Inglourious Basterdsthe acclaimed uchronic war movie by Quentin Tarantino released in theaters in 2009, it also stars the director / actor Eli Roth as sergeant Donnie Donowitzalso known as the Bear Jew.
Guest, together with Judd Apatowof the podcast of Bill Maher Club Random, Quentin Tarantino revealed that he had written the part of theBear Jew having in mind Adam Sandler as an interpreter and of not being able to make it concrete because the comedian, in the meantime, was already busy with Judd Apatow in the processing of Funny People.
The story begins with Pulp Fiction’s dad explaining:
Judd and I met through Adam Sandler around the time I was on Little Nicky. I dated that group for a while. We went to some event together. Then there was Freaks and Geeks which just aired or was about to air and I missed it, but there was the whole Happy Madison crew who loved it.
Judd Apatow then interjects:
I feel bad because when I was working on Funny People with Adam Sandler, I wasn’t aware that it was the same window of time that you were trying to use him in Inglourious Basterds.
Then Tarantino again:
But clearly he would necessarily have had to make your film exactly as it was conceived. I mean, the movie starts with that fucking videotape of you as kids! But yes, it’s true, when I wrote the Jew Bear I did it with him in mind. When we were working on Little Nicky he would tell me “Shit, can I really beat up some Nazis with a baseball bat? What a great script, really fucking great! I can’t wait”. He told every one of his Jewish friends “I’m going to play this guy who beats up Nazis with a fucking baseball bat”.
Unfortunately, however, the casting could not materialize precisely because, in the meantime, Adam Sandler was busy with Judd Apatow in Funny People and so the part of the Jewish Bear went to Eli Roth, also a Jew like Adam Sandler.
The problem is, Judd Apatow had already cast All the Good Jews on Funny People! It was a problem. Seth Rogen and all the other smart Jews were making Funny People. I had to kill Hitler with a baseball bat and I had no Jews available! David Krumholtz… nobody! He had hired them all! While I was about to shoot the Jewish male fantasy!
Below you can see Quentin Tarantino’s cameo in Little Nicky and the opening scene of Funny People.
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SOURCE: Apple Podcast
