In a movie like The Safdie Brothers’ Uncut Gems, the intensity looks so heated that you’d swear actors like Adam Sandler were actually in danger when you see them on the screen. Well, in one particular incident involving Sandler’s misadventures as his latest character, Howard, there was an instance where the pain was all too real. The end result was Adam Sandler getting choked out on the set of Uncut Gems.
Promoting the film during a late night show appearance, Adam Sandler explained what led to his unfortunate, but still kind of funny, incident:
These guys who were beating me up were really good guys but they didn’t ever do a movie before. So there was a stunt coordinator who would say like 'You know, you don’t have to really choke at him.'
Of course, if this story was as simple as telling the performers that they didn’t have to choke Adam Sandler, we wouldn’t still be talking about this particular incident. And sure enough, Sandler found his Uncut Gems co-stars roughing him up to an extent that he wasn’t totally comfortable with. As it turns out, while those orders to go easy on the man who helped bring Billy Madison into the world were heard, they weren’t exactly followed through.
The final twist in this particular story, told by Adam Sandler on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, is that when the actors choking Sandler out in the scene were signaled to scale it back, they couldn’t hear those orders. Fully into their work, it was up to Sandler to let everyone know what was going on, which backfired because of this particular misunderstanding:
I was like trying to tap out. I'm punching the roof and they're like 'Adam's in character' and I was like 'No, I really am getting choked right now.'
While we all know that Adam Sandler is okay, as the man himself can attest to just by being out and about promoting Uncut Gems, it’s still kind of crazy how close the man came to legitimately getting hurt. But then again, with a performance as method as almost getting choked out, one could assume that having such a brush with harm could boost the film’s chances for box office, and even awards success.
The buzz surrounding Uncut Gems has been insanely good, with Adam Sandler’s portrayal of a jewelry dealer going through one of the worst days of his life being highly praised. The film’s debut at various fall festivals has only helped to cultivate the image that this film could be a contender on quite a few fronts, which means that Sandler almost getting choked into unconsciousness could lead to quite the victory.
Of course, with Adam Sandler’s mind on getting the job done over pushing for trophies, just the fact that people are talking must excite him. That, and still being able to draw breath, of course. We’ll see how much of that intense moment is shown to audiences when Uncut Gems rolls into theaters on December 13th. And if you’re looking for other excitement at the movies, you can take a look at the 2019 release schedule to see what else is headed your way towards the end of the year.
