Spoilers ahead for Happy Gilmore 2.
Adam Sandler has a number of beloved movies on his long resume, including Happy Gilmore. The 1996 sports comedy (which is streaming with a Netflix subscription) is arguably one of Sandler’s best rom-coms, thanks to the title character’s love story with Julie Bowen’s Virginia Venit. She reprised that role for Happy Gilmore 2, and recently spoke to CinemaBlend about her reaction to the OG movie’s lingerie scene… and how it factored into the sequel.
What we knew about Happy Gilmore 2 has been limited ahead its release on Netflix, with Sandman and the gang trying to guard the long-awaited sequel’s secrets. That includes the way Virginia is used, a huge twist comes her way early on in the Adam Sandler movie. As you can see in the video above, I had the privilege of speaking with the cast ahead of the sequel’s release, where I asked Bowen about that iconic lingerie scene from the original. She told me:
the Modern Family star wanted to sign onto the 1996 original.
Happy Gilmore 2 is chock-full of easter eggs and references to the original movie, with Sandler even using the same soundtrack. We also briefly see OG Virginia back in the lingerie, with current-day Bowen getting to share a scene with her younger self. In our same interview, she spoke more about that iconic scene, sharing:
I’ve always seen that as hilarious and funny and a sendup of sex pinups. I never felt objectified by that at all. So when it’s coming back I was like ‘I don’t know if I can still put it on.’ That’s the only thing I was afraid of.
Of course, Bowen didn’t actually have to suit back up in the white lingerie. Or if she did, it ended up on the cutting room floor. Instead we got to see both version of Virginia share the screen together. And it was yet another way that Happy Gilmore 2 feels like a love letter to the original.
Julie Bowen was only featured briefly in Happy Gilmore 2’s trailer, and it becomes clear early onto the movie. Still, it’s exciting that so many original actors are back for the sequel, including Christopher McDonald, Kevin Nealon, Dan Patrick and Verne Lundquist. In our interview Julie Bowen further shared her support of Virginia’s appearance in the “Happy Place”, telling me:
I always felt completely respected and in control of all of it.
Anticipation for the long-awaited comedy is high, and the original Happy Gilmore has been trending on Netflix ahead of its release. Julie Bowen returning as Virginia proved to fans that the spirit of the first movie would continue, and I can tell you there are countless references and easter eggs to the first one.
Happy Gilmore 2 will arrive on Netflix on July 25th as part of the 2025 movie release list. We’ll just have to see if the movie inspires Adam Sandler to produce more sequels to his beloved ’90s hits like Billy Madison or The Waterboy.