In an interview with AARP before he got the Movies for Grownups Career Achievement Award in January 2026, Adam Sandler said that he is surprised by how long he has been in Hollywood. The Emmy-nominated actor, who is best known for SNL and hits like Happy Gilmore, stressed the importance of “marching forward” without expecting to last that long. He made a joke about seeing old movies on TV, saying, “Oh man, I used to be pretty damn skinny!”
Sandler doesn’t like it when people talk too much about themselves during press events. He says it makes him “go bananas” and makes him “run to the hills.” He says that some of the roles he played in the past were “over the top” or “misguided,” but he still stands by his choices. His loyal team has been with him since the 1990s and shares the highs and lows of the journey.
- Recent work: a podcast from 2022 about how acting is changing; in July, the focus was on hard work and keeping the audience in mind for comedy success.
- Coming up: Jay Kelly with George Clooney, directed by Noah Baumbach. Adam Sandler talks to AARP about his career and success in Hollywood, the AARP Movies for Grownups Award 2026, and more.
