Q&A: Christopher McDonald on 'Happy Gilmore 2,' Travis Kelce's Acting Chops & More

In just less than one month, fans get to enjoy a sequel to one of the greatest sports movies of all time.

On July 25, Happy Gilmore 2 will release on Netflix. The initial film came out nearly 30 years ago now, and rumors first emerged of a sequel in production in 2024. Those rumors proved true as Adam Sandler returns to star in the second movie, along with most of the main cast from Happy Gilmore.

This includes Christopher McDonald, who will star opposite Sandler as he reprises his notorious role as Shooter McGavin. In partnership with Subway to promote the sequel, McDonald spoke to Sports Illustrated about the upcoming release of Happy Gilmore 2. McDonald touched upon numerous topics, including how he's been nagging Sandler to make a sequel for decades, why he was surprised by Travis Kelce in his cameo appearance, and Subway's new Happy Gilmore Meal that will alllow fans to collect limited-edition cups celebrating the movie and participate various sweepstakes leading up to the release.

Sports Illustrated: We already know Happy Gilmore 2 is going to be loaded with cameos from professional athletes, both in golf and otherwise. How was your experience working with those stars?

Christopher McDonald: The big surprise for me was Travis Kelce. I have a love-hate relationship with Travis Kelce, his team beats my Buffalo Bills way too often. And I blame the refs sometimes. You get very into football, which I am. But that's a great team. Travis being the superstar that he is, at the end of the day, he's a tremendous guy.. I really loved the guy as a person. And surprisingly a very good actor. He had too much fun.

The most amazing thing to me was the golf cameos. We got a few cool people from this golf world in this movie, and they all gladly came. They gladly donated their time, and they spent a lot— like a week and a half on this. It was fantastic. So that was a thrill. I call a few my really good friends now, and I got to sit down with a few of them and just talk about the game, life. There are two generations of them, too. There were the legends, and then legends in training right here. And it was just a blast. It was really funny, they all knew Shooter. I wasn't working that day, but I had to come and see the guys and talk to them. I’m waiting for the right moment because they're all in between shooting. So I walked around the back of the corner of this scene they were in, and they all looked up and went, "SHOOTAH!" I'm seeing these guys who were in their 70s and 80s going, "SHOOTAH” with the guns, like, oh, jeez. Too much fun. Great golfers, great guys, and all trying to do the guns, right? Like, Nick Faldo doing the Shooter guns.

A lot of the guys are really naturals. They just happen to be, you know, multimillionaires with $50 million jets flying into places. They are also just regular dudes, too. They just let their hair down and had a lot of fun with it. So many great golfers.

SI: You're a big golf fan. Who’s your favorite golfer?

CM: I've had the most fun and enjoyed the most joyous times with Tiger Woods. I mean, he's a freak and I'm sorry he's in a stage now where he's not playing as much. But, boy, was he a great golfer back in the 2000s. Just so young and so talented. Hands down so much better than everybody in the field. That was great. But I love the top guys right now. Xander Schauffele is amazing. I love Justin Thomas, and Scottie Scheffler. And of course, Rory (McIlroy). Who didn't cry when Rory cried when he finally won the Masters? And then to do that playoff hole where he just stuck it, it’s what makes the game great. Because you never know. And these guys are the best in the world. And he just had it. The time was right.

SI: When did you first hear about the possibility of a sequel to Happy Gilmore?

CM: I tried every five years, telling (Adam Sandler), “We’ve got to do a sequel, we got to do a sequel.” He says, “I really don't do sequels.” And then he started doing sequels, he did them very well. But we finally made it, and that's what the important thing is.

The story is, I was going to a show and it was called Love You. Adam invited me to be in the audience and it was really cool. And then after the show, which I loved, we went backstage at this tiny little theater in Burbank. And he says, "Dude, you're gonna love this.” He shows me the first page. I was like, “Are we finally doing this?" I was over the moon after that point. All I did was look at the first page and tried to get through it but was told, don’t tell anybody. I didn't tell anybody. Of course, three days later, I let it slip. That went a little bit viral, I think.

I love being an ambassador for this movie. It was such a joy to do. It was such a fun character, and people love to hate me, which is great. And working really tight with Adam this time, watching how good he is? He's become a really good director. You, he stopped a few scenes where we weren’t really playing well, came out with some great ideas, and then made it all better. I thought, that guy's killing it.

SI: Most of the main cast from the first movie will reprise their roles in the sequel, including yourself. What was it like to work with everybody again?

CM: Well, pretty much everybody who's still on this planet worked on it. It was a great feeling. It was a homecoming in a lot of ways. Seeing Jules, the fabulous Julie Bowen, and all the other people, Hal (Ben Stiller) coming back. Then you see they're making it really, really big. Netflix stepped up. They said, basically, the cart blanche. I'm telling you, they just let it rip, and so the storyline is like, *wow* out there. It's above and beyond and quite funny and quite amazing.

SI: Tell us about your partnership with Subway and what fans can look forward to in the weeks leading up to the Happy Gilmore 2 release.

Christopher McDonald: Well, Subway was a pretty big standout in the first incarnation of this classic movie called Happy Gilmore.It was really funny and they wanted to do another partnership, and they asked me to come and step up. It’s a great honor. I'm a fan of Subway.

I have a couple of favorites, you know, like the meatball sub, but I also like the chicken and then they put it in a wrap and it's just delicious. But to have that in Happy Gilmore 2 is a really smart thing to do. They are stepping up to the tee with us and they're offering amazing deals. You could become an MVP Rewards member, it’s free to sign up, and then you 're eligible to get all these prizes. There's giveaways, there's swag. There's a golf cart, O.K.? There’s a golf cart.

Then there’s the cups, you can collect them. There are four of them, So you got Happy Gilmore, you got yours truly, Shooter McGavin. You have Hal, he's back, and then we have a new guy: Oscar, played by Bad Bunny, who is great in the movie and great in life, a wonderful guy. All you have to do to get all four is, you get a Happy Gilmore meal, right? And for a buck more, you get one of the glasses. It’s pretty awesome.

They’re really a great partner in this and I'm glad to be their spokesman.