Adam Sandler has revealed he had to fight tooth and nail for Brendan Fraser to be his 1994 film Airheads.
During a recent interview with Variety, the two Hollywood stars reminisced about their early days in the entertainment industry.
By the mid-'90s, Sandler had become a force to be reckoned with in the comedy scene, most famously appearing on SNL’s ‘Weekend Update’ with his acoustic guitar singing parody songs.
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However, by 1995, Sandler had left the sketch comedy show and kicked off his transition into film.
Enter Airheads.
The film follows three band members, Chazz (Fraser), Pip (Sandler) and Rex (Steve Buscemi), who end up holding a radio station hostage with plastic guns after the head DJ refuses to play their demo.
While the film put the three actors on the map, Sandler shared that he had a hard time convincing the director to take a chance on Fraser.
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He said: “Michael Lehmann was very against you. He was like, 'I don’t get it. I don’t see the caveman being in the movie'. And I just said, 'He can do other s**t, man.'
However, Fraser said he remembers it differently.
He told Sandler: “[Lehmann] flew out to Chicago to meet me. He sang a different tune then.”
To which the Billy Madison star responded: “He’s a filthy liar. He didn’t want you. I did, and the rest is pretty good. You had a good life because of me.”
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Sandler added: “I’m happy you were the leader of the band, the Lone Rangers. Buscemi, my brother in the movie, loved you. Ultimately, we got our tune on the air. People liked it."
Following the film, Fraser went on to star in George of the Jungle and The Mummy franchise.
While the actor took a hiatus from acting in recent years, the Brenaissance is upon us.
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His upcoming movie The Whale is already generating Oscar buzz.
In September, the film received a six-minute standing ovation at the Venice Film Festival.
The gesture visibly moved a teary-eyed Fraser.
Next, the 54-year-old is set to star in Martin Scorsese’s Killers of the Flower Moon alongside Leonardo DiCaprio.
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The crime drama is based on the 2017 best-selling book by journalist David Grann, which centres around the countless murders of wealthy Osage people in the 1920s who targeted Native Americans.
I mean, I guess we have Sandler to thank for getting Fraser a big chance in the limelight.
Featured Image Credit: REUTERS/Andrew Kelly/Alamy. 20th Century FoxTopics: TV and Film, Celebrity, News, Adam Sandler, Brendan Fraser