Adam Sandler talks “emotional” Farley tribute with Paul Thomas Anderson

Last Updated on July 30, 2021

Adam Sandler made a welcome return to standup last year with his comedy special 100% FRESH, which featured new songs, bits and ended with an emotional wallop of a tribute to his friend and former SNL castmate, Chris Farley. The song was the perfect finale to the special and left not a dry eye in the house, having the same effect when he performed it again on SNL recently. Sandler got a chance to open up about the emotional impact of the song, and he did so during a Q&A moderated by none other than his PUNCH DRUNK LOVE director, Paul Thomas Anderson.

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Anderson hosted the 30-minute Q&A as part of a For Your Consideration event (via IndieWire) as the special tries to land an Emmy nomination or two this year. The director wanted to know more about the song, saying, “I’ve heard that Farley song 50 times, and it still makes me tear up.” Sandler agreed, saying performing it was particularly emotional on the SNL stage.

“Certain parts catch me off guard, singing it. […] I did it in his hometown, too, in Milwaukee, so a lot of people knew him growing up were there, so that was emotional. Then when I sang it on ‘Saturday Night Live,’ that was amazingly emotional because I just remember hanging out with him there so much, and how he kind of dominated my life there. I loved him so much, and every cameraman, everyone in the studio loved him so much, so when I sang it there, it was extra heartbreaking. I tried not to cry.”

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Sandler continued, saying he “wanted to make sure I did it right and did him justice,” and before he included the song on the special he got approval from Farley’s mother, Mary Anne Farley. “Mrs. Farley was really happy and said, ‘I love that. I love when anybody talks about Chris, but you really knew him, and that would be very special for my family,’” he said.

While some bits on stage work well in one place and not so much in others, Sandler said the Farley song had the same impact everywhere he performed it, which he thinks speaks to the effect his friend had on people.

“I swear to God, PTA, when I would sing that song, every place I would play would react the same way. They would cheer every time I said the guy’s name. They would go so crazy for him. You just felt the impact of what Farley had on everybody; what he meant to everyone who grew up watching him and his movies. That song was very important to try to do as good as I could do.”

Sandler's song is undoubtedly heartwarming and was the perfect tribute to a talent who left us far too soon. If the aim was to do the man justice then Sandler did a helluva job, and if any younger viewers out there who saw him perform it who may not know who Farley was, maybe now they have taken time to discover his magic.