There’s just something about those bonds made on Saturday Night Live that can’t be broken, drawing former comrades-in-arms from the late-night sketch comedy show to get together again and again and again, like devoted frat brothers who still gather a few time a year to down brews and recall their glory days.
And besides, when movie mega-star and executive producer Adam Sandler called his old SNL cronies Rob Schneider, David Spade and Jon Lovitz to co-star with Napoleon Dynamite’s newly minted geek icon Jon Heder in the sports comedy The Benchwarmers, exactly how–and why–would they say no?
The film–in which Schneider, Spade and Heder play now-grown Little League benchwarmers who, after saving the nerdy son of a wealthy mogul (Lovitz) from bullies, are paid to lead a team of young underdogs and boost their self-confidence, using their adult advantage to crush more athletically inclined players on the baseball diamond–sprang from a notion of Sandler’s and was partially inspired by his pal and frequent co-star Schneider’s impressive real-life prowess on the playing field, despite his diminutive size.
“We were outside waiting for a table in Hawaii and we looked at each other and I threw a fake pitch,” recalled Schneider, “and he said, ‘We gotta do this movie!’” Although Schneider had some innate skills, he did make sure to get in shape to make his character’s hits and fast pitches more convincing. “I wouldn’t say I’m a natural-born athlete,” he said. “I trained for three months before the movie…I got to do batting practices with one of the Giants and he throws 80 mph. Eventually you can catch up if you know what you’re doing.” And there’s always a little movie magic in play. “You didn’t see the ones I didn’t hit well.”
Heder, on the other hand, had more in common his character when it came to playing sports in school. “I was definitely never the best on the team but I wasn’t the worst–I had some time on the bench,” he admitted. “In high school I knew I wouldn’t make the teams you had to try out for, so I did the sports you didn’t have to try out for–like cross country or track or swimming.” Even when he was warming the bench, though, Heder rarely had to feel alienated. “Growing up for me was different because I have a twin brother. It changes so much of your childhood in a lot of ways–I loved it. You have a back-up in a lot of ways, and I think when you’re nerdy together and have your thing going, people respected that. We were considered the artists because we drew a lot. The bullies liked it.”
While Schneider enjoyed the departure of playing a nicer, less sleazy guy than some of his previous big screen characters, he was a little disappointed that he didn’t get at least a few offensive off-color lines. “I wanted to have one or two,” he said laughing, but “Adam wanted me to play myself.” So Schneider had to be content with the film’s running gag of three grown men beating and humiliating young kids on the baseball field, which could have left the leads looking a bit too sadistic. “Where is the line that keeps grown men beating kids funny, and not inappropriate? There is a fine line,” said Schneider. “I was concerned originally when they were writing the script. It works when they’re mean-spirited kids. Also, I was throwing the ball at these kids who are really the same size as me.”
The stars were less antagonistic with their pint-sized co-stars off camera. “The kids are funny because they’re always happy and in a good mood,” said Spade. “Wherever we’d go, they were so excited because Napoleon Dynamite was around.” The kids weren’t the only ones pumped up by Heder’s presence–the old SNL buddies were excited to add some fresh Dynamite firepower to their comedy roster. “We were thinking of people and I saw Napoleon Dynamite, and I called Adam and I said, ‘Dude we gotta get this guy–he’s funny. Kids like him and he’s a good mix with Rob and I.’ He’s new and people like him. He was excited and into it.”
Really into it, according to Heder. “I imagined this geeky guy with short hair, and I mentioned to Adam Sandler that my character should wear his helmet a few times to the store because he forgets to take it off. Then Adam had me wear it the entire movie!”
Spade also found a little character inspiration in his hairstyle. “I did SNL right before we shot this and I was trying to get ideas because there’s only so much I can do with my hair–they were thinking about dying it, and I saw a bowl-cut wig on SNL and I though, ‘Ooh, juicy.’ It looks so dumb.” He also added a cheesy swatch of facial hair to complete the look. “My porn mustache? I thought of ‘70s porn. Throw something in for the parents while the kids are laughing at the fart scenes.”
“As soon as Spade put the wig on, we were comfortable,” agreed Schneider. “David came up with a lot of funny stuff in every scene…Something about David Spade–he’s more himself in this movie; I’m more myself in this movie; Jon Heder—I don’t know who he is.”
Lovitz, like his old sketch character Master Thespian, didn’t need a wig or props to get into character. “He’s a billionaire and I’m a trillionaire,” said Lovitz, “so I had to think, ‘What was it like five years ago when I was poor?'” Acting!
But away from the set, Lovitz has lately been forsaking off-kilter characters and spending more of his time in front of audiences as himself, giving stand-up comedy a whirl for the first time in his career. “I’ve only been doing standup for the past two years,” he explained. “I started doing it because I wasn’t working as much, and my ex-agent told me to sell my house. I always wanted to do it but I was afraid to. For some reason I finally felt ready. Dana Carvey gave me some great tips and I picked it up quickly. It’s great—you can say anything and it’s a total expression of who you are. No one’s giving you notes or editing you.”
Well, almost nobody gives him notes: Spade, a veteran of the stand-up circuit, recently watched Lovitz in action, along with another famous SNL alum and had some thoughts. “We went to a club with Chris Rock and we did a set,” said Spade. “I did 15 minutes and Rock did 15 minutes. Lovitz said, ‘I’ll go on.’ We sat in the back and every other joke was real good, and we were like, ‘What? He’s funny!’ Then he’d be like, ‘Knock, knock!'”
—Reporting by Kimberly Lansing
