Julie Bowen thought ‘Happy Gilmore 2' would recast her with a ‘younger' actress
Julie Bowen is shocked that she's making her return as Virginia Venit in 'Happy Gilmore 2.'
'I didn't think they'd bring me back at all,' the actress, 55, revealed to Michael Rosenbaum on Tuesday's episode of his 'Inside of You' podcast.
9 Julie Bowen on the 'Inside of You' podcast.
Inside of You with Michael Rosenbaum
'I mean, who am I supposed to be?' Bowen asked. 'He's got to have a younger woman in this one, 'Happy Gilmore 2.''
The 'Modern Family' vet portrayed a public relations golf tour rep in the 1996 sports comedy. She and Adam Sandler's Happy Gilmore fall in love after she teaches him how to act in public.
Sandler, 58, Ben Stiller, 59, and Christopher McDonald, 70, are also back for the sequel.
9 Julie Bowen talks 'Happy Gilmore 2.'
Inside of You with Michael Rosenbaum
Bowen wasn't sure she'd even make the cut for 'Happy Gilmore' in 1996. In fact, she was convinced they'd hire a 'hot girl' to play Virginia.
'I read and they were relieved,' the 'Ed' actor recalled. 'They were visibly relieved. I go, 'What's going on?' They're like, 'Yeah, some of these girls are just so aggressively sexy.' And I was like, 'That's a bad thing?''
This time around, Bowen admits she's not on screen as much as she is in the original film.
9 Adam Sandler, Julie Bowen, Christopher McDonald, and Rich Eisen speak onstage during Netflix Tudum 2025.for Netflix
'Adam's like, 'Stop saying that. You're the heart of the movie,'' she said Tuesday.
The co-stars have kept in touch over the years, starring as love interests once again in the 2020 comedy horror film 'Hubie Halloween.'
Bowen previously opened up about 'Happy Gilmore' in June.
9 Julie Bowen at Netflix's Tudum event.
AFP via Getty Images
'I thought, 'Well I won't be in it,'' the 'Totally Killer' star told The Hollywood Reporter. '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.'
Her sons — Oliver, 18, and 16-year-old twins John and Gustav — agreed.
9 Christopher McDonald, Julie Bowen, Adam Sandler in 'Happy Gilmore.'
©Universal/Courtesy Everett Collection
'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.' '
'I went, I'm hurt and I so respect that move,' she teased. 'Of course, why wouldn't you? So when I got the call that I was actually in it, I was like, 'Are you sure? Come on.' '
The sequel's cast will also include Bad Bunny, Margaret Qualley, Benny Safdie, Travis Kelce, Kym Whitley and Eminem.
9 Julie Bowen, Dennis Dugan, Christopher McDonald in the 1996 film.
©Universal/Courtesy Everett Collection
9 The 1996 movie 'Happy Gilmore.'
Joseph Lederer/Universal/Kobal/Shutterstock
'Seeing Bad Bunny on set I was just like, 'Oh, I can't actually look you in the eye, I'm going to have to walk away,' and I did,' Bowen said Tuesday. 'I think he was offended and I had to circle back and now I made it worse. I'm the kind of person who doesn't want to meet her heroes because I think I'm just going to be a jackass.'
In September, Sandler opened up about reprising his role during a sit-down on 'The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon.'
'We worked hard on the script, man. We didn't want to let anybody down. People have been asking me for a long time, 'Do 'Happy Gilmore 2,' and I was always like, 'Nah, I'll only let you down,'' he said. 'But then me and my buddy Tim Herlihy, we came up with this idea. We're really excited about it.'
9 Julie Bowen in 'Happy Gilmore.'
Joseph Lederer/Universal/Kobal/Shutterstock
9 Julie Bowen at Netflix Tudum 2025.
FilmMagic
'We wrote our asses off. We're continuing to try and make it a movie that you guys will like. We're excited,' he continued. 'So many golfers are being nice and they are going to be a part of it.'
'I have to practice. You know you've got a hop, skip and a hit,' he said about Happy's signature golf swing. 'I did it recently and it seems simple, so I tried it out. I fell. I laid there for a while and then somebody brought me a lemonade and I just kind of laid there on the ground drinking a lemonade for a while. But I'll be ready when it's time to shoot. I'm a gamer, I'll get it done.'
'Happy Gilmore 2' hits Netflix on July 25.
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