An Uncut conversation, now that the film is on Netflix.
ADAM SANDLER:Oh man, I didnt get to meet ‘em.
But this age feels like it makes more sense.
Julia Cervantes/A24
JOSH SAFDIE:For many reasons, it was for the best.
And how much time did you actually have on set?
BENNY SAFDIE:It was pretty tight.
We had maybe 31 days of principal photography?
Friday to Saturday, that was it….
It coincided with Howards business, you know?
A lot to do all the time in Howards world.
ADAM: It was not a problem at all.
We were all kinda goin at it together.
I think that the Safdie boys have more energy than Howard.
We were just thinking this movie night and day, it was an amazing.
We kept it cookin the entire time.
BENNY:We also didnt want to let each other down you know?
ADAM:Oh, for sure.
Adam, did Howard bleed into your life at all?
He seems like a hard character to shed at the end of the day.
ADAM:Well my family was nice enough not to come by the set, ever.
JOSH:Except sometimes you brought him home with you, with those bruises.
ADAM:Oh my goodness, yes.
The boys went at me pretty good they beat me up Id say maybe 120 different angles worth.
And yeah I had some spots on my body.
JOSH:All three of those guys who are manhandling Sandler, it was the first movie theyve done.
You didnt have a safe word?
JOSH:A safe word?
ADAM:Yeah, we dont know if she liked that guy better, but thats okay.
How much interaction did you have with the real diamond guys throughout this process?
ADAM:We were in on the block before we shot the movie a lot, you know?
And while we were shooting we were welcome too, ‘cause they came out every day we were shooting.
There was a really great energy there.
A guy who could be their cousin, or somebody whos just trying to make it.
So I ingratiated myself insanely.
And we didnt end up doing that but thats actually where Howards business takes places, in that building.
JOSH:And weirdly 47th Street, its the one street the city wont even consider shutting down.
The whole street before we even started was completely taken over by us in kind of an undercover way.
We need that in the movie!"
How did you handle that volume of dialogue?
ADAM: You know these guys were very, very hardworking.
It was three hours of material and it always seemed 100 percent fresh.
ADAM:Oh I would just keep questioning the fellas, what they were thinking and what they wanted.
They talked to me about Al Goldstein and Rodney Dangerfield and other kind of strong opinionated Jews.
We met throughGood Timehe was a fan of that, and just became friends.
And then [retired NBA star] Garnett was actually a late addition.
Okay, arethose diamond furbiesreal?
BENNY: Oh no, we made those.
Thats not because you attracted attention to it with the shoot and everything, I hope?
Natasha is a friend of ours as well, and another one whos really obsessed with movies.
But we found something, and she’s amazing.
[Laughs]
I really want to talk about the other women in the cast.
Idina Menzel, I think people think ofRent, they think ofFrozen… Everest of a scene with her, and we talked a lot about it.
you might tell shes a serious actor.
And when you watch it with an audience you almost feel this kind of release from it.
Like theres so much of us that goes into this movie.
Theres a lot of me in the character, in Howard, in all the characters really.
Thats filmmaking for us in a weird way, you know what Im saying?
I was not in any way prepared for how it all goes down in the final scene.
Adam, did you see that ending coming for Howard?
When I read it the first time.
I was as baffled as you were I didnt know that was coming either.
BENNY:Yeah, yeah, ‘cause Howard was having such a good time, you know?
It was so fun, this was what he was doing it for, and it just made sense.
He had to be in that vestibule the whole time and its a lot of dialogue.
BENNY:A rollercoaster of emotion.
All sweaty and trapped in that vestibule.
He just stood up and started clapping.
Adam, to put you on the spot, would you work with these guys again?
ADAM:[Laughs] We talk about it constantly, man.
I love these guys, I love ‘em.
I mean, they’re incredible filmmakers.
Of course I would die to work with them again, because its a brand new feeling.
They were like, I just likeGems, man."
They just were so deep in it.
JOSH:Rest in peace, Howard.
