Adam Sandler Calls The Airheads Shoot One Of The Best Of His Life

Adam Sandler has been making viewers cry, cringe, and crack up in film and television roles for well over three decades now. Over that span, he has, of course, seen his share of career ups and downs. While he's arguably no longer the box office king he was during his '90s and '00s heyday, Sandler is currently riding a major creative peak with lauded dramatic turns in 2019's indie hit "Uncut Gems," and Netflix's 2022 sports drama "Hustle."

If you've seen Sandler at red carpet premieres, on talk shows, or attending awards circuit events, you know the actor and comedian is more than enjoying his time in the spotlight these days. So too is Sandler's one-time co-star, Brendan Fraser, who's enjoying one of the more welcome career resurgences in Hollywood history thanks in large part to his bravura turn in Darren Aronofsky's new drama "The Whale." To the delight of their fans, the duo — who starred together in the beloved 1994 comedy "Airheads" — recently sat down to catch up, and did so with a camera crew from Variety on hand.

That conversation was as lively as you might expect. When the duo got to chatting about "Airheads," Sandler even admitted working on the film was one the best experiences of his life.

If you've never seen "Airheads," the film pits Brendan Fraser, Adam Sandler, and Steve Buscemi as members of a struggling rock band called The Lone Rangers. So desperate is the group to get their foot in the door of the music industry that they end up hijacking a radio station and demanding their demo be played on the air. What ensues is a suitably silly — and surprisingly resonant — little film, with wit and spirit to burn.

In the Variety interview, Sandler and his old "Airheads" scene partner spent much of it reminiscing about the film. "Brendan, you were in a movie called 'Airheads,'" Sandler said, adding, "Remember when I discovered you? You were just a kid. I stole you from Pauly [Shore] and said, 'Get over here.'" Sandler then clearly surprised Fraser by admitting he went to great lengths to ensure Fraser was cast in the "Airheads" lead, even claiming he pressured director Michael Lehman to make it happen. That casting paid off, with Sandler noting, "That was one of the best shoots of my life, without a doubt ... We'd have our snacks, get into our clothes, do our scenes. And, man, the best party of all time." 

Listening to Sandler, Fraser added, "We jumped off the parking structure. We crowd surfed." Fraser then remembered how excited everyone was they were shooting on the sound stages where "Die Hard" was filmed. "Airheads" wasn't a huge hit at the box office (via Box Office Mojo), but it remains a cult favorite from the era. And it clearly still means a lot to its stars.