You Don’t Mess with the Zohan Press Conference
Emmanuelle, what was it like working with all the guys? Did you feel you had to become one of the guys or did they treat you like a lady?
Emmanuelle Chriqui: “They absolutely treated me like a lady. Really, it's not something I even noticed. Like it keeps being brought to my attention, ‘So what's it like to work with the guys and da da da?’ But immediately I just felt so comfortable. Adam and Dennis and Robert, it was just was a family, like just brothers and I really had the time of my life.”
No teasing then?
Emmanuelle Chriqui: “There was a lot of teasing.”
Adam Sandler: “Emmanuelle was very good. Dugan likes teasing everybody. Emmanuelle was very relaxed and cool and hung out. On the day she wasn't shooting, she was watching and encouraging everybody. She was a great presence on the set. Made us all feel great.”
Do you know if You Don’t Mess with the Zohan is going to play in any Arab countries or in Israel?
Adam Sandler: “I know Israel. I'm not sure. I would think… We'll see what happens.”
Can you talk about when you went to Israel for the first time?
Ido Mosseri: “I live in Israel. I live in Tel Aviv and I'm really honored to be a part of this movie. I think they're really brave to hire an Israeli actor from Israel.”
Adam Sandler: “Half Egyptian.”
Ido Mosseri: “Half Egyptian, quarter Polish, quarter Russian, but 100 percent Jew. Just the best experience I had ever. These guys are just amazing, really like a family. They treat me like one of them and you know they've been so kind to me. You know, the shooting was an amazing experience for me. I've learned a lot from these guys. It's like taking a guy to the NBA but that's how I feel, I'm in the NBA team, and I think the movie is really great. I think it has a great point of view, like a humor point of view, about this conflict, about Arabs and Jews conflict, and I think it talks about it in a really original, authentic point of view. And it laughs at each side with a great, great humor and I'm honored and proud to be a part of it.”
Emmanuelle Chriqui: “I was in Israel 4 years ago. I spent three weeks there. I have family in Israel and I've always had friends who were closely affiliated with Israel doing the birthright trips and all that stuff. There's been scripts along the way that talked about the Arab-Jew thing that I was actually never comfortable to even touch it. There was really bias on one side or the other. This was just so funny. Reading a script you had to put down three times to laugh for 10 minutes is a hard thing to do, and I did that with this and just absolutely wanted to be a part of it. And I think to be able to shed a little bit of light in a really, really bleak situation is what I think we do when people laugh at this movie. That's it. We can co-exist. We were Arabs and Jews together, making this movie and we've really bonded.”
Ido Mosseri: “Yeah, we had a table on set. We called it the peace table. We were sitting together and making jokes. I have to say, in the first place it wasn't so obvious, to sit together Arabs and Jews, but I came to be so much fun. And it ended up with a crazy trip to Vegas, Jews and Arabs together. I don't want to say any more about that.”
Adam, have you ever had any trouble in your real life with your family because you were dating a non-Jew?
Adam Sandler: “No, no. My family…let's see, I've always just had troubles with my family because I'm psychotic. It had nothing to do with that. But no, no, nothing big. When I was kid, yeah, my family, my parents wanted me to marry a Jewish girl because that was what they taught their children, and thought it would be an easier life for me to raise a Jewish kid. And I have a Jewish wife, I have a Jewish kid. They seem pretty happy about it.”
Adam, how into hair are you?
Adam Sandler: “I've never, never been excited about going — I don't have a great hairdo. It's not great hair to touch. People get sickened by it. For years I've been looking for the right stylist, and then I just started shaving it right to the bone and realized that's the only way to make it look half-way decent. I enjoyed learning a lot about hair, how to cut hair and how much of an art form it is and how much work it is. Usually when you sit in a chair to get a haircut, you're like, ‘Just get this done, buddy. Let's move on with our lives.’ Now I look at a guy and go, ‘You've got to do some thinking back there. Good luck to you, sir.’”
Can you talk about the stunts you did and did you have any trouble with them?
Adam Sandler: “No. Whenever it gets dangerous, there were about 15 other Zohans on set. We'd just go, ‘Pick that guy. Use you. Come here for a minute.’ Next thing you know, he'd be jumping off a building and then I would just land and go, ‘De Zohan.’”
Did you do the splits on the poster?
Adam Sandler: “Yes. One time. One time, and then it's over for life.”
Robert Smigel: “That's how he got in show business.”
Rob Schneider: “Adam worked out for 7 months for this role, got in amazing shape, and 10 hours after the movie wrapped he was out of shape. Amazing turnaround.”
