For decades, Adam Sandler has made fans laugh with some iconic films such as Big Daddy, Happy Gilmore, Billy Madison, Grown Ups and so much more. However, when he wants to, Sander can thrive in the "serious" role as well. The hit Netflix film Uncut Gems was a clear example of Adam's range as an actor and how he can turn it on when needed. Looking back at his career, however, it is obvious, he's more content in the light-hearted roles. Just ask Quentin Tarantino. According to the La Times, Tarantino was set to have Adam Sandler in 'Inglorious Basterds'. He wanted Adam for the role of Donny Donowitz, who is a Boston-born Jewish American, like Sandler.
Despite the high-profile cast and the success of the film, Sandler said no. It isn't every day that we hear of an actor rejecting the iconic director. Adam has a specific vision for his career and in all likelihood, the role just didn't fit. Given how violent the film was, we can all agree, Sandler might've made the correct decision. Although Eli Roth wasn't the first choice, he eventually got the role, "I had actually somebody else in mind,” Tarantino said. “So I was writing for a real Boston guy. And I got to know Eli right before I started writing the script again. Eli is from Boston, and he’s kind of perfect casting. In ‘Death Proof,’ he did my dialogue as good as anybody else in the movie. And he loved the idea of trying his hand at acting and really being a character.”
Looking back, the filming process got very dangerous, so much so that Roth could've been seconds away from losing his life. Without a doubt, Sandler must've been uneasy reading that headline, that could've been him.
Getting Torched
This isn't uncommon, at times stunts or special effects can go very wrong. That's exactly what happened with Eli Roth, who was rushed to the hospital for some nasty burns. He recalls the experience, "We almost got incinerated. The fire comes up. They thought it was going to burn at 400 degrees centigrade and it burned at 1,200. That’s like 2,000 degrees Fahrenheit! You see the swastika fall. It was not supposed to. It was fastened with steel cables; the steel liquefied.”
It would lead to a trip to the hospital and Roth revealed that the situation was almost deadly, "Had to go to the hospital. I was on the ground, my feet were up, I had ice packs all over me... The fire department said another 10 or 15 seconds, the structure would have collapsed.”
Despite the film's success, it definitely came at a price as the actor said it himself, he barely survived the film in many aspects. We can't even imagine Sandler going through this kind of struggle.
Sources: LA Times & Screen Rant