In filmmaker Noah Baumbach’s Jay Kelly, aging movie star Jay Kelly (George Clooney) looks back on his life and reconsiders if the sacrifices he made for his all-consuming career were worth it. The film’s co-star Adam Sandler recently wondered what his life would have been like without his decades-spanning run as an actor, producer, writer, and comedian as he accepted the Chairman’s Award at the Palm Springs International Film Awards gala on Jan. 3, presented by his Jay Kelly collaborator Laura Dern.
“Like every actor, when I decided to become an actor, my parents were disgusted,” he said as he accepted the honor for his performance as Ron Sukenick, Jay Kelly’s manager, who not only represents the famous actor but also devotes himself to the star’s emotional needs during a midlife crisis. “When I graduated college — I got a bachelor of fine arts — my father told me he was very proud of me, and I should try it out for one year. He said, ‘Go for your dreams, see if can you get something cooking. If it doesn’t work out after one year, you’ll come work for me.’”
Laura Dern and Adam Sandler
Sandler’s father, he explained, was an electric contractor, and over the course of an eight-minute heartfelt yet hilarious acceptance speech, Sandler imagined his life if he’d never found his way as a performer. “I’m thinking I’d probably still be married to my wife, Jackie. That’s destiny. True love. Nothing stops that,” he said. “But we’d definitely have a different house. Probably like 10 less bathrooms and a few less statues of me. I’d probably know how to charge my own phone.”
To a laughing audience that might have felt like they were at a stand-up show rather than an awards ceremony, Sandler detailed his sliding door existence as one of some near misses and unfortunate breaks. These included swimming in a pond adjacent to a nuclear power plant, a divorce after six months of marriage, and thinking he was going to succeed as the inventor of the “Sandler Floaty” device only to find pool noodles were already patented. “I definitely would not be here right now accepting an award for acting. I’d be at a Burger King accepting an award for best customer,” he joked. “I’d go straight to the pawn shop and sell the trophy so I could buy more Burger King.”
Adam Sandler and Jackie Sandler
But lucky for him — and audiences — he found success. For his performance in Jay Kelly, Sandler has been nominated for a Golden Globe, Critics Choice, and Gotham Film Award. “I’ve been doing movies [for] like 40 years now. It’s fucking pretty insane. I don’t know how it happened. But I’ve loved every minute of it,” he reflected. In Baumbach’s latest film, the actor oozes sensitivity and soulfulness as his character puts his client’s emotions before his own — even when it’s against his own interests. “I’m always trying my hardest because I know how lucky I am to have these opportunities. Jay Kelly was one opportunity I knew I would never want to waste a second of. Noah pushed me and pushed all of us,” Sandler said. “I didn’t want to let him down. I didn’t want to let down any of my castmates, and I didn’t want to let down my family. I didn’t want to let myself down.”
“I always try my best,” he said as he concluded his remarks. “Thank you guys for letting me make all these movies over the years.” The pleasure is all ours.
