MJF Reflects on Working with Adam Sandler in Happy Gilmore 2: “I Fired My Dad. That’s My New Dad”
In what might be one of the more unexpected crossovers between wrestling and Hollywood, Maxwell Jacob Friedman—better known to the wrestling world as MJF—recently opened up about his experience working on the set of Happy Gilmore 2. The AEW star plays a key role in Happy Gilmore 2, the sequel to the classic 1996 comedy, stepping into the role of Gordie, Happy Gilmore’s son.
During a recent interview on Screen Rant’s Coffee Chats with Liam Crowley, MJF spoke at length about sharing the screen with the iconic Adam Sandler and what the experience meant to him as both a performer and a lifelong fan.
“I fired my dad. That’s my new dad. Hell, I love Adam though,” MJF joked when asked about working alongside Sandler. The moment was lighthearted, but behind it was a deeper sense of admiration.
“Adam, working with him, it was so mind blowing because I grew up idolizing him,” MJF said. “As a Jew, you don’t have a lot of representation where it’s a leading role and then the guy’s cool and he’s funny and he can beat people up. So I remember how much it meant to me the first time I watched Happy Gilmore. This dude’s just beating the crap out of people and he’s lining these long drives—somebody you can look up to.”
While MJF may be a generational talent inside the squared circle, he’s no stranger to the stage. As he reminded Crowley, “A lot of people don’t know this about me, but I’m a classically trained actor from the time I was six until the time I was 18 years old. I did acapella and choir and theater, but then I jumped headfirst into wrestling. It did really help with the promos and stuff and the interviewing and on the mic.”
But transitioning from the wrestling ring to a Hollywood set wasn’t without nerves.
“I remember I was so nervous meeting him [Sandler], and then it was all immediately put at ease. They say, ‘Don’t meet your heroes.’ Well, those people never met Adam Sandler.”
MJF went on to praise not just Sandler, but the entire cast and crew—including his on-screen brothers Connor, Phil, and Ethan, as well as director Kyle and Sandler’s daughter, Sunny, who also features prominently in the film.
“All these guys are chill. All these guys are talented and they’re all incredible at improvisation. And I can play off of them. No offense to most professional wrestlers, but when the red light turns on, they kind of start freaking out and all they can do is yell and scream and shake their face. To have people you can work off of that are comedic geniuses like Sandler… it was amazing.”
And in classic MJF fashion, he couldn’t resist teasing the idea of the Gilmore family stepping into the wrestling world.
“We’re going back to Wembley in 2026. So I’m telling you right now, the Gilmore Boys might show up and win the tag titles. Wouldn’t shock me and it shouldn’t shock you.”
Whether or not the Gilmore Boys make their AEW debut, one thing’s for certain—MJF continues to expand his reach far beyond wrestling, proving yet again why he’s one of the most dynamic and compelling talents in the business today.
You can check out MJF’s entire interview on Screen Rant’s Coffee Chats with Liam Crowley below.
(h/t Liam Crowley and Screen Rant for the transcriptions.)
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