Adam Sandler dispels ‘nepo kid’ criticism over casting his children in upcoming film

When questioned about the 'nepo kid' controversy, Sandler acknowledged that he does cast friends and family members but only if he recognizes their potential.

Los Angeles: Actor-comedian Adam Sandler’s daughter got a lot of notoriety for her series ‘You are so not invited to my Bat Mitzvah’, (also called YASNITMBM) despite the show’s high positive ratings due to audiences calling her role “a nepo kid’s privilege.”

In response to this, Adam Sandler has defended casting his daughters in starring roles alongside himself. Asked about the ‘nepo kid’ controversy, Sandler had admitted that while he cast his friends and family members, he doesn’t do it if he doesn’t see any potential in them.

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Adding to his rebuttal of the argument, the series producer-director Sammi Cohen also chimed in and said, “Sandler has a reputation for making movies with his friends, and that’s something we all want to do. What I say is, he’s still making movies with his friends, but they’re his kids.”

“He is the kind of dad who’s also your best friend. When it comes to the sort of chatter we’re hearing online, I don’t really think twice about it because I’m going like, ‘Yeah, he’s doing the same thing he’s always done’,” Cohen further mentioned as per The Hollywood Reporter.

“Sandler was looking for a young Jewish director who could relate to the story of the kids, the culture and how everything needed to be told through a modern lens. I had just come off of my first feature, ‘Crush’, which is a high school coming-of-age rom-com,” she continued.

“He saw that, and my earliest talks with him, we talked a lot about movies and creatively aligned so much, and we also talked about being Jewish and how we listened to kids. The Sandlers in general made me just feel like a part of the family. It’s when you meet someone and you go, “Oh, we’re going to be friends for life,” she added.

Describing her working relationship with the ‘Mean Machine’ star, she said “I’ve learned a ton from Adam — more than I could ever put into words — but the biggest thing is, success is not just making movies. Success is making movies with people you love, and it’s a really different experience, and it really just lends itself to the making of better movies.”

Adapting Fiona Rosenbloom’s 2005 novel of the same name and focusing on Stacy and best friend Lydia (Samantha Lorraine) — whose bat mitzvah plans fall apart over their mutual interest in a popular boy — the movie also includes Adam Sandler’s real-life wife Jackie Sandler as Lydia’s mom, in addition to Idina Menzel as mother to Stacy and Ronnie.