Washington, Feb 8 (.) Adam Sandler revealed how he first connected with director Paul Thomas Anderson, who helmed him in the critically acclaimed ‘Punch Drunk Love’, through an unexpected phone call from Tom Cruise, according to People.
Sandler shared the story during a live conversation with film critic Leonard Maltin at the Santa Barbara International Film Festival in California.
“I don’t remember a hundred percent, but I was shooting (2000’s) Little Nicky … I was on the set,” the 59-year-old actor recalled, describing how he had never heard of Anderson at the time.
He continued, “I got a phone call. I knew Tom Cruise a little bit. I get a phone call. My friend who’s here tonight, Jonathan, I think, comes up to me and says, ‘Tom Cruise is on the phone for you.’ I go, ‘Oh, okay.’ And I go, ‘Hello?’ And Cruise goes, ‘Adam, I’m with my friend right now. He’s a really wonderful director.'”
Sandler added, “Cruise goes, ‘He wrote a movie for you. He wants to talk to you.’ I go, ‘Okay … now?’ And he goes, ‘Yeah.’ I said, ‘I’m shooting a movie right now.’ He goes, ‘He’ll be quick.’ So I go, ‘Okay.’ And then he gets on the phone, and then it’s Paul and he goes, ‘Hi. I just want to tell you I really like your movies.’ I said, ‘Oh man, that’s cool. Thank you.’ And he goes, ‘And I wrote you a movie. I think it’s really good. Would you mind if I brought it over to you so you could read it?’ And I said, ‘Yeah, man, anytime.’ And that was that,” according to People.
Sandler then went to see Anderson’s 1999 film Magnolia, recalling his excitement at the opportunity. “I was in the front row eating popcorn alone and I remember going, ‘This guy wants to use me, man?’ I got really excited, called him up. I said, ‘Where’s that script? Bring it over!'”
Reflecting on his work in Punch Drunk Love, Sandler spoke about rehearsing with Anderson and the late Philip Seymour Hoffman. “That was something that I’ll never forget. We were rehearsing with Paul. We rehearsed a lot before that movie, and I remember being up at Paul’s house and rehearsing with film and doing that scene and doing other scenes all around the lawn of PTA’s property,” he said.
He added, “We’d walk around and do… and do the scenes, and we’d go at it [from] different directions. And then on the day when we shot that [scene] we kind of kept to ourselves and stayed in our own little worlds, and then when Paul called action, we went at it and went toe to toe, and felt what we felt, and I loved it.”
Sandler concluded by praising Hoffman’s craft, saying, “I’m very proud that I worked with Phil. I loved him as a guy and I loved one of the best actors of our generation,” as quoted by People.
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