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Liam Crowley of Screenrant.com interviewed MJF about his role in Netflix's Happy Gilmore 2:
MJF On Keeping His Tattoo In Happy Gilmore 2:
MJF: I think the beautiful thing about the Gilmores is that they're very Jewish, and there is a star of David with my tattoo. I'd imagine that's why Adam was okay with me keeping that tattoo. Now I did have to cover up the rest of my tats in the movie, but yeah, I was actually really happy that I got to keep that trademark MJF tattoo on screen.
That was one of the main reasons for the placement of my tattoo was because when I was a kid, I remember when I saw the Brahma Bull specifically over the bicep, but not going over the shoulder. So you can still see the cap of the dealt. These are very important things to people that work out. You don't want to cover up all this hard work. So yeah, I remember I knew when I hit 18 on my 18th birthday, I actually had gotten that tattoo and that was the reason for the placement, not the reason for the tattoo. Obviously the tattoo was a different reason.
Anything I do, whether it's me being myself in AEW or whether it's me taking on the role of Gordy Gilmore and the future roles, I feel like I always approach things as let me take what is a part of me that fits this character, this role. So that way it's not a character, I'm just being myself and I'm being real. So I find the things in relation to myself with the part I'm playing, so it feels authentic and real, which I don't know if that sounds lame, but it's just my truth. And I think that's why in wrestling and in acting moving forward when people watch me, they're going to realize there's this feeling of genuineness and it being organic because it's real to me. And if it's real to me, it's going to be real to whomever's watching.
I feel most confident when I feel like what I'm doing is true to me. So when I can have little reminders like that, it's really helpful. But in that moment when I took the scarf off [in the June 1, 2022 'pipebomb' promo], I needed everybody to know that first of all, everything that comes out of my mouth on a weekly basis is already real. But I needed everybody to know not only is this real, but please pay attention to everything that's coming out of my mouth because I'm angry right now and I need everybody to know that I'm angry right now. And everybody did.
MJF On Working With Adam Sandler:
MJF: I fired my dad. That's my new dad. Hell, I love Adam though.
ScreenRant: A lot of friends named Adam.
MJF: Yes, yes, that's true.
ScreenRant: Hopefully it doesn't go the same way as the last one.
MJF: Hopefully not.
ScreenRant: You could headline Wembley Stadium with Adam Sandler though.
MJF: Now we're talking. Okay, now we're talking because we're going back to Wembley in 2026. So I'm telling you right now, the Gilmore Boys might show up and win the tag titles. Wouldn't shock me and it shouldn't shock you.
Adam, working with him, it was so mind blowing because I grew up idolizing him. As a Jew, you don't have a lot of representation where it's a leading role where it's a leading role and then the guy's cool and he's funny and he can beat people up. So I remember how much it meant to me the first time I watched Happy Gilmore. This dude's just beating the crap out of people and he's line these long drives somebody you can look up to instead of, which is most of the roles. So for me, I get to be on the set with him and I remember I was so nervous meeting him and then it was all immediately put at ease. They say, don't meet your heroes. Well, those people never met Adam Sandler. And also with my brothers. They're really my brothers now, Connor and Phil and Ethan. They're all so talented and there they are. When we were, it was our first day on set. I'm thinking to myself, because again, a lot of people don't know this about me, but I'm a classically trained actor from the time I was six until the time I was 18 years old, and then I jumped into wrestling.
I did acapella and choir and theater, but then I jumped headfirst in wrestling and it did really help with the promos and stuff and the interviewing and on the mic. But to me, it felt like I was going back on a bike. But at the same time, I'm used to dealing with a specific type in my locker room and wrestling and I didn't know what type of people I was going to be interacting with on set. You hear stories about people in Hollywood, they're like, I only need Green M&Ms or whatever.
