Original ‘Happy Gilmore’ Star Thought Sydney Sweeney Would Replace Them In Adam Sandler’s Sequel

Cinema’s most iconic golfer returns this summer as Adam Sandler, Christopher McDonald, Ben Stiller, and Julie Bowen are all heading back to the green for Happy Gilmore 2. But the latter star is amazed they were called back for the legacy sequel. The original Happy Gilmore was released in 1996, and followed the titular former hockey pro as he joined the PGA Tour to raise money to save his grandma’s house. Bowen played Happy Gilmore’s love interest, Virginia Venit, with Happy eventually winning her over by the end of the first movie. The core characters are all coming back for Happy Gilmore 2, but Bowen is surprised that Happy didn’t act like a stereotypical sports star and move on from his wife for someone younger.

Appearing at Netflix’s TUDUM event, Julie Bowen spoke to The Hollywood Reporter about her role in Happy Gilmore 2. While the titular Happy (Sandler) and Shooter McGavin (McDonald) were almost guaranteed to return, Bowen was amazed that Virginia was written into the sequel, especially after a rumor suggested that her marriage to Happy had worked out about as well as most sports stars’ love lives. “I thought, ‘Well, I won’t be in it,'” Bowen said. Despite Happy being head-over-heels in love with Virginia in the original movie, Bowen expected the fame to get to the character’s head, explaining:

“And that was OK — it was like Virginia Venit, it’s been 30 years, he’s got a hottie. He’s got some little bitty on the side, like a cart girl.”

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Bowen’s surprise at returning partially came from her own assumptions about the sequel, but also from a rumor her children had heard. During Happy Gilmore 2’s development, rumors spread that Sydney Sweeney had been cast in the film. When that rumor reached Bowen, she was almost certain that Virginia and Happy were done. She continued:

“As a matter of fact my children told me, before I was even told officially that there was a Happy Gilmore sequel, my now 18-year-old said, ‘Mom, I hear they’re doing a sequel and he’s with Sydney Sweeney as a cart girl.'”

‘Happy Gilmore 2’ Releases This July

Luckily, Bowen got to reunite with the old golfing gang for Happy Gilmore 2. The sequel has long been demanded by fans, and Adam Sandler broke the news late last year that Happy and Shooter would return to the green for another face-off. Alongside Sandler, McDonald, Stiller, and Bowen, Happy Gilmore 2 also features a lot of up-and-coming golf talent, by which we mean new cast members.

Margaret Qualley, Benny Safdie, Travis Kelce, Bad Bunny, Kym Whitley, and Maxwell Friedman all star in Happy Gilmore 2. Adam Sandler also previously teased that Eminem would make a surprise cameo in the movie, although he was absent from the most recent trailer.

Source: The Hollywood Reporter

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