I am, the youngest and the dumbest.

Drew Barrymore told us that you developed the story together. Why did you pick the '80s instead of the '70s or '60s?

Well, I know more about the '80's. In the '70's I was a kid, and all I can write about is raffle tickets and stuff like that for Little League. Me and my buddies, we had fun in the '80s. That's when we all met. It was Tim's idea to do it in the '80s. We just thought of the corniness of me singing songs. I couldn't sing '90s tunes without people thinking, "Why is he doing that? I just heard that on the radio, why do I want to hear him singing it?" The '80s just fell off of that and made it more nostalgic to hear the tunes. It makes the movie fun. I had forgotten some of the '80s stuff that's in the movie. Like, I thought that the Rubik's Cube came out like a year ago.

What were you doing in '85?

In '85 I had just started at N.Y.U., just met the guys I still work with. I remember looking them all in the eyes and saying, "Some day I will own you."

Now you do. What can you tell me about the "Saturday Night Live" experience?

I miss it. I went back. I did the "Rosie O'Donnell Show" the other day, and I stopped by the studio for the first time in a long time. My heart hurt. I was thinking of (Chris) Farley and how much fun we all had together. We all grew up together there. I miss it. I feel good about my life right now. I feel like I have more time to concentrate and figure myself out. Six days a week of just worrying about Saturday night, there wasn't much figuring on anything else.

Was it hard to leave "Saturday Night Live?"

No, not at the time. It was sad. It's like graduating high school. You have to, but you're like, "Wow, my life's going to be different." That's what it was like. Me and Farley did it together, so that made things easier. We'd talk on the phone and say, "It'll be all right." It's not a daily schedule anymore. "Saturday Night Live" (meant) you've got to be here and do this on Monday, do this on Tuesday ... . All of a sudden we were out doing our own thing and coming up with projects. It was a different type of feeling, but it had to happen. Couldn't be there forever.

Any thoughts on Chris Farley's untimely death?

I don't know. Everybody is different. Comedians have our high ups and our low downs, and when I would hang with him I mostly saw ups. If he was down when he was talking, I tried to get him up again. (Comedians) do get pretty damn excited about some things and pretty damn depressed about some things, too.

Are you in the marriage frame of mind?

Maybe. I definitely think about it. I'd like to have a kid, and I'd like to be driving around. I know a kid is going to be a big part of my life. I can trust my kid. I know my kid would be in the backseat of my car, and when I say "You wanna get some ice-cream?" he's going to be happy. My brother has kids. I see that trick work, the ice cream trick.

What's up next for you and the boys?

Our next one is The Water Boy. Kathy Bates plays my mama -- she has a real funny part -- and Henry Winkler plays the coach of the team -- he has a real funny part. It's about a guy who got picked on his whole life and never fought back. Finally Henry Winkler as the coach says, "You're allowed to fight back, son." Then he fights back -- it turns out he's got a lot of built-up anger -- and he tackles the guy so hard, the coach puts him on the team as a linebacker.

Do you have a favorite romantic comedy, other than The Wedding Singer?

Oh boy. I like a lot of Woody Allen movies. I don't have any favorite movies, but I'll cry. I'm good at crying.

If it's a comedy, you're not supposed to cry.

No, I cry because I wasn't in it.