Quentin Tarantino has revealed the movie role he wrote with comedian Adam Sandler in mind.
Tarantino and filmmaker Judd Apatow recently spoke to Bill Maher for his “Club Random” podcast, with Tarantino talking about his hopes to have Sandler play Sergeant Donny “The Bear Jew” Donowitz in his 2009 movie “Inglourious Basterds,” Variety reported.
Tarantino said he wrote the role for Sandler, but filming was set for the same time as Apatow’s “Funny People.”
Apatow had secured Sandler for his film a year and a half beforehand, Variety reported.
This, Tarantino said, became an issue.
“Here’s the problem. [Apatow] wrapped up all the good Jews [for ‘Funny People’]. That was the problem,” Tarantino said.
He continued: “Seth Rogen and all the good Jews were doing ‘Funny People.’ I’m killing Hitler with baseball bats and there’s no good Jews available, David Krumholtz, nobody. All the good Jews were all wrapped up, I’m doing the Jewish male fantasy.”
Tarantino said Sandler had revealed interest in the role for “Inglourious Basterds” — a project he has said he began working on in 1998 — while Tarantino was filming a cameo in Sandler’s 2000 movie “Little Nicky.”
“When I was doing ‘Little Nicky,’ he’s telling me like, ‘Oh man, I get to fucking beat up Nazis with a bat? Fucking script. Fucking awesome. I can’t fucking wait! I can’t fucking wait,’” Tarantino said.
“He was like telling every Jewish guy, ‘I’m going to fucking play this guy who beats up Nazis with a fucking bat,’” he continued.
That was around the time the “Pulp Fiction” director met Apatow.
Apatow said he wasn’t aware that Tarantino was trying to pull the former “Saturday Night Live” cast member into doing “Inglourious Basterds” while he was filming “Funny People.”
Variety reported that the full episode of Maher’s podcast with Apatow and Tarantino is set to be released Sunday.
