Laura Dern and Adam Sandler on Their Work in ‘Jay Kelly’ and Important Experiences in Their Careers [VIDEO INTERVIEW]
In the new film Jay Kelly, from Academy Award nominated writer/director Noah Baumbach (Marriage Story), two-time Academy Award winner Geroge Clooney plays the titular Kelly, an actor having a late in life crisis over the people and things he’s left behind in pursuit of his career.
This is where his manager Ron (Adam Sandler) and publicist Liz (Academy Award winner Laura Dern) find themselves constantly picking up the pieces of broken promises, backdoor deals and PR clean-ups. But while always in service of Jay’s needs, they’re constantly dismissing their own and of their own children. I sat down with Dern and Sandler for a brief chat about the film, about the choices that Ron and Liz make and moments in their lives that had great impact.
In our conversation, Sandler talks about the art imitating life moment that he’ll be receiving a lifetime achievement award next month (much like how Jay Kelly does in the film) and what he wants his film clip montage to look like. We talk about how the sacrifices Liz makes are a center point for Dern’s character and how that impacts her own life. Also, like in my interview with Clooney, I ask the pair to think about a small moment in their lives and careers that ended up having a lasting impact on them.
They also jokingly start our conversation with British accents, as Sandler thought maybe I’d be British by my appearance, commenting “You looked a little like Bowie when you first came on,” something I’ll certainly never forget.
Jay Kelly will be in select theaters on November 14 and on Netflix December 5.
He is a Rotten Tomatoes-approved critic, accredited by the Cannes Film Festival, Telluride Film Festival, Toronto International Film Festival and more, is a member of the International Cinephile Society (ICS), The Society of LGBTQ Entertainment Critics (GALECA), Critics Choice Association (CCA), San Francisco Bay Area Film Critics Circle (SFBAFCC) and the International Press Academy. Among his many achieved goals with AwardsWatch, he has given a platform to underrepresented writers and critics and supplied them with access to film festivals and the industry and calls the Bay Area his home where he lives with his husband and son.
- 2027 Oscar Predictions: BEST ACTRESS (May) - May 7, 2026
- Colman Domingo to Receive Variety Creative Conscience Award at 50th San Francisco International LGBTQ+ Film Festival (Frameline50) - May 6, 2026
- Winners Announced for Golden Gate, Audience Awards of the 69th San Francisco International Film Festival (SFFILM) - May 6, 2026
How Judith Light Psychs Us Out in ‘The Terror: Devil in Silver’ and the Secret to Her Long-lasting Career [VIDEO INTERVIEW] 
2027 Oscar Predictions: BEST ACTRESS (May) 
Colman Domingo to Receive Variety Creative Conscience Award at 50th San Francisco International LGBTQ+ Film Festival (Frameline50) 
Interview: Ildikó Enyedi on Working with Tony Leung and Léa Seydoux and Her Triptych Storytelling in ‘Silent Friend’