A look back at Adam Sandler’s career reveals a series of characters all hoping to reach their true potential, but his latest role takes the cake. You Don’t Mess With the Zohan centers on an undefeatable Israeli soldier named Zohan who longs to pursue his dream of becoming a hairstylist. Too embarrassed to tell his family and friends of his plan, he fakes his own death and moves to America under the name Scrappy Coco to help make the world more “silky smooth.”
We caught up with Sandler, who also produced and cowrote the film, during his press tour in Los Angeles to find out more.
Hollywood: This film has been in development for 10 years. Why was this project so important to you?
Adam Sandler: When I was a kid I always heard about the Israeli army and you always heard about this tiny little country and how everyone around them wants them gone and every time somebody comes after them they take care of business. As a Jewish kid you were proud of that…I [also] had an Israeli guy who used to cut my hair…I just thought it would be funny to see a soldier, Israeli soldier who was a bad ass warrior and fearless and he had a secret dream of wanting to do something else but was embarrassed to share it with anybody…I always thought it was funny that he is a hair stylist and that someone would come in and make light of what he does and think there is no possible way he could kick his ass as much as he could. That’s where it started.[PAGEBREAK]
HW: Zohan really has a thing for older women. Are you worried about little old ladies coming after you now?
AS: No, I don’t feel any danger. I do feel like I got it out of my system. My mother’s friends and I never got to that place where we wanted to get. I feel like the fact that I did it with these women in the movie, now I can just hang out with my mother’s friends and not have that weird tension.
HW: You are very big on screen, but very respectful in real life. Was that awkward for you to get so wild and crazy with all those older gals?
AS: You know the one who got me the most nervous and the most nauseous? The whip cream being licked off my nipples. That nice lady, she was like “I have to what?” [laughs] She didn’t read the [instructions] apparently and also it wasn’t one take–it was FOUR takes, and it actually tickled. I think I blew the first take, I was thinking “Just get through this so this nice woman can go home. And then in my head I was thinking my wife’s done this before and it feels similar. I hope I don’t have a reaction to this.” So I started giggling nervously and the woman is like “What? What happened?”[PAGEBREAK]
HW: There are some great stunts in this film. Was that you?
AS: No, whenever it got dangerous, there were about 15 other Zohans on set.
HW: Tell me you at least did the splits once, for the poster.
AS: Yeah. One time. One time.
HW: You were in great shape for this film. What was the most challenging part?
AS: Working out that long. I hated that. I had to do it every day. And not eating!
HW: Well it certainly paid off. Did you have to do anything in particular to work out your derriere?
AS: That’s a tough one. The ass muscle is a different kind of muscle and it has its own mind. It was a lot of just keeping it tight. My wife has huge fingers so she would place it in a cracked area of the body and say “Hold onto this thing for awhile and walk around the room.” So I would do that an hour and 45 minutes a day [laughs].[PAGEBREAK]
HW: Do you appreciate a great hair cut?
AS: I’ve never, never been excited about going. I don’t have a great hair-do. It’s not great hair to touch. People get sickened by it. For years I’ve been
looking for the right stylist and then I just started shaving it right to the bone. That’s the only way to make it look half-way decent. I enjoyed learning a lot about hair, how to cut hair and how much of an art form it is and how much work it is. Usually when you sit in a chair to get a haircut, you’re like, “Just get this done, buddy, let’s move on with our lives. Now I look at a guy and go–you’ve got to do some thinking back there.”
HW: You’ve had a lot of fun with Judaism over the years. Was there a point where you realized the humor inherent in Judaism?
AS: Oh man, no. I mean I grew up in a house that liked to be funny. Everybody liked to be funny. A lot of my friends were funny, they happened to be Jewish too. No, there wasn’t a point…my family’s been–we’ve been enjoying each other’s comedy for years.[PAGEBREAK]
HW: Fellow screenwriter Robert Smigel told the New York Times that comedy dealing with race and prejudice is likely to make some people mad. Was that the intent? To stir things up?
AS: No, my intention is never to hurt anyone. I’m happy when people are having a good time, and I gotta tell you if someone comes up to me and is offended by anything I’ve done in the past, I listen to them–I’m bummed out. Cause I certainly don’t…when we’re working our asses off on the script and making the movie, I’m just picturing people having a great time. The fact that anybody walks away saying, “oh man, I wish they didn’t say that”–that breaks my heart. We just want to make a funny movie. That’s it.
HW: In the film Zohan’s Arab love interest Dalia is hesitant to pursue a relationship. Did your family ever have an issue with you dating a woman who wasn’t Jewish?
AS: No, no, my family…let’s see, I’ve always just had troubles with my family because I’m psychotic [laughs]. Nothing to do with that, but no, no, nothing big. When I was kid, yeah, my family, parents, wanted me to marry a Jewish girl because that was what they taught their children and thought it would be an easier life for me to raise a Jewish kid, and I have a Jewish wife, I have a Jewish kid. They seem pretty happy about it.[PAGEBREAK]
HW: Judd Apatow, who was the third writer on the film, brought male frontal nudity into the main stream and you had a big chance here. Will there ever be a time when you would consider that?
AS: There are certain times of the day you don’t want to see it. If I can monitor my body and know the exact time to shoot. When it is looking the plumpest [laughs].
You Don’t Mess With the Zohan opens in theaters June 6.
