Carey Mulligan reveals that Adam Sandler taught her to play basketball

Carey Mulligan has revealed that Adam Sandler taught her to play basketball, after they became friendly when working on his new movie Spaceman.

During an appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live on Monday 21 November, Mulligan said many of her friends were surprised she was starring in a Sandler movie, given that he’s known for his wild comedies, while she’s known for serious dramatic roles in films such as Ryan Gosling film Drive and Steve McQueen’s sex addiction movie Shame.

“My friends were imagining me being in something funny, which clearly would never happen,” she said, laughing. “And I was like, ‘No, it’s like Uncut Gems Adam Sandler. Punch-Drunk Love Adam Sandler. Like, sad.’”

She told Kimmel that they filmed the sci-fi drama in Prague while the country was in lockdown, so to kill time off-set, they played basketball.

“He taught me how to play,” she said.

When Kimmel asked if Sandler was a good coach, Mulligan replied: “Ummmm, he’s very encouraging. He gave me the basketballs to take home, so I took them home, and they have his little initials scrawled on them.”

“I thought I’d sell them one day,” she joked.

Mulligan can currently be seen in She Said, a new film about the Harvey Weinstein scandal, alongside Zoe Kazan.

Read The Independent’s three-star review here.