Christopher McDonald Gets Candid About ‘Happy Gilmore,’ ‘Hacks’ & His Biggest TV Letdown

If there is one thing Christopher McDonald knows a thing about, it’s golf. The veteran actor is known for his now iconic turn as Shooter McGavin in Adam Sandler’s 1996 hit Happy Gilmore. He has embraced the love of the film, even appearing in the spirit of the role over the years for appearances. McDonald even had a recent spot in the Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F as, you guessed it, a golfer. 

This, along with being a frequenter of the links in his own right, made him the perfect celeb to work with M&M’s for its Peanut Butter Championship at The William Vale in Brooklyn from 2-4 p.m. on August 28. Fans will have the opportunity to challenge the star to an epic mini-golf game, complete with an ultimate one-of-a-kind last hole. Players look to beat McDonald’s score with the winner securing the coveted Peanut Butter jacket and a year’s supply of M&M’s Peanut Butter portfolio (M&M’s Peanut Butter Minis, Mega, and Classic chocolate candies). 

We chatted with McDonald, 69, about the unique event, the talk about a Happy Gilmore sequel, Hacks, and other roles. 

How did you come to get involved with this M&M’s event? 

Christopher McDonald: A little bit of luck. I’m a fan of the Mars products, and M&Ms has been one of my childhood favorites. It’s just a great new product the Peanut Butter Mega and Peanut Butter M&M Minis. You can carry them in your pocket and have a little snack, a little treat. I told them I’d love to be a part of this when they asked. 

We know about your golf street cred, but how is your mini-golf game? 

I got game, depending on how hard the course is. And Scott, this one is not easy. This is for the championship and coveted jacket and year of product. So, I’m going to give it my best shot. I’ve played on a lot of mini-golf courses where there are no rules. You just put it in the hole. It will be very interesting. 

What kind of strategy do you have for this? 

Use your banks. It’s like a pool game sometimes. It’s like a pool where you bank it off the side. If you hit it just at the right velocity, it’s going to go in the right place. It’s kind of like that from my experience. This one will have a lot of obstacles happening, so it’s not going to be easy. The challenge is out there. Come win the jacket from M&M’s. It’s going to be fantastic. People are going to have a great day when they come out to this. 

Mars

How is it for you to be this ambassador for golf? What was the moment you really got a sense of the impact Shooter had as a character? 

I chose to embrace it because it was a very fun role, and I loved it. The moment happened when I couldn’t walk down the street in New York and people couldn’t help but say, “Shoota!”  It used to be, “Why are you so mean to Thelma in Thelma & Louise?” I said, “Well, she had to go over the cliff for her to come back to me.” They would yell out Darryl or another name from the things I did, but Shooter is everywhere. Once it hit television it exploded. The movie came out and made decent money and then wow. Once it got to television, people watched it because it’s such a funny movie. I’ve been an ambassador for it because it has brought a lot of joy to my life. I have gotten to play good golf with cool people, and it’s a great game. Then something like this pops up. 

I know you got a lot of buzz after you mentioned Adam Sandler showed you a script for Happy Gilmore 2. What are your hopes for Shooter this time around if we do revisit this story? 

I would like to a and b, be in it. That’s a good question actually. I can’t really talk about it though because I have yet to read it. I don’t know how involved I am, but it’s sure to be hysterical. I’d like to see a little rematch or anything. Those guys have been writing this for a while now. I just want to go along for the ride and have a great time. 

Chris McDonald in Happy Gilmore

Looking at your resume on television, you’ve been on a number of shows that unfortunately had a pretty short run. Is there one you’re genuinely crushed didn’t continue? 

That’s easy. We had a show from David E. Kelley. One of the great writers of the world. He used to be an attorney. He wrote a show for Kathy Bates called Harry’s Law. I came on as a guest star. Tommy Jefferson was a blowhard and bench boss ad guy. What was so interesting about it was the writing was so good. It was such a joy. We were in this one timeslot and we were going into Season 3 and they pulled it. I said, “What?” I thought it was a joke because we were number one on the network. They said, “There is a new guy running the network. The demographic isn’t right.” I said, “What are you talking about? People who watch this have the money. It’s not the kids that have the money.” That was a big letdown because it was a joy to work with the great Kathy Bates and the other cast members. The writing of David E Kelley. It was a part I could play forever. 

Christopher McDonald and Jean Smart in ‘Hacks’ (MAX)

You’re doing some of your best work now on Hacks. Do you want to see Deborah and Marty get back together in the end? You see how much Marty cares for her, especially after having that conversation with Ava. There is also such great chemistry between you and Jean Smart. 

I appreciate you saying that. I have such joy working with that fantastic woman and friend. It’s kind of not acting but reacting. We do have a great chemistry. It is another show with brilliant writing. That team is incredible. They just kill it. It’s something I would love for that to happen. I think we have a couple of more seasons coming up. I’d say eventually because I’m with a French woman right now. Who knows? 

As you look back on your career, what are some of the fun roles that really challenged you? 

Doing Quiz Show with Robert Redford was a challenge. I had to play the real-life Jack Barry and boy I had to do some research on that one and get him down. Mr. Redford, what a great director. It’s such a great movie. It still holds up. It’s about the end of the innocence of television and the duping of America because they cheated. That was a big challenge, but I worked my tail off and had a brilliant time doing it. I did The Tuskegee Airmen where they talked about this great group of African Americans who were undefeated in World War II. I got to be their flight instructor and commander. It was a thrill to work with all those great actors. I’ve been blessed with a lot of great parts and embraced each one because each one presents a unique challenge. 

You have a role in The Gray House with a great cast including Mary-Louise Parker. It just premiered at the Monte-Carlo Television Festival, but what can viewers look forward to with your role? 

It’s another thing I pride myself on. Having a great range. I’ve done musicals and period pieces like this. I’ve done crazy rap stuff. I’ve done a plethora of different storylines. This one was extraordinary. It had a hundred speaking roles, an international cast, and Morgan Freeman and Kevin Costner producing. It had a terrific story that was never told before. It was an absolute joy to tell this story from a women’s point of view who changed the whole outcome of the Civil War. A period piece we shot in Romania. It was a real challenge but turned out so well. Kudos all around. Terrific. 

What kind of reaction have you gotten for the Beverly Hills Cop sequel cameo? 

It popped up and people said, “It’s Shooter!” That kind of thing. It was a pinch-me moment at the same time working with one of my heroes in Eddie Murphy. What a great guy and talent. I’ve been a fan of his forever. Of course, I jumped at the chance. It was a golf thing where I adlibbed a lot of stuff and they left it in. It was a short little blip but people shouted out when I went to the premiere. It was really fun. Golf and my life come back because of this great character Shooter McGavin.

Related

'Hacks' Star Paul W. Downs Unpacks Jimmy & Kayla's Winning Comedic Dynamic

Ageism is often talked about in Hollywood, but I feel like more than ever we’re seeing a turn.  What are your thoughts on the subject? 

Ageism being that you’re getting aged out of things, I don’t find that to be a personal problem right now. There is a tendency to want to relax a little bit as I’ve been plugging away for 45 years. It’s something you have to really pick and choose. I don’t always see it as a problem, but at the same time, I do think the business has totally changed. I just want to say I’m delighted to be in this time in my life and enjoying every moment of it. Having something like M&M’s come up and ask me to work with their product. I’m a huge fan. That kind of stuff are great perk because if I didn’t like the product I won’t stand up for it. We’re going to have a great outing. I hope a lot of people show up to the event because it’s going to be a treat. 

For more details on M&M’S Peanut Butter Championship, visit www.mms.com/peanut-butter championship.