Community Corner

Lawrenceville Siblings Become Movie Stars In Adam Sandler's ‘Happy Gilmore 2’

The children filmed their scenes from October through December 2024 and loved their experience on set, their mother said.

Luca DeMonte with Adam Sandler and Giada DeMonte with Julie Bowen.
Luca DeMonte with Adam Sandler and Giada DeMonte with Julie Bowen. (Courtesy of Bryana DeMonte)

LAWRENCEVILLE, NJ - Two young Lawrenceville residents have become local celebrities after landing roles in Netflix's "Happy Gilmore 2," starring alongside Adam Sandler and Julie Bowen.

Siblings Luca and Giada DeMonte recently celebrated their film debut when their mother, Bryana DeMonte, hosted a screening at their home for family and friends. The children, who had previous experience in print modeling for brands including Burt's Bees Baby, Spirit of Halloween, V-Tech, and Nuna, caught their big break when Bryana responded to a casting call last year.

As an Adam Sandler fan, Bryana noticed Grant Wilfley Casting seeking photo submissions for children to play roles as "child of principal actor" in the New Jersey-filmed sequel. She submitted both children's photos, leading to Luca's selection a few weeks later.

Find out what's happening in Lawrencevillefor free with the latest updates from Patch.

“At first, I thought it was a scam and too good to be true,” said Bryana, who works as an academic coordinator for The College of New Jersey. " I investigated it a bit and looking up the person on IMDB and LinkedIn and realized it was for real.”

While waiting for filming details, Bryana prepared Luca by having him watch an Adam Sandler movie marathon. Soon after, Giada also received a callback to play Happy Gilmore's daughter.

Find out what's happening in Lawrencevillefor free with the latest updates from Patch.

The siblings filmed their scenes from October through December, with their final day coinciding with the production wrap. According to Bryana, both children thrived on set, particularly enjoying the snacks and having their own trailer.

"Giada just had to sit and look cute in Julie Bowen's arms, but Luca had to do a lot of work,” explained Bryana. "In one scene, he had to run into a lake and get all wet. They filmed it eight times and each time he had to get a new set of clothes and his hair fixed, "

Despite some parental anxiety about the unknown aspects of filming, Bryana called the experience "once in a lifetime" and expressed pride in seeing both children on screen in the long-awaited sports-comedy sequel.

“Happy Gilmore 2” is the long-awaited sequel to the sports-comedy.

Comedy legend Adam Sandler is reprising his role as the quick-tempered hockey player-turned golfer in the slapstick sequel. Also returning are Julie Bowen as love interest Virginia Venit, Ben Stiller as the evil Hal L., and Christopher McDonald as iconic antagonist Shooter McGavin.

The film was primarily filmed in New Jersey.

Have a correction or a news tip? Email sarah.salvadore@patch.com

Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

More from Lawrenceville