I’ll never forget going to the launch of Will Smith and his wife Jada’s film The Karate Kid where they lauded the talent of their leading man; their 12-year-old son Jaden. They batted off questions about nepotism saying only that as they were so talented, it was no surprise that their progeny was too.
Nepotism has always been rife in Hollywood – last year an intricate New York Magazine map of who was related to who sparked a flurry of stories about ‘nepobabies’ and how they had a leg up thanks to their well-known parents.
But none of that appears to have stopped Adam Sandler who has cast not only his two daughters as lead roles in his latest film release but his wife Jackie too.
All three will be seen later this month in his latest film for Netflix called You Are So Not Invited to My Bat Mitzvah. The actor and producer is so popular with the streaming site, which gave him $250 million for a four-picture deal in 2020, that his movies are known as the ‘Sandlerverse’. He is also one of the best-paid actors in Hollywood. The previous film in this deal was Hustle, which was a huge ratings success and critically acclaimed to boot.
While family members – which also includes nephew Jared Sandler - often inhabit the Sandlerverse, this will be the first time they’ve taken leading roles.
His younger daughter Sunny, 13, will star as Stacy Friedman who has been planning a bat mitzvah with her best friend Lydia Rodrigues Katz (played by non-family member Samantha Lorraine) since they were tiny. Based on the 2005 novel by Fiona Rosenbloom, the two girls fall out over a boy, and, well, disaster ensues.
The director, Sammi Cohen says while it is a very Jewish film, “It has something for everyone,”
“As much as kids will see themselves in this, adults will too. It gives us insight into this very Jewish coming-of-age experience but speaks to broader themes about what it means to be a kid today.
"Most of the time it’s a fun, exhilarating ride, but sometimes your stomach drops and you think the world will end. But hey, that’s being 13.”
Sandler, who has produced the film, stars as Stacy’s dad. His older daughter Sadie plays her big sister Ronnie with Idina Menzel making up the family, playing his wife for the second time after Safdie cult hit Uncut Gems. Meanwhile, Adam’s wife Jackie plays Lydia’s mother Gabi.
Adam’s girls have surprisingly long CVs for such young women – but that is perhaps not surprising as they started young. Sadie was just two when she made her first screen appearance in You Don’t Mess With the Zohan.
While Adam once admitted his girls found acting boring, he said more recently, on The Drew Barrymore Show, that they now had ambitions to be in films that are not part of the Sandlerverse. ‘I hear sometimes in the house, ‘I wanna be in a movie,’ and I say, ‘You are, you were in this, this and this,’ he recalled. ‘And they go, ‘Not yours’. I go, ‘Oh, daddy’s not good enough!’ They wanna do their own thing.’
In the meantime, they are getting some nice scenes for their showreels. They will also each receive $65,000 for the movie. Nice work if you have the right daddy….
