The Grown Ups BTS Moment That Left Steve Buscemi Furious
"Grown Ups" may not be Adam Sandler's best movie (especially if you ask Looper readers), but it is beloved by many of his fans all the same. The film sees Lenny Feder (Sandler) take his family and friends on a vacation that has its share of ups and downs. Naturally, in the spirit of Sandler comedies, entertainment icons like Kevin James, Chris Rock, Maya Rudolph, and more joined the fray. Among these names is Steve Buscemi as the minor character Wiley — a role that led to some frustration for the journeyed actor behind the scenes.
Egged on by his friends, Wiley goes on a zipline waterpark ride while hanging by his feet. Unfortunately for him, he gets stuck and can't release himself over the pool below, so he crashes through a building. In the aftermath, he's left in a full-body cast, which Buscemi actually had to wear — even in the elements. "It started to rain. They got the scene, and then everybody just scatters," Buscemi recalled on the "Fly on the Wall" podcast. No one checked on him during the downpour, only for them to return once they needed him for another scene. He said of his emotional state at the time, "I actually got mad. I went, 'Are you f****** kidding me!?'"
Despite his bad experience with the body cast, the mishap didn't put an end to his time in the "Grown Ups" franchise, or his collaborations with Sandler.
Despite the bad Grown Ups experience, Buscemi remains a frequent Sandler collaborator
Never let it be said that Steve Buscemi is a quitter. Three years after the first "Grown Ups" movie arrived in theaters, "Grown Ups 2" brought back a host of names from the original. Buscemi once again plays Wiley, who has largely recovered from his zipline accident. He now works as a driving instructor and attends Lenny Feder's '80s-themed party dressed as Snoop Dogg.
Additionally, Buscemi has maintained a solid working relationship with Sandler, appearing in several projects connected to him after "Grown Ups." He lent his voice acting talents to "Hotel Transylvania" as Wayne the werewolf — a role he stuck with in future "Hotel Transylvania" movies, including the fourth, "Hotel Transylvania: Transformania," in which Sandler didn't return as Count Dracula. As that animated franchise unfolded, Buscemi worked with Sandler on "The Cobbler," "The Ridiculous 6," "The Week Of," and "Hubie Halloween," expanding on their already impressive list of collaborations.
With Steve Buscemi and Adam Sandler still going strong in Hollywood over a decade after "Grown Ups" and the infamous body cast incident, one has to imagine more collaborations between the two will come in due time. Perhaps they'll even reunite for "Grown Ups 3" — assuming such a film will ever happen.