The director of Adam Sandler’s new film has defended the actor for casting his daughters in starring roles alongside himself.
Sunny and Sadie Sandler play Adam’s daughters in coming-of-age comedy You Are So Not Invited to My Bat Mitzvah, prompting criticism by people suggesting that they were only cast due to being “nepo babies” – a term referring to the children of famous people who then use their connections to enter the industry.
The film was released on Netflix last week as part of Adam’s $350m (£199m) deal with the streaming service.
Speaking in a new interview, director Sammi Cohen laid out Sandler’s reasons for deciding to include Sadie and Sunny in the flick.
“Sandler has a reputation for making movies with his friends, and that’s something we all want to do,” he told The Hollywood Reporter.
“What I say is, he’s still making movies with his friends, but they’re his kids. He is the kind of dad who’s also your best friend.
“When it comes to the sort of chatter we’re hearing online, I don’t really think twice about it because I’m going like, ‘Yeah, he’s doing the same thing he’s always done.’”
You Are So Not Invited to My Bat Mitzvah is currently the number one film in Netflix’s Top 10 in the UK and has even earned Adam the highest reviews of his career to date, according to aggregate site Rotten Tomatoes.
