Adam Sandler Reflects on Late Cameron Boyce’s Happy Gilmore 2′ Cameo

Adam Sandler is sharing why he decided to pay tribute to the late Cameron Boyce in Happy Gilmore 2.

Sandler, 58, and his cowriter Tim Herlihy reflected on their golf-themed comedy sequel’s success in an interview with The Hollywood Reporter published on Tuesday, July 29. In the piece, Sandler spoke highly of Boyce, the actor who died suddenly at the age of 20 in 2019, when asked about including his likeness in the new movie.

“Love that kid. He was one of the sweetest persons I’ve ever met — just constantly in a good mood, constantly great energy, loving to everybody,” Sandler said of Boyce, whom he got to know when Boyce portrayed Sandler’s onscreen son in 2010’s Grown Ups and 2013’s Grown Ups 2.

Boyce is shown on a television screen in Happy Gilmore 2 in a quick moment as Sandler’s title character walks to a check-in-booth with golf clubs. As he approaches the booth, the person inside is shown watching a television show with Boyce on the screen. The cameo appears to be from an episode of the Disney Channel series Jessie, which Boyce starred in from 2011 to 2015. 

“He felt like a family member to us when we were shooting Grown Ups. Of course, we were going to shoot with Cameron on Hubie Halloween, and we were getting ready to have a great time together, and we lost him,” Sandler added. “We think of him all the time. This was just a moment where we were like, ‘What should we throw on the TV?’ We said, ‘Might as well throw Cameron in there. He’s the man. Keep him part of our family.’ And so that’s why we did it.”

Boyce’s mother Libby reflected on her son’s cameo in Happy Gilmore 2 in a Monday, July 28 Instagram post. “Adam and Cameron talked quite a bit in the days leading up to his death,” Libby wrote in that Instagram post. 

She noted, as Sandler did to THR, that Cameron intended to appear in Sandler’s 2020 Halloween-themed comedy Hubie Halloween and that the pair “were strategizing” prior to Cameron’s death. (Cameron’s final onscreen role came in the 2021 Prime Video series Paradise City, which he appeared in posthumously.)

“They had a bond I think related to being authentic, funny and just keeping it real,” Libby wrote in that Instagram post. “Adam always finds a way to keep Cams memory alive which warms our heart.💜”

Before Happy Gilmore 2 came along, Sandler also paid tribute to Cameron in the credits of Hubie Halloween, which featured a photo of the actor and a touching message. “In loving memory of Cameron Boyce,” the tribute read. “Gone way too soon and one of the kindest, coolest, funniest, and most talented kids we knew. You live on forever in our hearts and are truly missed every day.”

Happy Gilmore 2 is streaming on Netflix now.