A conversation with Ridgefield resident Tim Herlihy
Broadway, film and TV actor, writer and producer, Tim Herlihy has been making audiences laugh out loud for decades. His collaborations with Hollywood megastar and his college roommate, Adam Sandler, have won acclaim.
Among Herlihy’s credits: writing for SNL from 1993 to 2000, and for feature films including Happy Gilmore, The Wedding Singer, and The Ridiculous 6. Herlihy’s adaptation of The Wedding Singer for Broadway earned him a Tony nomination!
We are fortunate that Mr. Herlihy just so happens to live here in Ridgefield! I had the great pleasure of talking with him about his career, his relationship with Sandler, and what the future holds.
1. Is writing with Sandler as fun as it is filming with Sandler?
Answer: It is. We do a lot of skyping with each other these days which saves us the trouble of having to fly to either the east or west coast - we can just talk for hours from our home offices. This is definitely easier than faxing pages and sending big email files that's for sure!
2. Of all the projects you've written, what would you say is the one you are most proud of so far?
Answer: It's honestly a tie between Happy Gilmore and The Wedding Singer. Both of those are projects Sandler and I put our heart and souls into; they reflected who we are, making the two films very personal for all of us.
3. What would you say is the coolest thing to happen to you thus far as a result of working with Sandler?
Answer: When we were making the movie Blended we got to shoot in Africa and during a break from shooting we took a helicopter ride and got to see all sorts of lions and cheetahs and elephants. Watching these amazing creatures roam was just a really cool thing!
4. Have you and Sandler thought of branching out from comedy and writing something dramatic?
Answer: It never really interested me to write something serious but if I were to write a non-comedic script, it would probably be a horror movie or a disaster film like the Irwin Allen epics! I'd love to give it a go!
5. Tell me a funny story about Sandler that hasn't been told yet.
Answer: One time when we were in our dorm room together in college, Adam threw a head of lettuce out the window and it almost hit somebody. The RA came to our room to ask us if we did it and we swore we didn't do it. I pray the statute of limitations works in our favor if someone reads this!
6. What can you tell me about your latest project with Sandler?
Answer: We're going to start shooting a new picture for Netflix in Long Island this July which features Adam and Chris Rock. There is no title yet but it's about a wedding. Adam will be doing a little singing in the movie.