ADAM and Drew, you have made three films over 16 years. What is the secret to your chemistry?
DREW BARRYMORE: I would sum it up as respect. I’ve always respected Adam. I love him. He makes us laugh in the world.
ADAM SANDLER: You better print all of that, too. (Laughs)
Adam, what about your thoughts on the same question?
SANDLER: I love Drew. I’ve known her a long time. In all three movies, we have the pleasure of falling in love, and for the first two I faked it, but on this one I really did.
With The Wedding Singer, 50 First Dates and now Blended, we see a progression of your characters, from young people to single parents with children. Can we imagine a movie like On Golden Pond in your future? Also, do you stay in touch between films?
SANDLER: Yeah, I could see us doing something like that. That would be great – an On Golden Pond kind of movie, but maybe with a few more jokes in there.
In terms of the progression, we’ve both had new things going on in our lives, from The Wedding Singer to 50 First Dates to now. We both have families, but we’ve always stayed in touch.
We’ve always been good friends, and check in on each other as much as possible. And no matter what’s going on, I’m always pulling for Drew and I feel the same about her whenever I’m doing something. I know she’s pulling for me and we just have a nice friendship.
BARRYMORE: Yeah, and then every eight years I call you up and say: “We need to meet for lunch.”
SANDLER: And this time, Mike Karz found a script that was good for us and I said: “You’ve got something for (Kevin) Nealon in there?” And he said: “Yes”. So we all signed up.
Drew, you’re not a single mother, but I’m sure you relate to some of the challenges your character faces and know the challenges of having a new baby at home. Can you talk about that a bit?
BARRYMORE: Yes. I think that with this film, what really got me reading the script and what gets me when I watch the movie is I want funny, because I need to laugh, but I need heart and emotion. I want to laugh and I want to cry. They’re twins – laughter and crying.
And when these two people quietly talk about how they just want to be good parents and what is going to make their kids happy and how are they going to function in this world, that just gets me, especially when these kids say: “I need things”. When Bella (Thorne) and I did our scene together, I couldn’t get through it without crying. I really couldn’t because she’s talking to me, and this is a girl in this movie who needs a mom. I can relate to that. I’ve had times in my life where I really needed a mom. I am now a mom. I’m going to be there for my kids. Moms are my Achilles’ heel, emotionally speaking.
What are the challenges as a mother for you right now?
BARRYMORE: It’s great. I couldn’t be better. I couldn’t fake it – I’m really happy. Everything is just as good as it could possibly be.
Adam and Drew, now that you’re both parents, have you made any new discoveries in working together?
BARRYMORE: Adam’s a good, patient, loving, awesome parent, much like your character in the movie, so that’s what I’ve taken away from it.
SANDLER: You, too. You’re all about your kids. I know that. Can I say something great that happened from having kids in this movie, when we were casting it? My kids love Bella Thorne. I would have no idea who she was, by the way, if I didn’t have my two children. So, we watch the Disney Channel a lot, and saw Bella over and over and I was like: “Who is that kid? She’s good. She’s funny”. And then, when we were casting this movie, I remember saying: “Hey, what’s the kid’s name from the Shake it Up?” And my kids said: “Bella Thorne, Bella Thorne!” I said: “Yeah, we’ve got to get her”.
Bella, how similar are you to your character in this movie?
BELLA THORNE: Even though I’m wearing pink right now, I am very much a tomboy. And I think that every girl would feel for this character because there are a lot of times when you’re wanting to get out of your own skin, and she just wants to be noticed. She just wants this boy to notice that she’s a girl and he doesn’t. And it’s the worst.
Also, I think she’s looking for a new mother figure and she gets put in this position with her father because she really is like his best buddy, like his little guy friend whom he’s just chilling on
the couch with
.
Jessica, how much are you like your character (Ginger)?
JESSICA LOWE: My voice is a lot lower. In the movie, I talk like a baby because women who dress like Ginger usually get what they want while still whispering. So, yeah, I’m not very much like Ginger. I’m a sweat pants and sundress type of girl, not a bandage dress, ba-da-boom type. So, thank you for taking a chance on a funky comedian rather than hiring a model.
Wendi, how similar would you say you are to your character (Jen)?
WENDI MCLENDON-COVEY: I’m similar in that I steal things from people’s closets and I don’t have any children. That’s it. That’s all I have to say. Actually, I don’t steal things. I’m similar in that, for my friends, I will get stupid mad, okay? I would say something to someone in a Little League situation. If they disrespected my friend’s son, are you kidding? I would go insane.
What is the toughest thing you had to learn becoming a parent? Is it the nappies?
SANDLER: No, but the hours are tough. Or, when your kid is upset, you’re rocked until they’re not upset. Even when they’re not upset, you think, ‘oh, my God, I hope that doesn’t happen down the line’. You’re just always nervous and want your kid to be happy.
Now I understand why my folks were so much about, “Be nice to your sister and make sure everybody in the family is okay”. It’s their protective instinct to say: “Look, the world’s going to throw stuff at you that can hurt you. Just make sure your family’s got your back”.
How was it working on this film in South Africa?
SANDLER: Unbelievable.
FRANK CORACI (director): It was amazing, a once-in-a-lifetime experience for all of us. Great crews, great people.
BARRYMORE: That hotel was exactly how it looked in the movie, and we did try to get out on the weekends to experience the landscape, whether it was going to Joburg or Cape Town or a game reserve and being at one with nature and the animals, just outside of any commercialism. We really, really loved it and Frank did an incredible job at capturing it in the film.