Friday, January 26 at Fantasy Springs Resort Casino
By Tracy Dietlin
Rob Schneider is an actor, comedian, screenwriter, and director. A stand-up comic and veteran of Saturday Night Live, he went on to a successful career in feature films, including starring roles in the comedy films Deuce Bigalow: Male Gigolo, The Hot Chick, The Benchwarmers, and Grown Ups.
This Friday, January 26, he will be joining Adam Sandler on his stop at Fantasy Springs Casino. They will also be accompanied by David Spade and Nick Swardson.
I was able to squeeze in a phone interview right before print deadline with Rob Schneider.
Schneider is doing several of the Sandler shows, but is also doing solo shows on his own tour. I asked him what the difference was between the two.
“It’s fun to have the boys back on the road together again. It’s a little better than it was in the old days,” he shared. “It would be a lot less fun for Adam if we weren’t there. We have to keep him entertained. We get to surprise each other with our jokes. We get to actually tell our wives that this is work.”
“Well either way, solo or with the guys, you just want to make the audience laugh, but with the guys, you want to make your buddies laugh too. Adam wanted to hear some stuff at dinner tonight and I was talking to him a little and he was laughing and he wanted to hear more, but I said ‘nope…you’re gonna have to wait until tonight.’”
I asked him to share his favorite experience working with Adam Sandler. He said there were many.
“One of my favorites was when we did the Italian waiter sketch back in the early 90s with Kirstie Alley, who’s really funny. The Italian waiters were over amorous with their dates. I enjoyed 50 First Dates and being on the set of that movie was a lot of fun.”
Schneider has worked with so many other comedians in his own movies as well as in Sandler’s, so I wanted to know which ones he’s enjoyed working with the most.
“Chris Rock, Dave Chapelle, I mean these guys are the best at it right now. Norm Mac Donald, David Spade, Nick Swardson, they’re all great.”
Schneider has done so many things from his skits on SNL to stand-up to movies and now his Netflix sitcom Real Rob. I was curious if he preferred one of these mediums over the other.
“None of them are like drudgery. You have to have a good attitude doing all of it and do it because you love it. There has to be joy in it to transcend it to the audience. You make movies for so long and the fans they remember all the lines, where we might not, and it’s fun to get out in front of them to do stand up and it’s rewarding. Maybe somebody went to see The Waterboy on their first date and now they’re married and bringing their kids that are old enough to come to the show. Comedy is similar to music; it has an emotional memory attached to it. If people can laugh hard they remember it.”
Schneider is particularly proud of Real Rob, which has 2 Seasons in the can with Season 3 in the works.
“Originally we were on a network and the show was called Rob. We had 11.5 million viewers, but it wasn’t enough for them, but it was for me, so we took it to Netflix. The show really wasn’t based enough on who I am, so I changed the name to Real Rob. It is a real scripted show; it’s a sitcom, not a reality show. The freedom that Netflix has afforded us has been unparalleled,” insisted Schneider.
“We’re currently writing Season 3 right now, but it takes a long time. It’s like writing 8 half hour movies. It’s very rewarding. I enjoy it because I get to work with my wife and it’s something I’m really proud of. It’s my favorite thing that I’ve ever done.”
Schneider says he has new material for this tour and he’s staying on top of the current political climate.
“It’s so easy to just follow what’s going on. I like to go against the grain. I like to find comedy in everybody’s point of view. I don’t like to demean either side. A good comedian will crap on both sides. I don’t think the people in Syria are thinking ‘Oh those Obama bombs, they were good bombs. Our people all died with smiles on their faces.’”
He said that he’s also got a couple of movie projects in the works too.
“I’m working on trying to figure out a couple movies right now. I mean they’re making less and less comedies in Hollywood now so that’s why I enjoy doing my Netflix show so much.”
What would people be the most surprised to know about Schneider?
“I think I’m much more introspective and thoughtful and kind than some of the dummies I play on the big screen. I consider myself a dramatic actor that never gets dramatic parts. I’m like a Shakespearean actor that never gets to play Shakespeare,” he shared with a chuckle.
In closing, I asked him what has been his most shining moment of his career so far?
“I’m still waiting. I haven’t peaked yet. I just really hope people will check out Real Rob Season 1 and 2, and I have to say the last episode of Season 2 is just beautiful. It’s my best work yet!”
Tickets for the 8pm Adam Sandler show on Friday, January 26, 2018 are on sale now for $139, $119, $99 and $79 at the Fantasy Springs Box Office, via telephone at 800-827-2946 or online at www.FantasySpringsResort.com.
