Henry Winkler has revealed his sweet payment after agreeing to appear in Adam Sandler’s hit comedy The Waterboy at the last minute.
The 78-year-old Happy Days star — who reunited with his old costar Ron Howard at the 2024 Emmy Awards — shared on Kelly Ripa’s Let’s Talk Off Camera podcast that he was paid only a ‘cookie’ for filling in after Sandler’s original actor dropped out at the last minute.
The 1998 blockbuster starred Sandler as a sheltered 31-year-old with a speech impediment and an overbearing mother who works as the water boy for the University of Louisiana’s football team.
But when the team and its coach (played by Winkler) discover that he’s also a virtually unstoppable tackling machine, he ditches his bucket and becomes the team’s linebacker.
‘I did Waterboy. [Sandler] called me up in the middle of the night. He said, “Henry, I need a favor. My actor didn’t show up. I need you to drive right now to the park in LA,’ Winkler recalled, via the New York Post.
Henry Winkler, 78, revealed he was paid only a ‘cookie’ for agreeing to appear in Adam Sandler’s 1998 film The Waterboy at the last minute; seen in 2021 in LA
Winkler told Kelly Ripa that Sandler called him at 11:30 p.m. the night before shooting because his actor playing the coach hadn’t shown up. ‘I go and I say, ‘OK.’ I shave. I drive. I go. I sit. I get makeup until 3:30 in the morning,’ Winkler said; still from The Waterboy
It wasn’t ideal timing for Winkler, as it was nearly midnight by the time Sandler rang him up, but he was still game.
‘I go and I say, ‘OK.’ I shave. I drive. I go. I sit. I get makeup until 3:30 in the morning,” Winkler continued. ‘Do you know what I got? A cookie.’
The admission seemed to shock Ripa, who pointed out that he had continued to work with Sandler multiple times in the future, including on his films Little Nicky (2000), Click (2006) and You Don’t Mess With The Zohan (2008).
But despite the alleged pittance of a payment, that didn’t deter the film and television star from working multiple times with Sandler.
‘There’s no Maserati for Henry Winkler?’ Ripa asked, and Winkler replied that he didn’t even get to keep the clothes he wore on camera.
Ripa persisted and tried to get him to nail down what kind of luxury car Sandler could pay him back with, but Winkler didn’t have any interest in sports cars.
‘I don’t want a Maserati because that would be so low to get into. I would have to sleep in it,’ he joked. ‘I could never get out.’
Instead, he said he would be perfectly happy with ‘the small version’ of a Lexus.
Winkler may not have cared that much about his crumbly payment since he had such a great time working with Sandler.
‘I love him. He is whatever you imagine,’ Winkler gushed about the Uncut Gems star. ‘He is wacky. He is different. He is a family man. He is loyal. He is funny. He is in amazement. He has a vision.’
Ripa was shocked that Winkler allegedly got only a cookie for the favor, despite continuing to work with Sandler on his films Little Nicky (2000), Click (2006) and You Don’t Mess With The Zohan (2008); still from The Waterboy
‘I love him. He is whatever you imagine,’ Winkler gushed about the Uncut Gems star. ‘He is wacky. He is different. He is a family man. He is loyal. He is funny. He is in amazement. He has a vision’; still from The Waterboy
Winkler, who also said Sandler is ‘in charge of every detail’ on films he starred in, said he wasn’t interested in an ultra-low sports car, but he would be satisfied with a ‘small version’ of a Lexus as back payment; pictured together in Click (2006)
He added that Sandler is ‘in charge of every detail’ on the films he leads, even though he has only officially been credited as the director on a single music video.
‘There’s not a frame that gets by him. No matter what it is,’ Winkler continued, adding sweetly, ‘I love him and I respect him deeply.’
However, he did let off one parting jab at the former Saturday Night Live star, who is known for his sometimes ridiculously casual clothing.
‘I’m not crazy about the way he dresses,’ Winkler joked.
