The Big Picture

Ben Stiller’s uncredited role as Hal L. in
Happy Gilmore
is a fan-favorite, known for his hilarious performance.
Stiller revealed his regret of not landing a role in
My Cousin Vinny
, a missed opportunity that still haunts the actor.
Stiller’s comedic talent is apparent in his cameo appearances, which also give him more time to focus on his directing career.

Derek Zoolander. Tugg Speedman. Alex the Lion. These are just some of the iconic characters actor and filmmaker Ben Stiller has portrayed over the years. Strangely enough, however, his appearance in a particularly popular Adam Sandler classic is considered a fan-favorite, that being his uncredited role as Hal L. in Happy Gilmore — a breakout hit for Sandler that is allegedly getting a sequel. It’s a subtle and hilarious performance, but it’s also one that almost didn’t happen.

That’s because Ben Stiller was vying for a role in a little movie called My Cousin Vinny. An Oscar-winning courtroom comedy, My Cousin Vinny is much more than a fun movie about lawyers. Not only is it often considered one of the most authentic courtroom films despite the funny moments, it’s also fondly remembered as one of Joe Pesci and Marisa Tomei’s best films. Satirical comedies are Ben Stiller’s bread and butter, so the idea of him being a part of My Cousin Vinny does hold water. Alas, it wasn’t meant to be, and not getting cast is reportedly one of Stiller’s biggest regrets in his career.

My Cousin Vinny Two New Yorkers accused of murder in rural Alabama while on their way back to college call in the help of one of their cousins, a loudmouth lawyer with no trial experience.Release Date March 13, 1992 Director Jonathan Lynn Runtime 120 Writers Dale Launer Tagline A Comedy Of Trial And Error.

Ben Stiller Claims He “Tanked” His Audition for ‘My Cousin Vinny’
It’s been a while since we’ve seen Stiller in a lead role for a feature film (though that’s reportedly set to change soon). However, Stiller has been thriving in the world of television, particularly in Apple TV+’s smash hit sci-fi series, Severance, which Stiller both directs and executive produces. It was during a 2022 Q&A panel for Severance where Stiller revealed one of the biggest regrets of his career — not getting cast in My Cousin Vinny:

“I tanked my audition for ‘
My Cousin Vinny’
. It still haunts me to this day.”

Stiller being involved with My Cousin Vinny certainly would have been interesting from a career perspective, as he wasn’t necessarily a household name at the time. While he did have memorable supporting roles in films like Empire of the Sun and Heavyweights, his true Golden Age wouldn’t really take place until the early 2000s. It was then that he starred in the in-law comedy Meet the Parents, the fashion model satire Zoolander, and the Wes Anderson-directed The Royal Tenenbaums. Suffice it to say, had Stiller gotten a leading role in My Cousin Vinny, his career trajectory would be drastically different.

In his 2022 interview, Stiller did not elaborate on which character specifically that he auditioned for. However, according to Ralph Macchio in a 2022 Rolling Stones article, Stiller was one of the candidates for Bill Gambini and or Stan Rothenstein, the parts that went to Macchio and Mitchell Whitfield respectively. Stiller wasn’t the only actor up for one of the roles, as Will Smith was also seriously considered for the role. According to the casting director, the reason that Smith wasn’t cast for the part was over concerns that the film’s dynamic would completely change, with the concept of a falsely accused Black man potentially hitting a bit too close to home. Macchio claims that contextual prejudice was also a factor in why Stiller wasn’t cast, given his cultural identity as a Jewish man. That may not be entirely accurate, since Mitchell Whitfield was cast and he’s also Jewish.

Ben Stiller’s Cameo Appearance As Hal L. in ‘Happy Gilmore’ Is One of His Best

It’s a shame that Ben Stiller didn’t make an appearance in My Cousin Vinny, but had he taken the part, there’s a good chance that some of his best characters and performances wouldn’t have come to fruition. Stiller’s commendable ability as a comedic star can be seen in his uncredited appearance in Happy Gilmore. That’s no easy feat because Stiller’s screentime in the film is completely minuscule, and yet, Hal L. is one of the funniest and most memorable parts of one of Adam Sandler’s best films.

Hal L. may sound like the name of a Kryptonian, but a Superman he is not. When Happy Gilmore (Adam Sandler) is forced to put his grandmother (Frances Bay) in a nursing home, Hal L. looks like a stand-up orderly. We quickly learn that’s not the case when Hal L. delivers one of the best lines in the movie, “You could trouble me for a warm glass of shut the hell up.” In actuality, he’s a selfish sycophant who enjoys using the elderly for his own quilt-making business.

Ben Stiller Also Had More Time To Work on His Directing Career

Many may forget this, but in addition to being a talented comedic performer, Ben Stiller is also a remarkably accomplished comedy filmmaker. Some of Stiller’s most memorable films, such as Zoolander and Tropic Thunder, were also directed by him. About two years after My Cousin Vinny’s release, Stiller made his feature directorial feature debut with Reality Bites — the Gen X dramedy that saw Stiller simultaneously star alongside Winona Ryder and Ethan Hawke.

Reality Bites was a solid debut for Ben Stiller, but his next feature film would be even more impactful as a beloved cult classic (even though it wasn’t all that well-received when it first released). That film was The Cable Guy — a dark comedy that saw Matthew Broderick start an unusual friendship with an eccentric and overly enthusiastic cable repairman played by Jim Carrey. It’s an outlier in Stiller’s work in the sense that he does not have a starring role in the film. However, he still appears via a cameo appearance as two twin brothers who are involved in a murder trial. Again, had Stiller starred in My Cousin Vinny, there is a chance these two important directorial ventures would not have happened as they did.

Related Ben Stiller Is Finally Leading a Movie Again! ‘Nutcrackers’ will be directed by David Gordon Green.

Ben Stiller Returns As Hal L. for ‘Hubie Halloween’
Image via Netflix

A popular online theory for Adam Sandler’s comedies is the concept of “The Sandlerverse,” which implies that Adam Sandler’s films (particularly his Happy Madison productions) all take place in the same universe. This is a theory that’s perpetrated by certain references to other movies and sometimes even the same characters dropping in for a cameo. One of these can be seen in Sandler’s not-so-scary Netflix comedy, Hubie Halloween, which features the return of Ben Stiller as Hal L.

In fact, Hal L. is actually the very first character we meet in Hubie Halloween. The opening scene shows that Hal L. has moved on from being passive-aggressive towards the elderly to being passive-aggressive towards the members of a mental institution. He’s starting his first day by delivering food to one Richie Hartman (Rob Schneider), but before he can torment his new victim, he discovers that Richie has escaped.

While it’s still a Stiller-less film, My Cousin Vinny is still a film well worth your time and is available to stream on Hulu in the U.S.

Watch on Hulu