Kym Whitley happily joins the Adam Sandler universe with ‘Happy Gilmore 2’

There’s the vaunted Marvel Cinematic Universe. There’s the Star Wars Universe. And then there’s the Adam Sandler Universe. It doesn’t involve as many capes or existential threats, but Sandler expects actors who join him to bring the funny and bring it hard. And “Happy Gilmore 2,” the sequel to his beloved 1996 film, is a comical cornucopia of original cast members, cameos and big-name stars. It’s now streaming on Netflix.

Veteran actress and stand-up comic Kym Whitley (“Next Friday,” “Along Came Polly”) got to join in on the fun and visited Atlanta recently to promote the movie for Netflix. Whitley has been in the comedy world for more than 30 years. In this film, she plays Bessie, part of Happy’s alcohol recovery group led by the sadistic Hal (Ben Stiller), who was a nutty orderly in the first movie. “I sometimes found myself watching the scene instead of being in the scene,” Whitley said in an interview with The Atlanta Journal-Constitution at the Waldorf Astoria in Buckhead. “Ben is crazy. Adam is crazy. It’s hard to keep a straight face. Sometimes I kept my head down and held it.”

At the same time, she added, “my goal was to make Adam laugh in a scene. But he’s a tough one to break. He’s able to stay in character.” The set itself was relaxed because Sandler ensured everyone felt included, she said. “You could always go up to director (Kyle Newacheck) or Adam and say, ‘I thought of something. What if we do this?’” Whitley said. “They make it a fun job. You never feel restrictive as a creative.”

“Happy Gilmore 2” in a pre-streaming world would have landed in movie theaters, but Sandler has forged a strong partnership with Netflix for more than a decade, releasing about a dozen movies on the platform. In this case, Netflix gave him a generous budget to ensure the sequel was packed with visual oomph and ridiculous star power. Two key players, of course, are back from the first film: Julie Bowen as Happy’s loving wife and Christopher McDonald as Happy’s bitter rival Shooter McGavin.

According to Netflix, 30 past and current pro golfers appear as themselves, led by John Daly, who is living with Happy and gets plenty of airtime. Others include Scottie Scheffler, Jordan Spieth, Rory McIlroy, Bubba Watson and Jack Nicklaus.

“Jack Nicklaus is still around?” Whitley asked. (He’s 85 and gets a couple of lines.) Lavell Crawford, a friend of Whitley’s, plays the son of Chubbs, Happy’s original mentor (Chubbs was played by actor Carl Weathers, who died in 2024). NFL star Travis Kelce is a waiter. Rapper Bad Bunny becomes Happy’s caddie. Others who have notable roles include Steve Buscemi, Haley Joel Osment, Eric André, Kevin Nealon, Post Malone, Eminem and Rob Schneider. Whitley has steadily found work going back to the 1990s. She has 138 acting gigs listed on her IMDb page, including appearances in “Curb Your Enthusiasm,” “The Neighborhood,” “Fuller House” and “Black Dynamite,” as well as Atlanta-based productions like BET’s “Let’s Stay Together” and Bounce TV’s “Act Your Age.”

Tribune News Service