My wife is in school these days, which means there are many moments where I am the only person available to take care of Toshi and Allen, even if I’ve got work that needs to get done. It can make for some exciting schedules on certain days, and a recent Saturday was a perfect example of that.
We were up early for Toshi’s final baseball game of the season, and then we had his end-of-the-season party at his coach’s house with all the parents and players, a great group of folks. And almost immediately after that wrapped up, we had to head down to the Four Seasons so I could do my interviews for “That’s My Boy,” Adam Sandler’s new comedy.
Walking into a room with kids in tow totally changes the dynamic. In the case of Sandler and Samberg, the last room we did that afternoon, as soon as we walked in, Sandler was up on his feet.
He stood in front of the boys, looking down at them. “I’ll bet I can guess your ages.” He pointed at Toshi and guessed correctly. “Six, right?” Then he pointed at Allen. “And you’re three.”
“No,” said, Allen. “I’m four. I turned four on my birthday!”
“You did? That seems like a good day to turn four.”
“I got to go to Disneyland.”
“Oh, really?” At this point, the boys seemed to totally forget that I was there to work, just engaged by whoever this crazy adult was. “Did you get to meet Mickey Mouse while you were there?”
“Yes.”
Adam nodded, very serious. “That’s cool. I like Mickey Mouse.”
“I also got to see Minnie Mouse and Goofy and the Alvin Chipmunks and Winnie The Pooh.”
“Winnie The Pooh was there? I love that guy. Listen… the last time I was at Disneyland, Winnie The Pooh made a poo. Did he do a poo for you, too?”
That’s pretty much all it took. Allen started belly-laughing at the idea of Winnie The Pooh making a poo. As the boys walked into the adjoining room to sit with the guys who were sitting there, Allen still laughing, Sandler finally introduced himself to me, I greeted Samberg, and we sat down to start taping the interview embedded above.
At the end of the interview, I stood up, thanked both of the guys for the interview, then went to collect the boys.
Keep in mind, the whole time we were rolling, the boys were sitting with an older gentlemen in the adjoining room, talking to him, laughing a few times. I hadn’t really had an opportunity to see who that was. I assumed he was with either Sandler or Samberg, either friend or family.
But as I stepped closer and told the boys it was time to go, I froze. I assume that’s the most rational response when you realize you’re standing face to face with James Caan. He’s got a small role in “That’s My Boy,” and while he wasn’t part of the press day, there he was. I stammered something about it being nice to meet him, and then gathered the boys to go.
So, yeah… my kids are going to have some very strange stories when they get older. And in this case, they’ve got “That’s My Boy” to thank.
“That’s My Boy” opens Friday in theaters everywhere.