50 Firsts Dates | Page 4

from his heart and his eyes and his physical demeanor. Marlin is a beautiful

8person who is protective and loyal and fatherly and gruff, yet he’s a softie underneath.
He struggles with his daughter because it’s exhausting to repeat the same day over and
over. But there’s also comedy and truth in that, a primal parental thing that he brings to
it that’s very real. If someone you loved was hurting, and you had to struggle to make
them happier, that is an incredible mission. Marlin really makes it come true.”

In discussing the dynamics of his family in the film Clark says, “Doug and I have given
up our lives to take care of Lucy. But even with all the precautions we take - like having
dozens of newspapers made up from the day of the accident and having all the regulars
at the Hukilau Café in on the ruse - from time to time there’ll be an incident that makes
Lucy aware that it’s not October of the previous year. So, when we hear that there is a
stranger trying to court her at the Hukilau, it is not good news. It is a complication that
we definitely don’t want.

“Aside from the heartache of watching his daughter go through life with such a disabling
condition, the worst part for Doug and Marlin," Clark adds, "is that they are locked into
having the same thing for dinner every night. Every night is my birthday dinner and we
have to sit down to watch the same Minnesota Viking’s football game, eat the same
spaghetti and meatballs with pineapple upside-down cake for dessert.”

Allen Covert, who has co-starred in every Adam Sandler film except Billy Madison,
plays ‘Ten Second Tom’ in the movie. “I’m actually the example of how things could be
worse,” he laughs. “When they take Lucy to the Institute and explain everything to her
again, the doctor says at one point, ‘well it could be worse, and when she asks, ‘How?’
he introduces her to me. My memory only lasts for 10 seconds so in the middle of
conversations I’m constantly re-introducing myself to people. “

Among the many people who conspire to keep Lucy from having a “bad day” are the
owners of the Hukilau Café owners, Sue and Nick.

9“The character of Sue really grounds the movie,” explains Segal. “She’s Lucy’s protector
at the diner and always on the look-out that no one takes advantage of her. We needed
someone who could capture that kind of tough, yet maternal quality on screen. Amy Hill
is an incredibly sweet woman and such a consummate performer that there really was
no other choice.”

“When we were in pre-production and discussing character, Adam described Sue as the
heart of the film in terms of representing the story’s sweet nature,” recounts Hill. “When I
first read the script, I just thought this is so nice and it really does depict the Hawaiian
'aloha' spirit. I wanted to be sure that Sue embodied a sort of Hawaiian earth-mother
quality. At the same time, there is something very warm and goofy about the story,
which essentially is what Adam and Drew are like in real life. That’s their natural gift to
the world of filmmaking. At the same time, Adam is also very hands-on, very supportive
and takes the work very seriously, though he never takes himself seriously.”

For Sandler and Segal, it was essential that the casting have an air of authenticity about
it, according to Ewing. “We wanted to cast people who were native Hawaiian as often as
we could. A perfect example is Pomai Brown, who plays Nick. He is so full of life. The
moment he walks on the set, you feel you’re in Hawaii.”

“When we were casting the movie,” adds Segal, “we received a tape from Pomai, who
auditioned for the role in his kitchen. It was love at first sight.”

“Initially,” says Brown, who is well known in Hawaii for his expert ukulele playing, “Henry
and Nick become friends over Henry’s love of peanut butter cups and Nick’s love for
Spam. There is truth in that because Spam is a very popular food in Hawaii. It’s kind of
a cultural thing. Nick jokes around with Henry, and behind Sue’s back, he’s actually
encouraging him in regards to Lucy.”

10Brown is grateful for all the input he received from Segal and Sandler in fleshing out the
role of Nick. “Pete was the first person who coached me and gave me suggestions. And
Adam was absolutely wonderful, because when I first came in I didn’t know anything
about acting. He took the time to show me so