On Dec. 5th, 2025, Variety, a magazine that focuses on entertainment and news, began rolling out their 23rd season of their highly anticipated ‘Actors on Actors’ series. This season offers lively crossovers with some of the year’s most successful actors. Some notable pairings include Ariana Grande and Adam Sandler, Jonathan Bailey and David Corenswet, Gwenyth Paltrow and Jacob Elordi and more.
Conversations between the actors offer an intimate look into acting methods and information about their highly anticipated or already successful works from the year. In this new season where episodes drop daily, the conversations already out are both funny but also incredibly insightful. As always though, some episodes are better than others. The first episode between Ariana Grande and Adam Sandler is a strong start.
In this nearly 45 minute conversation, Grande and Sandler start in the classic way that almost every episode in this series starts: each actor spends a good time reminding the other actor that they just adore their work.
What any keen viewer would notice first, however, was that Sandler was dressed in more formal clothing which leaves the audience trying to remember if they had ever seen him in anything but a big shirt and board shorts.
Grande then begins talking to Sandler about his newest movie “Jay Kelley”. In talking about her teary-eyed reaction to the movie, Grande endearingly pulls out a physical list of five times she cried during Sandler’s performance. Grande definitely was convincing about the fact that she genuinely watched and appreciated Sandler’s work (Other actors should take notes if they really want to convince me).
A highlight for many chronically online people though was the quick 6-7 mention by Sandler, which made Grande’s face drop when she realized what he had said.
The conversation then shifts towards Grande’s whirlwind experience on “Wicked: For Good”, which shattered box office records but also faced critiques from many movie goers. Grande talks about how she was able to get the role of Glinda even though she says that the movie makers didn’t want anyone famous to play the role.
Although many people have heard this story, Sandler facilitates a version of it that is funny and genuine in a way that only Adam Sandler could do. She speaks genuinely about the emotions she had throughout the process, but also a touching moment where she describes meeting Cynthia Erivo, her now close friend who plays Elphaba.
Sandler proves that he is a real arinator, Ariana Grande’s fan base name, when he brings up a cover of Grande from the pandemic of “I Won’t Say I’m in Love,” from “Hercules”, that his kids adored.
The funniest part is when Sandler addresses Ethan Slater’s character as the “Tin Man” instead of Slater himself, then continues to ask if Glinda and the Tin Man will ever get together. Grande seems to be amused because of Sandler’s ignorance around Grande and Slater’s relationship as a whole.
Her very public relationship with Ethan Slater has faced a large amount of public scrutiny because of the very questionable timeline between the separation of Slater and his wife and Grande’s relationship.
Sandler ends the conversation by asking Grande if animals should be talking at all, as this is what happens in Oz. Grande jokingly says that she believes that they already are and if you look at them close enough, they will say everything that is needed.
The real central theme of this interview however was Sandler’s consistent cough throughout that Grande insistently checks up on him for.
The conversation is light and endearing that highlights the respect two actors who are on two different ends of the spectrum have for each other. The future episodes are sure to fulfill fans’ desire for engaging conversations between their favorite actors.
