“Are you sure? Come on”: Happy Gilmore star Julie Bowen reveals she was shocked to know that she is being cast in the sequel

There may be a lot of new faces appearing in the Happy Gilmore sequel, but some of the familiar faces, who were there almost three decades ago, will appear in the movie too. Julie Bowen, who played Happy's (Adam Sandler) love interest, Virginia Venit, is among them.

Julie was surprised about her casting in the sequel, as she didn't expect it. Some rumors aired that the Madame Web actress will replace her in the sequel. About her return in the film, Julie told The Hollywood Reporter in an interview that:

"I went, I’m hurt and I so respect that move. Of course, why wouldn’t you? So when I got the call that I was actually in it, I was like, ‘Are you sure? Come on."

The film will release on July 25, 2025, on Netflix. Other than Adam Sandler and Julie Bowen, Ben Stiller, Christopher McDonald, Dennis Dugan, and more are in the film, too.

Julie's role in Happy Gilmore

Julie Bowen with an award. (Image via Getty)

The smash hit sports comedy was Julie's big break in Hollywood, after which she went on to appear in films like Multiplicity (1996), Joe Somebody (2001), Horrible Bosses (2011), and more. But she is best known for playing Claire Dunphy in the ABC sitcom Modern Family, for which she has won a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series.

Julie's Virginia Venit is introduced as a public relations head in the first film, who we see helping Happy Gilmore with his anger issues. That works both ways, professionally and personally, as the two characters would go on to begin a romantic relationship.

Still, things go sideways in between, and for some reason, our lead protagonist is fined $25k in the film. Again, Virginia steps in as a support vehicle for Happy and secures him a Subway deal that will then take care of these losses.

However, this gain is of no use as his grandma's house is put up for auction, something that is the core of the film. Happy's reason for playing golf is to earn so much that he can prevent all of this from happening. All his hard work down the drain now.

Still, Virginia supports Happy Gilmore, where she asks him not to quit and keep playing, which he does. Everything comes back on track, and Happy wins back his grandma's house. Both Gilmore and Venit are seen celebrating with the others at last.

Not much has changed for Julie's Virginia in the film

Last year, Julie Bowen appeared in an interview with Forbes, where she discussed the show she was working on, Hysteria!. But she also discussed a bit about the Happy Gilmore sequel and said:

"We're shooting it right now and I'm not allowed to tell any plot points. There are some flashbacks. I can tell you that we're going to see Virginia Venit through the ages. We get to see her from ‘96, so I get to have the old hair and makeup—the whole rigmarole—which is really fun."

Netflix dropped a full-length trailer yesterday, and even though Julie isn't featured much in it, you will be able to identify her.