'Happy Gilmore 2' cast celebrates rapper Eminem's comic chops

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1 of 5 | Left to right, Adam Sandler, Eminem and director Kyle Newacheck on the set of "Happy Gilmore 2." Photo courtesy of Netflix
NEW YORK, Aug. 3 (UPI) -- Adam Sandler and the actors who play his sons in Happy Gilmore 2 are praising rapper Eminem for his surprise comic appearance in the long-awaited movie sequel.
"Eminem is funny as hell," Sandler captioned a video of outtakes featuring the hip-hop star that he shared on social media Friday.
In the sequel's final golf game, Eminem plays a bucket-hatted heckler, the son of a similar-looking trouble-maker played by the late comedian Joe Flaherty in the 1996 original.
Happy (Sandler) ultimately wins, earning the $300,000 he needs to send his only daughter Vienna (Sunny Sandler) to a prestigious Parisian dance school.
The actors who played Gilmore's rambunctious adult sons said getting to beat up Eminem and throw him into an alligator-infested pond was a highlight of the movie, which is now streaming on Netflix.
"That was a nuts day," pro wrestler Maxwell Jacob Friedman, who plays Happy's eldest son Gordy, told UPI in a recent Zoom interview.
"When I work out, Eminem is my go-to [music] over and over and over again. He has created some of the best pump-up music in the history of music ever, point blank," Friedman said. "So, I'm just standing there and I'm like: 'Wait, I'm beating up Eminem with my closest friends on this random day? OK, sign me up!'"
Friedman said the hip-hop icon didn't just film is scene and make a quick exit.
"Not only was he a good sport, he stayed way later and he was like, 'Let me try to do a different take and say something different there,' and he improvised so many different lines while he was in the water with the gators," Friedman added. "He's something else."
Philip Fine Schneider, who plays Gordy's brother Bobby, chimed in: "He was, literally in the water, which is crazy. I didn't even think he was going to be in the water. I was like, 'Oh, it will be a body double or whatever.' But he was in there and wanted to be in there and wanted to stay. It was great."
Friedman said the professional behavior of Eminem and the rest of the big stars who had cameos in the film was a great example for the younger members of the cast.
"The big takeaway was the fact that, no matter who the person was that came on to set -- big or small -- everybody put in 110 percent and was just so amped to be a part of the project, so it was really inspiring stuff," Friedman added.
Conor Sherry, who plays Terry, said he and the actors who played his siblings were all honored to help carry on the Happy Gilmore legacy.
"it was everything," Sherry said.
"We had high expectations, obviously. Adam's reputation is so great and he exceeded it in every way. To be able to do something and learn so much is such a joyous [experience,]" he added. "It was a full-fledged master class, more than you could ever learn in any classroom or college. I'm pro-college, but Adam Sandler taught us a lot."
"To have such a chill environment and to be able to also learn so much at the same time and have it not feel forced was just really cool," Friedman said.
The brothers' constantly fight and talk over each other, but they also are protective of and affectionate with their widower dad and little sister.
"They're, basically, just the exact same copies in a certain way. I feel like we all have the same IQ," Ethan Cutkosky, who plays Wayne, said with a laugh. "When we're together, we can collectively solve some math equations."
Schneider added, "We're bonded by love. We beat the [expletive] out of each other, but we love each other."
"When Happy's down, it's on us to lift our father up," Schneider said.
"There are a lot of moments I think will hit home with people, who have parents or parental figures who are struggling," Friedman said.
"You get to watch the kids go through the same exact roller coaster that Happy is going through. When he's up, we're up," he added. "When he's down, we're down, but we're rooting for him the entire way through and I think it's such a beautiful thing as far as unconditional love goes."
Adam Sandler, Bad Bunny attend 'Happy Gilmore 2' premiere in NYC
Bad Bunny (L) and Adam Sandler arrive on the red carpet for the Netflix "Happy Gilmore 2" New York premiere at Jazz at Lincoln Center on July 21, 2025 in New York City. Photo by John Angelillo/UPI | License Photo