Adam Sandler loves casting his family in all of his movies — and his latest project, Jay Kelly, is no exception.
Sandler’s eldest daughter, 19-year-old Sadie, popped up in the Noah Baumbach-directed dramedy that hit Netflix on Friday, December 5. The film follows titular character Jay (George Clooney), an aging movie star who travels through Europe with his manager, Ron (Sandler), to confront his life choices and the sacrifices he’s made for his career.
“She’s so good in it and I love her,” Sandler told E! News earlier this month of Sadie, who plays his onscreen daughter, Vivienne, in the film. “Proud of her, she worked hard and never stopped preparing.”
Sandler’s character is married to Greta Gerwig in Jay Kelly and the pair share Vivienne and a younger son. In real life, the comedian tied the knot with wife Jackie in 2003 and have since welcomed Sadie and Sunny, 17. The girls — and Jackie — have appeared in most of Sandler’s films, from Happy Gilmore 2 and You Are So Not Invited to My Bar Mitzvah to the Grown Ups franchise.
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“I just like being around them, whether it’s on set or at home when we’re clicking. It’s the best,” Sandler continued of working with his family. “It’s just been fun the last few weeks we’ve been running around together. They’re doing some stuff, and Sadie’s in Jay Kelly. She plays my daughter. They’re both really good kids.”
Warning: Spoilers ahead. Keep scrolling to learn more about Sadie’s role in Jay Kelly:
What Is the Plot of ‘Jay Kelly’ and How Does It End?
Jay Kelly follows titular character Jay, an A-list movie star aging past his prime, as he travels to Europe to confront the sacrifices he’s made in his personal life over the years in order to have career success. He’s particularly invested in making peace with his daughters, Daisy (Grace Edwards), who is headed to college, and Jessica (Riley Keough), who holds resentment for him being absent when she was a child.
Along for the ride is Adam Sandler’s character, Ron, Jay’s manager, who is constantly balancing keeping his friend happy while being present for his wife and two children. Together, he and Jay reckon with the reality of what their busy lives have cost them.
The final moment of the film sees Jay crying at a montage of his own work. As the audience is impressed and excited by what’s on screen, he imagines a memory with his daughters and wishes he had stayed when they asked him to stick around and watch them play instead of walking out the door for a work obligation. Jay then looks down the barrel of the camera, breaking the fourth wall and asks, “Can I have another?” a reference to his first line of the movie in which he asked for another take.
Who Does Adam Sandler’s Daughter Sadie Play in ‘Jay Kelly’?
Sadie Sandler takes on the role of dad Adam Sandler’s character Ron’s on screen daughter, Vivienne, in the Netflix dramedy, a teen who is desperate for her dad to stick around and stay present amid his busy schedule tending to Jay. Adam starts the film off by giving Vivienne a pep talk on the phone as Jay finishes shooting his film.
She’s later with the family during a funeral scene, and pops up again as she and Ron team up for a doubles tennis tournament at their country club. While Ron tries to show her support — and even asks the other team if they can cheat and give her another serve when she messes up, much to her annoyance — he ends up having to bail on her early to go take care of Jay.
She appears in small moments throughout the rest of the movie, continuously let down that her father often prioritizes his friend over his family, although it’s clear Ron is trying his best.
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What Other Adam Sandler Movies Has Sadie Appeared in?
Sadie Sandler has appeared in her dad’s movies for years, even making a cameo in Grown Ups when she was just a toddler and later Grown Ups 2. She went on to lend her voice for 2012’s Hotel Transylvania, costarred with Adam Sandler and sister Sunny in Netflix’s You Are So Not Invited to My Bar Mitzvah in 2023 and played one of her dad’s confidants at Alcoholics Anonymous in this year’s Happy Gilmore 2. She’s also popped up in Jack and Jill, Pixels and Hubie Halloween.
