Adam Sandler and Kevin James seem to be joined at the hip, and you rarely see one of them without the other following close behind. Sandler gave James his first role in a live-action movie when the latter was handed the glamorous part of Factory Worker in 2004’s 50 First Dates, back when he was still best known as the star of sitcom The King of Queens, and they’ve been inseparable ever since.
Over the last fifteen years, Sandler and James have co-starred in the three entries in the Hotel Transylvania franchise, two Grown Ups movies, I Now Pronounce You Chuck & Larry, Zookeeper, Pixels and Sandy Wexler, while James showed up as himself for an uncredited cameo in You Don’t Mess with the Zohan.
Even when Sandler isn’t seen on screen, he’s still producing James’ output through his Happy Madison Productions company, having a heavy hand in the development of the two Paul Blart: Mall Cop movies and True Memoirs of an International Assassin. As you could imagine, then, the actors are very close friends at this point, and in a recent interview to promote Netflix’s Hubie Halloween, Sandler joked about how he convinces his regular collaborator to keep showing up alongside him.
Kevin James: It’s a pain in the ass for me every time, but it’s a joy for you…
Adam Sandler: I talk him into it. I say, ‘You know they’re gonna give you money?’ He says, ‘No.’ Then I say, ‘They’re gonna give you a new motorcycle.’ He says, ‘Not yet.’ And then I say, ‘They have these incredible dumplings.’ He goes, ‘Ooh.’
James: You’ve sparked my interest!
Sandler: We love being together.
There’s clearly a real sense of camaraderie among the Happy Madison troupe, and James is just one of countless actors who can regularly be found starring in Adam Sandler vehicles. After all, it isn’t the worst job in the world getting paid to hang out with your buddies on set every year or so, and there’s no doubt that the leading man looks after those closest to him, many of whom have been part of his inner circle for decades now.
