Drew Barrymore And Adam Sandler Have A Deep Friendship
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Drew Barrymore and Adam Sandler have (so far!) fallen in love on-screen three different times — first it was as a wedding singer and a waitress in New Jersey in "The Wedding Singer" in 1998, then it was as a marine veterinarian and a woman with short-term memory loss in Hawaii in "50 First Dates" in 2004, and finally as two single parents on an African safari in "Blended" in 2014. Their relationship off-screen may not mirror the romantic relationships that they've had in their hit movies, but it is certainly still a sweet story of friendship and support.
Barrymore wrote in her memoir "Wildflower" about the first time she met Sandler when she was in her early 20s. She had a gut feeling about him and them working together: "I though Adam had a goodness that was so unique. I could tell that he possessed something different, and I was so drawn to his light." She came out and asked him if they could work together, and to keep her in mind for anything he was writing. Barrymore also noted how much she wanted to prioritize working with Sandler as compared to being "seen as another party girl to him." Clearly, it worked. It may have taken months after that first meeting, but they came together to make "The Wedding Singer." It was on set that Barrymore said their friendship really blossomed, and they have stayed pals ever since.
Drew Barrymore and Adam Sandler helped each other's careers
In a VH1 clip of Drew Barrymore and Adam Sandler promoting "The Wedding Singer" back in the 1990s, they genuinely seem to be having a good time enjoying each other's company, and at the end, they toasted their friendship. Decades later, Barrymore was stopped in her tracks and moved to tears as she watched their first movie together. Barrymore posted her reaction to Instagram, saying: "We made such a good movie. I love you so much." Sandler commented, writing: "Love u always Drew. Happy New Year." Too sweet!
In addition to starting a lifelong friendship, starring together in "The Wedding Singer" helped both of their careers in different ways. Barrymore has credited Sandler and "The Wedding Singer" with helping to revive her career — he'd just done movies like "Happy Gilmore" and "Billy Madison" while she was having more downs than ups during her transformation from child star to grown-up actor.
"The Wedding Singer" was Sandler's first ever romantic comedy, and on "The Howard Stern Show" in 2015, Sandler revealed that, "Drew liking me made it seem like girls were allowed to like me in movies." Sandler would go on to star as the romantic lead in more films, including "Punch Drunk Love," where his love interest is Emily Watson, and "Murder Mystery," where Sandler's love interest is Jennifer Aniston, apparently all thanks to Barrymore.
Drew Barrymore and Adam Sandler have a lot of love for each other
Even though they haven't starred in anything recently, Drew Barrymore and Adam Sandler's friendship is going strong. Barrymore presented Sandler with the award for best actor for his role in "Uncut Gems" at the 2020 National Board of Review Annual Awards Gala, saying: "You deserve the best, you give the best and you are the best. I love you very much." Then as Sandler got on stage, he thanked Barrymore for her kind words and said: "I'm glad we met ... and we always make our movies together and I love you, buddy. And I love your kids and I love everything about you," Sandler said.
Barrymore was there for another big award for Sandler — she and Jennifer Aniston spoke at the 2023 ceremony for Sandler's Mark Twain Prize for American Humor at The Kennedy Center. Barrymore and Aniston joked on stage about which of them was closest to him.
All in all, their relationship seems to be summed up by their 2014 appearance on "The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon," when Sandler sang "I wanna grow old with you" to Drew (as fans know, that's a nod to "The Wedding Singer"). We do hope that the two can grow old with each other and maintain their close friendship in the years to come.