Adam Sandler Totally 'Waved' Down Hailee Steinfeld By The Red Carpet, And I'm Loving How She Fangirled Out

Frome left to right: Hailee Steinfeld in Sinners and Adam Sandler in Happy Gilmore 2.
(Image credit: Warner Bros and Netflix)

Yes, even famous people fangirl, and for Hailee Steinfeld, that seemed to happen when she met Adam Sandler. After the 2026 Golden Globe winners were announced, the Sinners star posted some BTS stories from the event. This included a run-in she had with the Happy Gilmore actor, and the incredibly excited reaction she had when he waved her over.

In a section of her Beau Society post titled “The best run-ins and catch-ups,” Steinfeld recalled her interactions with A-listers like Jennifer Lawrence, Ethan Hawke and Ayo Edebiri. The other actor she mentioned was Adam Sandler, and her adoration for him was on full display, as she wrote:

For context, Adam Sandler is a permanent fixture in our house. We always have one of his movies on (the other night it was Just Go With It). He even inspired our Halloween costumes a few years ago. So when Adam Sandler waved me down by the entrance to the Globes, and said, ‘Hey, buddy! I loved Sinners! You’re doing amazing. And congrats to Josh!’ I could not wait to tell my husband.

The Halloween costume she’s referring to involved her and Josh Allen dressing as Bobby Bouche and Vicki Vallencourt from The Waterboy, which is iconic. And between that and the reference to one of Sandler’s best rom-coms, Just Go With It, it’s pretty obvious that Steinfeld and Allen are massive fans of The Sandman.

However, it sounds like he’s a huge fan of them, too. That’s because, in the newsletter, it became clear that the SNL alum likely agreed with the 5-star reviews of Sinners, as he was the one who waved Steinfeld over to chat in the first place.

Well, it was just a compliment fest all around, it seems, and I love that for them. Not only did Sandler compliment Sinners, but he also complimented Steinfeld’s husband and the Buffalo Bills quarterback, Josh Allen (who had a game that day). What a gem.

Now, all this has got me wondering how Hailee Steinfeld and Adam Sandler could collaborate. Clearly, she has a very good understanding of his filmography, and based on her above comment, she seems like she’d be very down to act alongside him. Who knows, maybe if there’s ever a Happy Gilmore 3, they could even get Josh Allen in on it, considering his fellow NFL star, Travis Kelce, made a cameo in Happy Gilmore 2 (which you can stream with a Netflix subscription).

HBO Max: Plans start from $10.99 a month

HBO Max: Plans start from $10.99 a month
Sinners is available to stream on HBO Max alongside many other prestigious movies and TV shows. Plans start at 10.99 per month.

I know that’s wishful thinking, however, I don’t think it’s far-fetched to hope that Steinfeld and Sandler collaborate someday. They clearly are fans of each other, and this interaction proves how excited they both were to meet at the Golden Globes. Now, I hope they can make something happen.

However, in the meantime, you can check out the movie that Adam Sandler loves and Hailee Steinfeld was at the Golden Globes for, Sinners, with an HBO Max subscription. It’s doing well this awards season, so I expect we’ll get more fun red carpet stories like this one if the actress continues to show up to celebrate Ryan Coogler’s acclaimed film.

Riley Utley
Weekend Editor

Riley Utley is the Weekend Editor at CinemaBlend. She has written for national publications as well as daily and alt-weekly newspapers in Spokane, Washington, Syracuse, New York and Charleston, South Carolina. She graduated with her master’s degree in arts journalism and communications from the Newhouse School at Syracuse University. Since joining the CB team she has covered numerous TV shows and movies -- including her personal favorite shows Ted Lasso and The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel. She also has followed and consistently written about everything from Taylor Swift to Fire Country, and she's enjoyed every second of it.

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