Julie Bowen and director Kyle Newacheck have finally opened up about their decision to kill off Virginia Venit in Happy Gilmore 2.
The highly anticipated sequel, which was released on Netflix last Friday, began with a shocking plot twist as they revealed that Virginia was killed off due to a freak accident. While the character still made appearances through dream sequences throughout the film, many fans were surprised by their decision and wondered why she had to be killed off.
What Does Julie Bowen Think of Virginia's Death in Happy Gilmore 2?
In an interview with People, Bowen revealed that she laughed when she read in the script that Virginia would die at the beginning of Happy Gilmore 2.
Contrary to the outrage that fans have, she wasn't offended by the decision that her character dies, and believes that it was purposeful for Happy's arc in the film.
"When I found out that I was killed on page 12, I started laughing. I was on vacation with my family, and I had no wifi. I could barely read this thing. I only had my phone, and I was like, ‘Am I seeing this right?’ And I was like, ‘Oh, yeah, I’m dead. And he kills me.’ Then I just started laughing," she shared.
"I just started laughing and laughing, and Adam [Sandler] was trying to get through to me. I was on an island with no wifi and barely any cell [service], and we finally connected."
Bowen added, "I go, ‘I don’t care. It’s great. Happy can’t be happy,'"
Why Was Virginia Killed Off in Happy Gilmore 2?
Newacheck defended their decision to kill off Virginia at the beginning of Happy Gilmore 2 when he spoke to Slash Film about the shocking early plot twist.
"There’s always a concern when you’re playing with that type of darkness. But I don’t know, I was never really concerned because it is the driving force [of the film]. If you pull that out, then what do you have? You don’t have anything real," he said.
"When I first read the screenplay, [Virginia’s death is] like page five, and I was glued when that happened. So I knew what that feeling felt like, and I knew that people could get over it."
Newacheck also reminded fans that the original Happy Gilmore began with the death of Happy's father, so it's not surprising that the sequel has done a similar move.
He said, "There’s darkness in the first one. There’s real dark humor. So I just felt it [was] fitting."
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