He played the homeless caddy in Billy Madison, the Michael Jackson-loving, one glove-wearing 1980s hipster in The Wedding Singer, and the 35-year-old video game testing stoner in Grandma's Boy. The well-documented thespian is Allen Covert, long time friend and collaborator of Adam Sandler.
Opening Feb. 1, audiences across the nation can see Covert swimming in bird feces and getting mauled by wild animals in the new comedy Strange Wilderness, starring alongside a cunningly comedic cast, including Steve Zahn (Rescue Dawn), Jonah Hill (Walk Hard), Justin Long (Walk Hard), and Ashley Scott (The Kingdom).
The film revolves around a bunch of clueless wildlife television personalities. When the group find out their show is about to be canceled, they decide to launch a hunt for Big Foot.
Covert has experienced moderate success playing character roles in nearly all of the Happy Madison movies, lending a hand in writing and producing some of them as well. Recently, the comedian garnered his first lead role in the cult/stoner comedy Grandma's Boy, which he also co-wrote.
When asked what his ultimate dream would be, Covert answered with a very humbling tone.
"I got to write and star in my own movie. I mean, I'm just psyched to be doing what I'm doing, and five years from now I want to leave this behind and spend time playing with my kids in the backyard," Covert said.
Covert met most of what is now the Happy Madison crew at NYU, where he spent a few years at the acting school with roommate Adam Sandler.
"I literally chose classes based on whether grades came from writing papers or performing," Covert said. "It's pretty ironic that I'm now writing these 120-page scripts."
He explains that he's inherently lazy and would rather perform in front of the camera than be behind the scenes. However, he admitted to enjoying the writing process once the ball gets rolling and he gets really into it.
"Anything they will let me do, I'll do," Covert said.
The veteran funnyman is hoping that people go to see Strange Wilderness in theaters, but he can appreciate and understand a comedy's afterlife following a poor box office showing. Grandma's Boy initially suffered, then benefited from that exact syndrome.
Covert later explained that it's nice when someone can stumble upon a movie they like, feeling as if they discovered it, and then spread it as if it were their own little gift amongst their friends.
Post-Strange Wilderness, Covert has a remake of the sleazy yet addicting video game Leisure Suite Larry in the works, as well as a project with Nick Swardson (Reno 911!), and another movie with long time friend Fred Wolf, who is making his directing debut with Wilderness.
When asked what the most difficult part of filming was, the man who first garnered notice as half of a gay couple in Big Daddy said that sometimes the hours were long and he doesn't get to see his family. However, despite these setbacks, it was an undeniably good time.
"It's easy and fun, anyone that tells you different is just a miserable person."
Strange Wilderness opens nation wide Feb 1.
Photo: Courtesy of Laron Fomby
