Adam Sandler joked about being known more for his personality than his good looks as he won a 2020 Film Independent Spirit Award on Saturday, February 8, after not scoring an Oscar nomination.
“A few weeks back when I was, quote-unquote, snubbed by the Academy it reminded me when I briefly attended high school and was overlooked for the coveted yearbook superlative category ‘best looking,’” Sandler, 54, said in a NSFW speech as his accepted the Best Male Lead award for his role in Uncut Gems. “That accolade was given to a jean jacket-wearing, feather-haired douchebag by the name of Skipper Jenkins.”
“But my classmates did honor me with the allegedly less prestigious designation of ‘best personality,’” he added. “And tonight, as I look around this room, I realize that the Independent Spirit Awards are the ‘best personality’ awards of Hollywood. So, let all those feather-haired douchebag mother–kers get their Oscars tomorrow night, their handsome good looks will fade in time, while our independent personalities will shine on forever.”
Sandler, who got a standing ovation from the audience, was nominated alongside Chris Galust (Give Me Liberty), Kelvin Harrison Jr. (Luce), Matthias Schoenaerts (The Mustang) and Robert Pattinson (The Lighthouse). He deadpanned that his fellow nominees “will now and forever be known as the guys who lost to f—king Adam Sandler.”
He also quipped that independent films “have been a big part of the Adam Sandler ecosystem,” from Billy Madison (“a fearless look into the American education system through the eyes of a privileged sociopath”) to The Waterboy (“my searing exploration of American college foosball and its manipulation of socially challenged athletes”).
“I have tried to tell my truths with a truly independent spirit while also cashing some truly disturbingly large paychecks,” he teased.
In addition to the Saturday Night Live alum’s award, Uncut Gems also won for Best Director (Josh and Benny Safdie) and Best Editing.
Sandler had a hilarious reaction in January to not getting an Academy Award nomination for his performance.
“Bad news: Sandman gets no love from the Academy,” he tweeted on January 13, while referencing The Waterboy, in which Kathy Bates, who scored her own 2020 Oscar nomination, played his mother. “Good news: Sandman can stop wearing suits. Congrats to all my friends who got nominated, especially Mama.”
The American Horror Story star — who is nominated for Best Supporting Actress for Richard Jewell — responded to Sandler’s tweet. “I love you my Bobby Boucher!!! You was robbed!! But Mama loves you!!!” the 71-year-old wrote. “I learned a new urban slang word for you! You da GOAT!! Not the one we eat at home, Son.”
