It’s been 25 years since the rom-com was a runaway hit.
Although set in 1985, The Wedding Singer hit the big screen in 1998. “That hurts,” the movie’s star Adam Sandler joked when reminded of the milestone during a recent interview with Entertainment Tonight. “It makes me sick.”
Watch Below: Beauty chat with Drew Barrymore
Sandler, now 56, was 31 when he played heartbroken crooner Robbie Hart, who falls in love with engaged reception hall waitress Julia Sullivan, played by a 22-year-old Drew Barrymore.
The classic comedy – memorably featuring a rapping granny, Billy Idol cameo and Sandler sweetly serenading Barrymore with the original ‘Grow Old With You’ – was a box-office hit and even spawned a Broadway musical spin-off. “A lot of magic happened on the movie,” the romantic comedy’s director, Frank Coraci, told E! News. “We had no idea that it was gonna be a success.”
The chemistry between Sandler and Barrymore was a significant factor in the movie’s appeal and longevity. Sandler also credits his co-star for helping him jump from juvenile comedies to romantic lead roles. “Drew liking me made it seem like girls were allowed to like me in movies,” he said on The Howard Stern Show in 2015.
Barrymore – who has been acting since childhood, but up until that point had not starred in many comedies – was sure the pairing would be perfect. “I stalked Adam Sandler because I was convinced we were supposed to work together,” she told Vanity Fair in 2021. “We didn’t look like we should. I had purple hair and a leopard coat. He was dressed like a jock.”
Despite their differences, the pair would go on to make two more movies together – 50 First Dates in 2004 and Blended in 2014. “Every 10 years we get to fall in love again,” Barrymore joked on The Tonight Show.
Could we see them team up again soon? “I want to make movies with him forever,” Barrymore teased to People in 2019. “We talk on the phone often, and we were like, it feels like something, I don’t know … We always get a time and an instinct thing … We know we have more to go.”
Where are the cast now?
Drew Barrymore
The divorced mum of two continued to star, direct and produce, but stepped back to host The Drew Barrymore Show. She says she will step in front of the camera again for Sandler.
Adam Sandler
In addition to comedies produced by Happy Gilmore Productions, the married father of two has starred in recent dramas, including Uncut Gems and Hustle.
Alexis Arquette
After starring as Robbie’s Boy George-obsessed bandmate, Alexis documented her gender transition in a 2007 documentary. She sadly died in 2016.
Christine Taylor
The actress (who played Julia’s confidante, Holly) has collaborated with her husband, Ben Stiller, in many movies. The couple separated in 2017 but have since reconciled.
Matthew Glave
Julia’s fiancé Glenn Guglia is “a bit of a douche, to be putting it mildly”, admits the actor, who’s worked on TV in Mad Men, CSI and Better Things, and films First Man, Argo and Get Smart.
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