The Safdie Brothers Reveal All the Casting Headaches They Faced Making ‘Uncut Gems’1 min read
Reading Time: < 1 minuteUncut Gems is one of the best movies of the year. It is also one of the most brutal and tense experiences you’ll ever have in a movie theater.
The Safdie Brothers (Good Times), along with star Adam Sandler and executive producer Martin Scorsese, have told a seedy, warts-and-all crime drama about a shady AF New York jeweler named Howard (Sandler), his obsession with the titular opal from Africa, and the equal parts violent and squeamish the consequences of that obsession have on both him and his family. Especially him. (The movie is inspired by a real-life figure brothers Benny and Josh Safdie knew that worked with their father.)
Sandler delivers a career-best performance, but we almost missed out on it. It’s well-known that the Happy Gilmore actor passed on the project — back in 2010 (!) — when it was first offered to him. But what isn’t well known are the other actors that the filmmakers had circling and involved in the movie at various points in its development.
Photo Credit: NoFilmSchool
