Adam Sandler and Brendan Fraser Reflect on the Fun of Working With Chris Farley: ‘I Loved Him’
Airheads co-stars Adam Sandler and Brendan Fraser reflected on their time working together and what it was like making the ’90s comedy with Chris Farley. After Sandler revealed that he stole Fraser from the possibility of an Encino Man sequel, they chatted about their fun on set with the late actor, who died at 33 after Airheads was released.
Adam Sandler said he ‘stole’ Brendan Fraser from Pauly Shore and a possible ‘Encino Man’ sequel
In a conversation for Variety, Sandler asked Fraser, “Remember when I discovered you? You were just a kid. I stole you from Pauly [Shore] and said, ‘Get over here.'”
That referred to Fraser’s role as a caveman named Link in Encino Man, which he was best known for before Airheads. Sandler added that Shore “was against” Fraser being in the rock and roll comedy, just in case they needed him to make an Encino Man sequel.
While Sandler recalled telling Shore, “Don’t do that to him,” Fraser offered, “That’s Pauly.”
Sandler said he also convinced Airheads director, Michael Lehmann, to take a chance on Fraser. “He was like, ‘I don’t get it. I don’t see the caveman being in the movie,'” Sandler offered. “And I just said, ‘He can do other s***, man.’”
Brendan Fraser revealed his love for Chris Farley while reflecting on ‘Airheads’ with Adam Sandler
Fraser and Sandler chatted about the shoot for Airheads for Variety, and Sandler recalled it was “the best party of all time.”
He explained, “That was one of the best shoots of my life, without a doubt. We would drive to the Fox lot and just get there at around 4:30. Sun’s going down. We’d have our snacks, get into our clothes, [and] do our scenes.”
The actors also talked about having Farley on the set with them. Sandler said the star “terrorized the craft service truck” before adding, “But I think, actually, when we shot that movie, Farley was on a diet.”
“I loved him,” Fraser offered, to which Sandler replied, “Absolutely.”
Notably, the movie came out in 1994, and Farley died in 1998. Despite the love of fans and co-stars and earning $6 million per movie, a friend said his anxiety and self-loathing were his “death sentence,” contributing to a four-day-bender that killed him (Entertainment Weekly).
Adam Sandler still gets emotional over Chris Farley’s death
Sandler told the Happy Sad Confused podcast that Farley’s death still makes him emotional, specifically when he performs his tribute to him, known as “the Chris Farley Song” (CNN). He shared, “The first few times we played that song, I would tear up, and I couldn’t really sing it well because I’d get so emotional, and then I felt it and was able to get it out there.”
“It’s weird, but when that song starts, I go, ‘Oh f***, alright, don’t cry and don’t do that’ still,” he added. “I’ve sang it maybe a hundred times already, but it rocks me.”
Sandler guessed he became emotional because a video of Farley would play, and he would see his late friend’s face. But he added that “hearing the crowd go nuts for Farley” made it worth it.
“Every show I do, by far, the biggest applause of the night is talking about Farley,” Sandler explained. “And any time I mention his name, the audience goes nuts. It feels great.”
