By Iain Blair
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Comedian Adam Sandler has played a
wedding singer, a waterboy, a firefighter pretending to be gay,
and the devil's son.
So it was likely just a matter of time before he ended up
playing a tough-as-nails Israeli commando who secretly wants to
be a hairdresser -- the wacky premise behind "You Don't Mess
With The Zohan," his new comedy debuting in theaters on Friday.
Sandler, who hails from Brooklyn, New York, said the
inspiration for "Zohan" dates back to his childhood when he
heard stories about how tough the Israeli army was, even though
the country was small.
"Anytime anyone comes after them, they take care of
business," Sandler told reporters at a recent news conference,
"As a Jewish kid, you were proud of that. So I admired them."
Later in life, Sandler said he hung out with many Israelis
in California, went to their weddings and parties and "couldn't
believe how insane it got."
"An Israeli guy who used to cut my hair, and I just thought
it'd be funny to see an Israeli soldier, a bad-ass fearless
warrior who had a little secret dream of wanting to do
something else, but was embarrassed to share it with anyone,"
Sandler said.
Co-written by Sandler, writer/director Judd Apatow and
"Saturday Night Live's" Robert Smigel, "Zohan" features a large
ensemble cast that includes John Turturro and Chris Rock, and
has cameos by the likes of Mariah Carey and John McEnroe.
Sandler portrays the title character who fakes his own
death so that he can disappear to New York City and pursue his
dream. But his violent past soon catches up with him, and Zohan
finds himself in the middle of another war, this time between
immigrant Israelis and Palestinians.
