Despite making audiences laugh over two decades, Adam Sandler has revealed that he know that reviews will be bad for every one of his movies.
Whilst not every performance can be Oscar-worthy, a bad review can shake even the most talented of actors – let alone consistently being criticised.
However, the 56-year-old funny man has said he just keeps ‘going’ after receiving the less-than-glowing reviews.
Sadly, Sandler has come under fire since he was at school it seems, with one of his (NYU) teachers even calling for him to quit acting.
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The Murder Mystery star revealed shared this with Brad Pitt during Variety Studios: Actors on Actors show back in 2019.
Having heard the story from a colleague, the Mr & Mrs Smith star then shares Sandler’s story, telling viewers: “You were at NYU, and it was your acting coach, or acting professor, I believe. He took you out for a beer and he kindly said to you, ‘Think about something else. Listen, you got heart, but you don’t have it. Choose another path'.” (Ouch!)
Thankfully, Sandler didn’t listen and even had a great response when he met the teacher decades later – teasing him for the past comment.
Since leaving acting school, he went onto make a name for himself with kitch comedies like The Waterboy and The Wedding Singer.
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While audiences have loved the films, critics haven’t been so enthusiastic with the comic becoming well aware of criticism over the years.
During an appearance on the Dan Patrick Show in 2017, Sandler admitted that he knows his films will be badly reviewed before they’ve even been released.
When asked whether he read any of the criticism, he said he did and told the host: “Every time I do a movie, the director is gonna go ‘Hey Sandman reviews are gonna be good on this’. I’m like, ‘No they’re not, don’t even think about it’.”
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Though it would have sent many of us running off in search of a new career path, the Little Nicky star maintained that he didn’t let it get to him.
The A-Lister was then asked how anyone could hate his classic comedy Happy Gilmore, which is one of his higher-rated films on Rotten Tomatoes, but shockingly only has a 61 percent critics' score.
“I know, but it doesn’t matter,” he calmly replied: “I keep going.”
We wish we had your staying power, Sandler.
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Since the Don Patrick interview, Sandler has enjoyed renewed critical acclaims with 2022's Hustle and 2019's Uncut Gems, but back in 2017 the actor admitted he couldn't accept good reviews, having been burned too many times before.
He said: "Even if it's good, I can't accept a good one when the ten before were so nasty. We're not connecting, me and those guys [film reviewers]."
Topics: Adam Sandler, Celebrity, Film and TV