“I think it says a lot about you”: Brad Pitt tells his favourite Adam Sandler story
When it comes to the biggest names in Hollywood, it is difficult to look beyond Brad Pitt and Adam Sandler. Sandler’s approach to playing both comic and serious roles has given his filmography a wide variety, and as for Pitt, well, his career speaks for itself, having appeared in some of the best films of the past thirty years or so.
In an ‘Actors on Actors’ session for Variety, the two megastars opened up on their professions and their admiration for one another’s body of work. During Pitt and Sandler’s conversation, Pitt recalled his favourite story about Sandler, which came during his time as a student at New York University.
“You were talking about your time at NYU,” Pitt began. “This is my favourite Adam Sandler story […] It was that you were at NYU, and it was an acting coach, I believe.” It was at that point that Sandler interrupted Pitt’s telling of the story to correct the title of his teacher and say, “Acting professor…”.
Corrected, Pitt went on, “And he said to you, ‘I want to take you out for a beer.’ This is what I’m told. You guys went to a bar, and he kindly said to you: ‘Think about something else. You have to choose another path.’ Truth?” It must have been a kick in the teeth for a young Sandler to hear such a thing from his mentor.
However, the story didn’t end there. Pitt continued, “This is why it’s my favourite Adam Sandler story, and I think it says a lot about you. That you ran into him at your height when you’re getting the ultimate payday, and you’re with a bunch of friends out at a bar.”
One might expect a man lesser than Sandler to show the teacher up having proven him wrong. But not Sandler. Pitt finished off the story, “Anyone would think that’s the opportunity where you rub it in his face. And reportedly, what you did was, you introduced him to your friends, and you said: ‘This is the only teacher to ever buy me a beer.’ True?”
During the conversation, the two actors also discussed the pressures of being recognised by fans in public as two of the most recognisable people in the film industry. Pitt joked, “I put on a dinosaur mask, and I got recognised in New York City. I don’t know what it is, especially when people grow up with you. But you were deep in character.”
Sandler then recounted his experience of being recognised, saying, “I was skiing one time, had the helmet on, the dickey was up, the goggles, and I was like: ‘This is going to be a fun day. No one’s going to…’ Literally, it was 7 in the morning. ‘Hey, Adam Sandler!’ I go, ‘How did you know?’ He goes, ‘That big nose of yours.’”
