Julie Bowen genuinely thought her time with Happy Gilmore was over.
The 55-year-old actress, who played Virginia Venit in the original 1996 comedy, figured her character wouldn’t make it into the sequel, especially after hearing rumors involving Sydney Sweeney.
Bowen recently told The Hollywood Reporter that she assumed Adam Sandler’s character would have moved on by now. “I thought, ‘Well I won’t be in it.’ And that was OK, it’s been 30 years. He’s got a hottie. Some little bitty on the side, like a cart girl,” she joked.
The kicker? Bowen’s own 18-year-old child told her about the sequel before anyone from the production did. “My kid said, ‘Mom, I hear they’re doing a sequel and he’s with Sydney Sweeney as a cart girl.’”
Sweeney, 27, had been heavily linked to a role in Happy Gilmore 2, but it turns out Bowen wasn’t being replaced after all. Instead, she’s back, and she’s sharing the screen with not just Sandler, but Margaret Qualley too.
“When I got the call that I was actually in it, I was like, ‘Are you sure? Come on.’ I was genuinely surprised, and a little relieved,” Bowen said.
This time around, the film isn’t just about Sandler’s return as Happy. It’s packed with high-profile cameos. Think Bad Bunny, Eminem, and even NFL star Travis Kelce.
Bowen admitted she had a bit of a fan meltdown when she saw Bad Bunny on set. “I couldn’t look him in the eye. I had to walk away. I think he was offended, and I made it worse,” she laughed. “I don’t like meeting my heroes. I always end up being a jackass.”
As for Adam Sandler, 58, he wasn’t initially sold on making a sequel. On The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, he explained he didn’t want to let fans down. “People have been asking me for a long time, ‘Do Happy Gilmore 2,’ and I was always like, ‘Nah, I’ll only let you down.’ But then me and my buddy, Tim Herlihy, we came up with this idea.”
Sandler says they’ve poured everything into the script and production. “We wrote our asses off. We’re continuing to try to make it a movie that you guys will like.”
Between nostalgia, surprise casting, and celebrity cameos, Happy Gilmore 2 looks set to tee up another comedy hit.