When I met the cast, I was like, all these guys are chill. All these guys are talented and they're all incredible at improvisation. And I can play off of them, no offense to most professional wrestlers, but when the red light turns on, they kind of start freaking out and all they can do is yell and scream and shake their face. And it's just like to have people you can work off of that are comedic geniuses like Sandler, and you have Kyle directing and then I have all these young talent and I have Sonny. Sonny Sandler is a star. And I'm so excited to see whatever the next project is. I can't wait to see it. So yeah, not enough nice words to say about the entire Sandler family.
MJF On Fighting Eminem In Happy Gilmore 2:
MJF: You know what's really cool is you manifest these things in your head without even realizing it. So growing up when I was younger, I don't know if you know my story, but I was unfortunately some anti-Semitic bullying. And I remember I'd go to the gym, I told myself I was going to be the best in the world, but I'd go to the gym and whenever I worked out, I was listening to Eminem music and I'm just waiting for the beat to drop. And then I'm squatting down, I'm hitting prs, and now here I am, I'm throwing Slim Shady into a lake. He's going to get eaten by alligators. And I'm just like, oh my God, that's Marshall Mathers. He's standing right there. And I had moments like that every day on set. And then there were other moments where I got to meet people that I'm fans of that are also fans of me, like me and Bad Bunny. We just shot the shit about wrestling every day. And he's the coolest dude ever, super down to earth, super awesome.
MJF Says Bad Bunny Watches His Matches:
MJF: He loves wrestling. And the reason I laughed when you asked if he has seen your work, I just laughed because I remember he was telling me shit about my matches in great detail and I was like, this is wild.
MJF On Reuiting With John Cena At Happy Gilmore 2 Premiere:
MJF: We had ourselves another really nice chat. I won't give anything away, but there's so much mutual respect there. He's a trailblazer. If it wasn't for him, a guy like me wouldn't be able to be in a part of what's probably going to be the most viewed comedy of all time. It's because a guy like John was able to make people in Hollywood take us seriously. Before CM Punk was my favorite, my favorite was John Cena, and I had a fathead of him on my wall in my bedroom. I don't have enough nice things to say about the guy. I also feel so fortunate because working for WWE in the time period that he did, you kind of have to quasi soft retire or fully retire to approach movies, cinema, tv, because I work at AEW, I don't have to pick one or the other. And I'm so passionate about both.
MJF On His Wrestler-Actor Mount Rushmore Goal:
MJF: If you're asking me from wrestler mode MJF, I'd say I was born to do this, but the fact of the matter is, full truth cards on the table, Max Friedman talking: a lot of people will look at something and go, 'Man, that seems cool. Wish I could do that,' and then they just end it there. My brain doesn't work like that. If I think something's cool, I'm going to go do it and I'm going to try to do it and I'm going to put 110 percent in, I'm going to put the work in, and I'm not going to stop until I manifest it into reality. I want to continue through hard work, determination and grit and also luck. Let's not kid ourselves. That is a part of the mix, but sometimes you can make your own luck. I'm not going to stop until I do get to be on that Mount Rushmore of pro wrestlers turned actors. To me, there's three heads on that Mount Rushmore that you've already named, and I would really like to be the fourth, and I'm going to make it happen by any means necessary. If I don't make it happen, I'll be able to die with a smile on my face. I know that I gave it everything I had.
MJF Praises His Grandfather:
MJF: I've really met all my heroes that are alive. You know what I mean? I've met them and I've been so fortunate to have done that. Almost all of them. There's still a couple, still a couple on that list. One of 'em is definitely Batista, but if I had to pick one, I think I do have to go with my grandfather, and I don't know if you could see this on camera, but I have a tattoo of him on my leg and he's easily the most important person that was ever in my life, and he gave me the confidence that I have today. So if I could just one more time, RIP, if I could have anything to do with him at all to just see how he's doing and what's it like up there and all that stuff. Or maybe he'll be like, dude, you just die. You know what I mean? If anything, that's just great information to know because then maybe I'll live even harder than I already do.
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