Kathy Bates Nearly Threw 'The Waterboy' Script Away, Adam Sandler Recalls

Adam Sandler recalled at the 41st Annual Santa Barbara International Film Festival that Kathy Bates initially tossed the script for The Waterboy in the trash after reading the first page. He said a member of her team picked it up, read it and persuaded her to give the screenplay another look.

Bates later revealed on The Drew Barrymore Show that she had gotten to the twelfth page before chucking the pages into the bin next to her bed. Once she agreed to take the role, she described the film as one of her favorite all-time experiences and said she and Sandler grew very close while playing characters who shared a household and many memorable scenes.

Directed by Frank Coraci, the 1998 comedy saw Bates step away from her earlier dramatic work to play Helen "Mama" Boucher, the hard-line Christian mother of Bobby Boucher Jr., played by Sandler.

kathy bates, adam sandler, the waterboy, frank coraci, drew barrymore, santa barbara, bobby boucher, mama boucher, 1998 comedy, film festival