Before Julie Bowen was primarily known for being a part of the all-star cast of Modern Family, she got her big break by playing Virginia in Adam Sandler's Happy Gilmore. For those who need a refresher, the public relations director who ends up becoming the main love interest in the film. Now, as Bowen reunites with Sandler for a sequel for a sequel to the beloved sports comedy, she's opening up about landing the role in the OG film and what set her apart from some of the other gorgeous girls who auditioned.
During a recent interview on the Inside of You podcast, Bowen reflected on her career beginnings, and how starring alongside Sandler in Happy Gilmore was a major career turning point for her. When asked about the auditioning process, she revealed that she ended up seeing some familiar faces she’d been up against before, and became self conscious about her look when she started comparing herself to her competition. Bowen said this about the "super sexy girls" she encountered:
I auditioned, and there was like, all these super sexy girls in the waiting room…. You always run into sort of the same people. You’re like, ‘Oh, there she is.’ And there were girls that were always like — how do they all know how to do their hair and their makeup? They’re wearing like, short skirts. They were all sexy, they had it together. I was wearing jeans, maybe, something very normal.
Julie Bowen herself is notably very gorgeous, so she is clearly selling herself very short when comparing herself to the other young women who were auditioning. Nevertheless, she seemed to be under the impression that the casting directors wanted a bombshell to play Virginia. However, as the fan-favorite actress learned from her audition, that was far from the case. She said:
I think the girl that went in before me was real, real bombshell-y, and I went in after and I was very nervous, because I was like, ‘They’re gonna hire [a] hot girl.’ And [me and the casting director] ended up just chatting and hanging out and I read. They were relieved, they were visibly relieved. I go, ‘What’s going on?’ They say, ‘Some of these girls are just aggressively sexy.’ And I was like, ‘That’s a bad thing? I thought you guys liked that.’
In Hollywood, sex sells, but it’s not always at the forefront. What the casting directors saw that day was probably what audiences have seen as Julie Bowen’s career has grown. She's more than just a pretty face. Bowen is hilarious and smart and, on top of that, she possesses grade-A comedic timing. She also had great chemistry with Adam Sandler, which is hard when his role transcends the ridiculous. Bowen was a star, and, thankfully, the casting directors recognized this.
It's because Julie Bowen is so fantastic in Happy Gilmore that she was, of course, asked back for the sequel (and she didn't even if she think she’d return). The upcoming 2025 film follows Adam Sandler’s Happy as he returns to golf after his retirement in order to pay for his daughter’s ballet school. Based on the trailers for Happy Gilmore 2, Bowen is as stunning and hilarious as ever, and I can’t wait to watch her return to the role. I'm looking forward to seeing Bowen share the screen with Sandler again, and kudos to the producers for spotting her talent all those years ago.
Check out Julie Bowen in Happy Gilmore 2 when the film becomes available with a Netflix subscription on July 25th. In the meantime, fans can revisit the beloved original Happy Gilmore film on the platform as well, in anticipation for the long awaited sequel.
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