Old School. Biblically Independent.
By Dustin Rowles | News | October 26, 2025
In the second profile in three months, we’ve heard how “protective” George Clooney was of Adam Sandler on the set of his very serious movie Jay Kelly, which genuinely looks great. I also applaud Clooney’s praise of Sandler’s performance in the film.
But I’m not so sure Adam Sandler needs protection from himself. According to this latest profile — The Hollywood Reporter’s piece from AFI Fest — Clooney insisted on bringing out the serious Adam Sandler of Uncut Gems and, uh, Spanglish fame, whether Sandler wanted him to or not.
First off, Clooney banned anyone on set from calling Sandler “The Sandman,” which is actually how Sandler prefers to be referred. “You get treated the way you treat yourself,” Clooney explained. “This was a different kind of role for Adam, and I wanted to make sure he wasn’t making fun of his incredible talent. He likes to just deflect, and I was like, ‘You know what, dude, you’re really good in this film, and you’re a really good actor, so let’s not just make jokes.’”
The sentiment is nice, I suppose, but also — let the Sandman be the Sandman. Not that Sandler didn’t appreciate the… patronizing approach.
“I still call myself the Sandman; he can’t stop me,” Sandler said, adding that Clooney “is very protective over me. He’s a really nice guy. We would do all these scenes together and get deep together, and he’d say, ‘I just want people to recognize that,’ and I’d say, ‘I’m OK, I like just working hard,’ and he’d say, ‘No.’ He’s very nice — he’s trying to look out for me.”
That is very nice, but also: Adam Sandler is a 59-year-old man with a long and successful career in both stupid movies people love and serious ones people appreciate. He doesn’t need a protector. The Safdie Brothers presumably didn’t have to ban anyone on set from calling him “The Sandman,” and Uncut Gems turned out just fine. Don’t make me defend Sandler’s acting ability, but also: Hustle is a better movie than anything Clooney has made in a decade. It’s not even close. (Wolfs, ahem.) I love Clooney, but maybe Clooney should take a cue from Sandler and learn how to chill a little.
Source: THR
