“Anything is possible.”
And we wanted to do it with Joel Embiid, and he was attached.
But then you realize he plays with such passion and energy that of course it’s going to work.
Kevin Garnett, LaKeith Stanfield, and Adam Sandler in ‘Uncut Gems’.A24
And so we got on the phone and just immediately vibed and didn’t want to get off.
The energy between us was incredible.
Kevin, what was your first reaction when this opportunity was presented to you?
Chris Elise/Getty Images
Was acting even on your radar?
KEVIN GARNETT:Not at all.
To tell you the truth, I tried to talk myself out of it.
I was like, “First off, get over it.”
I was like, “These guys are mentally ill, like, they need help.
They are not all together.”
This is Hollywood."
I was like, “Okay, that makes sense.
I see why they can’t let this s go.”
There was definitely some synergy there.
The second conversation I think went better than the first, and then it was undeniable after that.
So it’s not a surprise that this film is doing so well.
With the synergy in this, we all knew we was a part of something special.
Now I feel like when I’m watching that game, I’m rooting for everybody just as hard.
Because he was a part of that win.
We’re happy to have you as a Celtic fan.
GARNETT:I don’t think they’re ready for that.
JOSH SAFDIE:No, I’m only a 2012 Celtics fan.
GARNETT:I like that.
It’s better than having this Knick-itis that these guys got.
GARNETT:It wasn’t hard.
I haven’t been that far removed from it.
Every time you go to the playoffs and you start a series, you have an attachment to it.
The script took me back in a time warp.
So it definitely took me back a bit, and it was fun to tap into those memories.
For the most part, it was just about delivering.
They were giving me this direction, and I was just trying to deliver.
GARNETT:Yeah, I was hitting.
I don’t care, shoot it."
And I did just that and I couldn’t miss.
GARNETT:I didn’t know what to expect.
As you build up to that point, it had a lot of parallels to sports.
The walk out there, the anticipation, the buildup, all that.
And you’ve got to be believable with this speech and be confident."
And that was probably the only time that I was a little nervous, if I’m being honest.
But they were giving me such great direction that it was very simple to follow that direction.
We were changing things so slightly, and Kevin would just nail it.
Uncut Gemsis in theaters now.
This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
