Adam Sandler Blends Well with Second-Chance Love

Superstar funnyman Adam Sandler plays Jim, a loving but overwhelmed widower doing his misguided best to raise three daughters, in Warner Bros. Pictures’ new comedy “Blended.”  Drew Barrymore also stars as Lauren, an over-protective, recently divorced mother of tween boys who’s thrown into an unexpected African adventure with Jim.

Setting the scene of Jim and Lauren’s first meeting, Sandler says, “She’s recently divorced, and my character, Jim, is widowed.  They were both married a long time and they’re really not ready to date again, but their friends keep telling them they have to move on.  So, somehow they get set up on this blind date and it doesn’t go well.  They’re nervous.  He says all the wrong things and drinks her beer, and then she ends up choking on her soup and that’s pretty much the high point of the evening.”

“Drew and I really do like each other and have tremendous respect for each other,” says Sandler, before citing what he believes may be the real secret of their success as a movie couple: “We also have zero attraction to one another.  Drew has seen me shirtless and has just walked away, laughing.”

“Hey, I’ve seen you shirtless and I’m still here, so what does that tell you?,” she counters.

“I think Adam and I have always been in sync and really bring out the best in each other,” Barrymore continues.  “I love working with him.  We’re constantly thinking about how to make our characters more personal and genuine and there’s a lot of care that goes into it, but at the same time we can let go and be silly and free together.”

Sandler, who also served as a producer on “Blended,” sent Barrymore the script.  “I said, ‘I think I have a good one.  I love it, and would you take a look at this, Drewsky?’” he recalls.  “She loved it, too.  And the next thing I knew, we were heading for Africa.”

Sandler has enjoyed phenomenal success as an actor, writer, producer and musician. Sandler’s films have grossed over $3 billion worldwide. Most recently, he starred in the comedy “Grown Ups 2,” and lent his voice to the lead role of Dracula in “Hotel Transylvania,” which his production company, Happy Madison, also produced.  He is currently in production on “Hotel Transylvania 2”; and just completed filming on “The Cobbler,” for Thomas McCarthy, and “Men, Women & Children,” for Jason Reitman.

Sandler recently starred in “Jack and Jill,” with Katie Holmes, and “Just Go With It,” with Jennifer Aniston.  His previous films include “Grown Ups,” “Bedtime Stories,” “You Don’t Mess with the Zohan,” and “I Now Pronounce You Chuck & Larry.”

Sandler’s films also include “Reign Over Me,” for director Mike Binder, “Click,” with Kate Beckinsale, and “The Longest Yard,” with Chris Rock and Burt Reynolds.  He also starred in James L. Brooks’ “Spanglish”; “Anger Management,” with Jack Nicholson; and Paul Thomas Anderson’s “Punch-Drunk Love,” for which he received a Golden Globe nomination.

            Opening across the Philippines on June 11, “Blended” is distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures, a Warner Bros. Entertainment company.