Julie Bowen expressed her astonishment when she was invited to reprise her role in “Happy Gilmore 2” for Netflix. During a recent appearance on the “Inside of You” podcast, Bowen revealed that she had expected to be replaced as the love interest of Adam Sandler’s character, Happy Gilmore, by a younger actress for the eagerly awaited sequel.
“I didn’t think they’d bring me back at all,” Bowen stated. “I mean, who am I supposed to be? He’s got to have a younger woman in this one, ‘Happy Gilmore 2.'”
In the original 1996 film, Bowen portrayed Virginia Venit, a public relations representative for the professional golf tour that Happy joins. As his guide in navigating public life, their relationship blossoms into love. In the upcoming Netflix sequel, she will reprise her role alongside original cast members Sandler, Ben Stiller, and Christopher McDonald.
Bowen also shared that she lacked confidence about being cast in the first film. At that time, she assumed that producers would opt for a more stereotypical choice. “I read and they were relieved,” she recalled. “They were visibly relieved. I go, ‘What’s going on?’ They’re like, ‘Yeah, some of these girls are just so aggressively sexy.’ And I was like, ‘That’s a bad thing?'”
Newcomers to the “Happy Gilmore” franchise include Margaret Qualley, Eric André, Sunny Sandler, Benny Safdie, Bad Bunny, Eminem, and Travis Kelce. Although Bowen has yet to see the final cut of the sequel, she noted that her screentime will be less than in the original. Nevertheless, she mentioned that Sandler has encouraged her not to underestimate her significance in the film.
“Adam’s like, ‘Stop saying that. You’re the heart of the movie,'” she said.
“Happy Gilmore 2” is set to debut on Netflix on July 25.
