Actor Adam Sandler nearly died while filming Uncut Gems
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Adam Sandler's character Howard Ratner had to be repeatedly beaten up by bodyguards, who unwittingly got overly aggressive.
PHOTO: NETFLIX
Aditi Bharade
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Adam Sandler was lauded for his performance in the 2019 crime movie Uncut Gems, but he nearly died shooting it.
According to an interview with the actor and the film's directors, brothers Josh and Benny Safdie, by American magazine Entertainment Weekly on Monday (May 25), Sandler, 53 was almost choked to death by two actors who played bodyguards.
His character Howard Ratner, a jeweller and gambling addict, had to be repeatedly beaten up by the bodyguards. But when the cameras rolled, the actors unwittingly got overly aggressive and almost choked Sandler to death.
Josh Safdie, 36, said: "Sandler's so in it, he's so into the character that it started to actually get a little scary one or two times because he's getting choked at one point in the scene and there were all these cues."
His 34-year-old brother added: "There was one take when Sandler was getting choked and he was trying to tap out, but the actor thought he was just being Howard so he choked harder, and Adam couldn't breathe."
The directors identified the actors who played the bodyguards as Keith William Richards and Tommy Kominik. It was the duo's first movie but they were "very professional", the directors said.
Despite the near mishap, Sandler said he loved working on the film and with the Safdie brothers.
"I love these guys, I love 'em. I mean, they're incredible filmmakers. I love having these new friends, we talk all the time, and I think they're just great, great people," he said, adding cheekily that he would "die to work with them again".
