Adam Sandler is getting a lot of awards buzz right now for his role in the new thriller Uncut Gems from A24. He’s been making the publicity rounds talking about what many are calling the best performance of his career, and it seems like he’s really leaning into the promotional side of awards season with some publicity stunts. Today, Sandler answered phone calls as his Uncut Gems character Howard Ratner, a New York City jeweler with his own shop called KMH Gems & Jewelry, and we were lucky enough to get through to the man himself to place an order for a very special piece of jewelry. Find out more below.
Earlier today, the official Uncut Gems Twitter account posted this in their feed:
Got a question for Howard about the big sale at KMH this weekend? Give him a call RIGHT NOW — (917) 905-9436 ? #UncutGems pic.twitter.com/hikR6wpFqT
— Uncut Gems (@uncutgems) December 20, 2019
Whenever a phone number is given out for viral marketing for movies like this, it usually sends you to a voicemail with the actors giving a pre-recorded message that ties into the movie somehow. That’s pretty much what we were expecting in this case, especially since when our own Chris Evangelista called, he got a message about the voicemail box not being set up yet. But I decided to call the number to see what would happen myself, and I was surprised when someone actually picked up.
The person who answered the phone confirmed that I was calling KMH Gems & Jewelry and asked how they could help me. I immediately responded that I was looking for some uncut gems, of course. The man on the phone said he would hand me off to Howard, and that’s when the man himself got on and asked how he could help me.
In my head, I wasn’t certain this was Adam Sandler, but it sounded an awful lot like him. Despite my uncertainty, I followed suit by staying in character too and asking for “some good shit,” to which Howard confirmed he could definitely help me out. What did I want? I told him that I was looking for one of those big ass Furby necklaces. You know what, we’ll just let you listen to the call, which A24 recorded and quickly posted online. I had no idea this was going to happen:
??? “KMH, this is Howard…Whatever you want, I got it.” Shop’s open (76 W 47th) and Howie’s on the line — (917) 905-9GEM ? #UncutGems @AdamSandler pic.twitter.com/8xswnUdb63
— A24 (@A24) December 20, 2019
I didn’t wake up thinking I was going to talk to Adam Sandler as one of his characters today, but this officially happened, and it’s surreal.
The good news is that if you want to go pick up something from KMH Gems & Jewelry, you have that opportunity if you happen to be in New York City. A24 has opened a pop-up shop that recreates the jewelry store from the movie. It’s full of merchandise for sale such as jewelry from special guest jewelers, as well as the film’s official soundtrack and some giveaway items you can get for free. Our own Hoai-Tran Bui checked it out last night and posted some photos online:
Art pic.twitter.com/nbtHGYKVZI
— Hoai-Tran Bui (@htranbui) December 19, 2019
If you want to check out the pop-up shop for yourself, it’s located at 76 W. 47th St. in the Diamond District of NYC, and it will be open from Friday, December 20 through Sunday, December 22. Hours on Friday and Saturday are 10am to 6pm, and Sunday hours are 11am to 5pm. You can even get yourself one of those diamond encrusted Furbys, but they’re certainly not free.
In the meantime, you can intermittently try the phone number to see if you can get Howard on the phone, but when we tried awhile after our first call, we just got the recorded voicemail that we were initially expecting. But you can leave Howard a message and maybe he’ll call you back.
Uncut Gems arrives in theaters nationwide on December 25, 2019. Watch the trailer.
The post Listen: Adam Sandler Answered Calls as His ‘Uncut Gems’ Character, and We Actually Talked to Him appeared first on /Film.