Bob Barker wasn't sure if he wanted to be in the movie. When he learned that he was going to win the fight with Adam Sandler, he accepted the role.
During scenes involving Richard Kiel (Mr. Larson), he had to stand still or lean on items. In one scene it's a fence, in another it's another actor. This was due to a severe automobile accident he had in 1992 where he suffered head trauma, losing his ability to balance without aid.
When Dennis Dugan told Bob Barker that a stunt double would be used in the fight scene, Barker insisted on doing his own stunts, saying, "Wait a minute, I know how to fight."
In a 2011 interview with the AV Club, Christopher McDonald claims he originally turned down the role of Shooter McGavin several times because he was growing tired of being typecast as an antagonist. He reconsidered playing the role, as he had enjoyed Adam Sandler's previous film Billy Madison (1995) and while he was playing a golf tournament in Seattle while taking a break from filming his previous movie in Vancouver. Realizing that he was playing an antagonist in a comedy, and having been satisfied with the script, he asked for an arrangement to be made so he could meet with Sandler to discuss the movie. Upon their first meeting, McDonald ultimately decided to accept the role and has said it remains one of the best decisions of his career.