As the 2010s unfolded, however, the actor could be found in everything from Edgar Wright’s comic book comedy Scott Pilgrim vs the World to the psychological drama Black Bear, while over on the small screen, she impressed critics with a main role in HBO’s beloved The White Lotus. Yet, she’s not against playing a role that’s a little more low-brow, like when she starred in the comedy you could only describe as an act of cinematic terrorism, 2016’s Dirty Grandpa.

She starred alongside Hollywood icon Robert De Niro in the film, although why he agreed to appear in such a movie is a whole other question entirely. Full of crude jokes and terrible punchlines, it’s certainly not the finest entry in Plaza’s filmography – in fact, it’s a stain on everyone involved, with many critics calling it one of the worst movies ever made.

It seems like Plaza knows what she’s doing with her career, though, because one of her biggest inspirations is an actor known for appearing in some pretty awful comedies. Her reason for loving him, however, has something to do with his ability to bring it together and appear in more impressive, serious roles when given the chance, which is admittedly not all that often.

You can probably tell who I’m talking about. Plaza loves Adam Sandler. Talking to Vanity Fair, the actor revealed how he inspired her, “All I was doing when I was living in Queens at that time was just scheming. I always wanted to do dramatic roles. Once I figured out, OK, I can do comedy, I’m funny, I was very calculated about my career. The people I admired most were people like Adam Sandler, who would do broad comedies and also go do Punch-Drunk Love.”

Sandler was always known for movies like The Wedding Singer, Billy Madison, and Happy Gilmore, so when he was cast as the lead in a Paul Thomas Anderson movie, many people genuinely lost their shit. How could Anderson cast such a joke of an actor? Well, to many audiences’ surprise, Sandler delivered an impressive performance – something he has done a few more times over the years in more complex roles, for example, Uncut Gems.

Plaza got to work with Sandler in 2009 on the movie Funny People by Judd Apatow, although the movie was not a box-office hit. Still, they’ve remained pals over the years, and they even interviewed each other back in 2020 for Interview Magazine.

Sandler is certainly not the first person a lot of actors would pick as someone they cite as an influence, but for Plaza, he remains the ultimate inspiration, capable of both stupid comedies and genuinely excellent dramatic performances.

Related Topics