George Clooney Thinks You’ve Been Underestimating Adam Sandler

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Adam Sandler is known as one of Hollywood's great comedic actors, with cult classic movies like Happy Gilmore, Billy Madison, Grown Ups, and a bunch of Netflix movies that make for a good laugh. Over the years, there have only been a handful of movies where Sandler puts aside his comedic persona for a more in-depth storytelling, like Uncut Gems. But George Clooney has nothing but praise for Sandler, believing audiences are underestimating him and not seeing his real capabilities as a serious and heartfelt actor outside of the comedy genre.

In an interview with Variety, Clooney talks about his upcoming Netflix movie later this year titled Jay Kelly. Directed by Noah Baumbach and Emily Mortimer, the movie stars Clooney as a world-famous movie star in his 60s who gets a wake-up call when traveling to an Italian film festival to receive an award. Sandler stars alongside Clooney as his on-screen publicist.

Having more than a few one-on-one scenes with Sandler in Jay Kelly, Clooney praises him by saying, "This film, more than any film Adam has done, shows what a beautiful, heartfelt, soulful actor he is."

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"I kept telling the cast, ‘Don’t call him Sand Man. Don’t talk to him like he’s just some goofy comedian. He’s actually a really beautiful, wonderful actor'," he said. "Because of what his paycheck is, which is doing big goofy comedies, when he does these other, beautiful, Uncut Gems kinds of movies, it reminds people of that. He’s not just a good comedian."

With such a big filmography in the comedy genre, Uncut Gems blew audiences away with Sandler's ability to take on more serious characters. Sandler stars as a charismatic jeweler who places a risky bet that could either solve his problems or destroy everything. His performance is intense, chaotic, and layered, making Uncut Gems one of his most well-received non-comedy movies of his career. Sandler may have built a career on laughs and feel-good movies, but Jay Kelly may be the next movie that puts him in a more serious spotlight.

Jay Kelly releases on Netflix on December 5, 2025.

George Clooney Thinks You’ve Been Underestimating Adam Sandler first appeared on Men's Journal on Aug 4, 2025