Adam Sandler didn’t need a caddy’s advice to honor Cameron Boyce.
Indeed, the Saturday Night Live alum’s decision to include a subtle nod to his late Grown Ups costar in Happy Gilmore 2—a quick clip of Cameron’s Disney Channel days sneakily shown on a TV screen in the background—was a no-brainer.
“This was just a moment where we were like, ‘What should we throw on the TV?’” Adam told The Hollywood Reporter in an interview published July 29. “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.”
Plus, the tribute was rooted in the 50 First Dates star’s friendship with Cameron, who died in 2019 at age 20 after experiencing a seizure in his sleep.
“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,” Adam continued. “He felt like a family member to us when we were shooting Grown Ups.”
The comedian also explained that, before his death, Cameron was supposed to star in his 2020 movie Hubie Halloween—in which Adam ultimately included a post-credit tribute to the Descendants actor, calling him “one of the kindest, coolest, funniest, and most talented kids we knew.”
“We were getting ready to have a great time together, and we lost him,” Adam shared with THR. “We think of him all the time.”
And after eagle-eyed viewers caught Adam’s inclusion of Cameron in Happy Gilmore 2, the late actor’s mom Libby Boyce commented on her appreciation of the gesture.
“Adam always finds a way to keep Cams memory alive,” she wrote on Instagram July 27, “which warms our heart.”
She also emphasized Adam and Cameron’s friendship.
“Adam and Cameron talked quite a bit in the days leading up to his death,” Libby continued. “Cameron was supposed to be in Hubies [sic] Halloween and they were strategizing. They had a bond I think related to being authentic, funny and just keeping it real.”
Read on to learn about other friendships between stars that may surprise you.
Mindy Kaling & Reese Witherspoon
They have been friends for years and have worked together. The two starred together in A Wrinkle in Time, while Mindy also had a recurring role on The Morning Show. In addition, the latter is co-writing Legally Blonde 3.
Ayesha Curry & Lindsay Lohan
The Food Network star and Mean Girls alum first became friends during a trip to Dubai years ago and have since grown closer. In fact, Ayesha and Stephen Curry were even named the godparents of Lindsay and husband Bader Shammas' son Laui.
Adam Sandler & Timothée Chalamet
The two actors, who costarred in the 2014 film Men, Women & Children, reunited for an outdoor game of basketball in New York City in July 2023.
Russell Crowe & RZA
The actor has worked with the Wu-Tang Clan rapper on several movies, including The Man with the Iron Fists, American Gangster and The Next Three Days. But their bond goes much deeper than that. "As friends, we talk," Crowe tells Fuse. "It is no effort for me to give a friend advice. Film has many gods and you have to understand, as a director, you will be required to please and appease them all."
Michelle Dockery & Pippa Middleton
Before running into each other again at Wimbledon, the unlikely duo first crossed paths at the Downton Abbey set. "She actually came on-set with her brother, James, a few years ago," Dockery told E! News."They are good fans of the show."
David Beckham & Snoop Dogg
When the "footballer" moved to L.A. and became a "soccer player," he befriended the rapper. Becks appeared on Snoop's reality show, the two played soccer and Snoop plays his new music for David first.
Dakota Fanning & Kristen Stewart
The two former child actors have worked on two films, Twilight and The Runaways, but Dakota says their friendship isn't based on work, "When we're together, we're not talking about movie stuff."
Paris Hilton & Britney Spears
The two hung out together in the aughts and maintained their friendship over the years.
Nicki Minaj & Anna Wintour
The two have two very different approaches to fashion (has Anna ever been bedazzled?), but they bonded in the front row of an Oscar de la Renta show and Anna scored a name-drop in one of Nicki's raps.
50 Cent & Bette Midler
Now this is one strange duet! Fiddy met Bette working for the charity New York Restoration Project, where she gushed, "He's one of the newest members of our tribe. He's really made my life worth living."
Taylor Swift & Lena Dunham
Taylor is a self-proclaimed good girl. Lena isn't afraid to stir the pot. But they have a lot of mutual respect for each other and the Girls creator described T.Swift's show as the "most life-affirming thing I've experienced."
Jennifer Lopez & Leah Remini
The former King of Queens actress has been supertight with Jenny From the Block for a while now, bonding over fashion and tweeting cutesy things at each other with the hashtag "#luckybesties."
Gwyneth Paltrow & Jay-Z
The Goop goddess herself is actually friends with both Jay and his wife Beyoncé, though you might be more surprised to learn that Gwyn is an intense rap enthusiast and her kids even call Mr. Carter "Uncle Jay."
Brad Pitt & Jonah Hill
You might not expect the hunky thespian to be close with the dude from Superbad, but look at it this way: Brad is a total prankster (says Jonah) and Jonah is now a serious Oscar nominee (for their film Moneyball).
Eminem & Elton John
The controversial rapper joined forces with Sir Elton at the 2001 Grammys and later Em turned to his new friend for support getting sober: "I told him, 'Look, I'm going through a problem and I need your advice.'"