Sandler can understand that reaction, although he's never felt that way about his audience before. "In real life, with my audiences I’m very thankful. I understand what the character’s going through, like what Judd said. He dedicated his life to them and then all of a sudden he finds himself alone. He’s lashing out. But no, I’m very thankful."
Because the character is physically ill and emotionally tormented, getting into that dark place was a challenge for Sandler. "Certain scenes were heavy. I knew Judd just went through stuff with his mom and I went through stuff with my dad. We saw firsthand what goes on with people who are incredibly sick, so I wasn’t excited about diving into that. But I knew it had to be done and I just did it."
Asked if Apatow knows what buttons to push after these years of friendship, Sandler replied, "Yeah, he knows everything. He knows a lot about me. Yes, that did help. He knows just stories that only Judd and I know, so he could bring those up and definitely bring me to different places."
* * * * * * *
Funny People hits theaters on July 31, 2009 and is rated R for language and crude sexual humor throughout, and some sexuality.
