It’s no secret that Timothée Chalamet has had one of the best Hollywood careers in recent history. From multiple Academy Award nominations (with more likely on the way, with his triumphant Marty Supreme performance) to working with some of the greatest filmmakers of all time, the unabashedly confident actor has done it all. You would think he would have no qualms about life. Well, just don’t bring up a certain iconic Adam Sandler movie from the ‘90s.
When appearing together for a Vanity Fair panel in late 2025, breaking down some of each other’s best movies, the two 2025 Golden Globe nominees opened up the films and their legacies. A few minutes into the chat, the topic turned to the 1999 comedy Big Daddy, and Chalamet proclaimed that he should have gotten the role of Julian "Frankenstein" McGrath over twins Dylan and Cole Sprouse, saying:
Amazing movie. And I'm happy for Dylan and Cole, but I feel like that should have been me, 'cause I would've been the same age.
Chalamet, who just celebrated his 30th birthday in style (along with all kinds of buzz surrounding Marty Supreme and its marketing campaign), is a few years younger than the twins who made audiences cry with their “But I wipe my own ass’ line in the film’s emotional courtroom scene. Though he would get his start in the business a few years later, you have to wonder what it would have been like if the Dune star had been spotted earlier.
As the conversation went on, Sandler pressed Chalamet on the “it should have been me” admission and asked if he went out for the role, which led to a funny interaction between the two:
- Adam Sandler: Did you come in and audition for that?
- Timothee Chalamet: [After some hesitation] No.
Chalamet didn’t get the Big Daddy part that led to the Sprouse twins appearing on Friends before getting their own series, The Suite Life of Zack & Cody. However, he would eventually make his feature film debut in 2014’s Men, Women & Children, a movie that featured Sandler in one of the main roles. It’s not a full-on comedy or anxiety-inducing drama from Josh Safdie, but you have to start somewhere.
As their chat about Big Daddy progressed, Chalamet found himself in the middle of the impactful Saturday Night Live alum flirting with his wife, Jackie Sandler, who appeared in a small yet memorable scene during a Monday Night Football game. In addition to gushing about his wife and the early days of their relationship, Sandler also attempted to clear up an internet rumor:
We had a low, low budget and we made some good old cash on that one. It was a good time, man. Immediately spent it all, but that’s okay. But, honestly, it was one of the best times ever. … Jackie was my waitress in that movie. It says on the internet that we met on that movie, but that ain’t true. We met at a party and fell in love. That was fun. But then she was in Big Daddy, and we had fun flirting. Take it easy, Timmy, I’m flirting with my wife right now. … I didn’t know if it was going to do good or bad, but I had the best time making it.
It’s clear that Sandler had a great time making Big Daddy, even if his younger fellow Golden Globe nominee missed a shot he didn’t take.
Who knows, maybe Chalamet and Sandler will get to work together again in the future. Personally, I’d love for an intense thriller starring these two electric stars, but an old-fashioned comedy with these two playing a father-son duo or a pair of brothers obsessed with wrestling and basketball could be something.
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