A host of comedy and entertainment kings gathered at the Kennedy Center in Washington on Sunday night as Adam Sandler accepted the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor
From
ASHRAF KHALIL Associated Press
Mar 19, 2023 10:33 am ET
• 3 minutes reading time
WASHINGTON — Adam Sandler placed his hand on the bronze bust of Mark Twain and speculated that it “might one day be the weapon used to kill me in my sleep.”
A host of comedy and entertainment kings gathered at the Kennedy Center in Washington as Sandler was presented with the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor.
Hosts such as Drew Barrymore, Conan O’Brien, Chris Rock, Jennifer Aniston, Steve Buscemi, Dana Carvey, and Luis Guzmán gave testimony to Sandler’s creative longevity while occasionally commenting on his uneven screen performance and tendency to include all of his friends in his cast throw, made fun of movies.
Sandler’s longtime writing and producing partner Tim Herlihy joked that the pair were responsible for “31 films with an overall Rotten Tomatoes score of 59.”
Best known for dramatic and often violent roles, Buscemi has portrayed a number of comedic characters in Sandler films.
“He takes his comedy very seriously. I laugh hard at everything I do with him,” he said.
Buscemi also highlighted Sandler’s musical comedy, including The Chanukah Song, which became a multiplatinum hit. “His comedy songs alone deserve that reward,” he said.
Judd Apatow, Sandler’s roommate during her early days in Los Angeles, recalled a young Sandler’s boundless confidence and evident talent.
“The moment you met him, you knew Adam was going to be a big star,” Apatow said. “And Adam too.”
To highlight Sandler’s seemingly limitless comedic energy, Apatow played an old video he recorded of a young Sandler making a prank call at a local deli in his spare time to try out different comedic voices.
At the end of the night, Sandler credited his parents and siblings for arming him with “that weird irrational confidence that I think I still have.”
Sandler, 56, first came to national attention as a cast member on “Saturday Night Live.” After being fired from the cast after five years on the job, Sandler launched a highly successful film career that has spanned more than 30 films and grossed over $3 billion worldwide.
Sandler’s top hits include “Happy Gilmore”, “The Wedding Singer” and “You Don’t Mess with the Zohan”. Although best known for slapstick comedy and oversized man-and-child characters, he has excelled in several dramatic roles in films such as Punch Drunk Love and Uncut Gems.
Guzman, who starred in Punch Drunk Love, admitted he originally thought Sandler would be “overwhelmed” in a dramatic role being written by auteur-director Paul Thomas Anderson. But he was impressed, praising Sandler’s “total dedication to something that has been in its element.”
Other comedians to have received the Lifetime Achievement Award include inaugural honoree Richard Pryor in 1998, Whoopi Goldberg, Bob Newhart, Carol Burnett and Dave Chapelle. Bill Cosby, the 2009 awardee, saw his 2019 Mark Twain award canceled due to multiple sexual assault allegations.
Comedy institution SNL has provided more than its share of the 24 Mark Twain award winners. Sandler is the seventh cast member to receive the award, joining Bill Murray, Tina Fey, Will Farrell, Billy Crystal, Eddie Murphy and Julia Louise-Dreyfus. The show’s creator and producer, Lorne Michaels, won in 2004.
The ceremony will be televised nationally on March 26 on CNN.