Cast of Happy Gilmore don't look like this any more! Iconic characters are unrecognisable in Today show interview

Daily Mail​

4 days ago

It's been nearly three decades since the cast of Happy Gilmore hit the links.
And three of the film's iconic stars were looking almost unrecognisable on Tuesday, when they appeared on the Today show.
Adam Sandler, Christopher McDonald, and Julie Bowen appeared on the show to discuss the highly-anticipated sequel to the hit 1996 comedy.
Sandler, 58, who played the eponymous character, was sporting a shock of salt-and-pepper facial hair, looking a far cry from the fresh-faced 28-year-old who appeared in the original.
His casual sense of style hadn't changed though, with the actor wearing a colourful floral-patterned shirt.
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He also wore a pair of beige shorts and finished his low-key look with a blue trucker cap.
Julie Bowen, 55, who played Happy's love interest Virginia Venit, also cut a distinctly different figure from her 1996 self.
In the original film, Julie sported a very of-its-time short blonde bob.
Julie, who is also known for her iconic role as Claire Dunphy on Modern Family, wore her much longer blonde locks down for the chat.
She also cut a very stylish figure in a smart houndstooth skirt and matching jacket.
Chris McDonald, meanwhile, has not changed markedly since his days playing the film's iconic antagonist Shooter McGavin.
Now 70, Chris was sporting a very similar 'do' to the one he had in the comedy juggernaut, only now with a greyer hue.
Speaking about the anticipated sequel, the trio admitted they weren't trying to break new ground, but rather play up the nostalgia angle.
'That was the word: "Nostalgia",' Chris said before Adam jumped in with: 'We want people who kind of grew up with it.
'We honour the greats who were in the first one and who are no longer with us, but we also tried to make a movie that could stand on its own.'
He added: 'It's mainly about love and comedy.'
The upcoming sequel is set to premiere on Netflix this Friday and comes almost three decades after the original film debuted.
The second movie will see Adam returning to the golf green as Happy Gilmore, alongside returning stars Bowen, Ben Stiller, and McDonald, and newcomers Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio (aka Bad Bunny), Adam's daughters Sadie and Sunny Sandler, and Blake Clark.
When the first trailer for the sequel dropped, it sent fans into a frenzy, although many voiced their displeasure that it was not receiving a cinema release.
Taking to social media to express their disappointment, many said that they would 'happily' pay to go and see the comedy on the big screen.
Posting on X, one user said: 'The new Happy Gilmore movie releasing straight to Netflix and not in theatres rattles me to my core.'
Another wrote: 'The fact Happy Gilmore 2 is only on Netflix is a major disappointment. It's one of the few films in the last decade I'd actually go to the theatre to watch.'
'Would pay to watch Happy Gilmore 2 in a packed theater. Happily,' another opined while a fourth continued: 'The fact there's no theatrical release is a shame.'
Happy Gilmore 2 will also feature a handful of professional golfers, including John Daly, Paige Spiranac, Rory McIlroy, Scottie Scheffler, Bryson DeChambeau, Brooks Koepka, Justin Thomas, and Will Zalatoris.
Travis Kelce is also amongs the star-studded cast.
Adam previously gushed about Kelce's involvement in the film while appearing on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon last August.
'We have a nice something for Travis,' he said at the time. 'He's going to come by. He's a very nice guy…What a big, handsome guy. Funny and cool as hell. He's a stud, and he's so funny.'
Sharing the trailer to his Instagram, Adam said in his accompanying caption: 'Hope you all have fun and thanks for all the great times.'