Actor Adam Sandler gave a New York store employee a bumper pay day last week (ends22Nov13) to appear as an extra in his new comedy after realising he was one man short.

The Grown Ups star was shooting The Cobbler with director Tom McCarthy on the streets of Manhattan on Wednesday (20Nov13) when he decided to give Rahman Ejaj his 15 minutes of fame.

A source tells the New York Daily News, "Adam went and asked an employee at a local fashion store if he would mind being part of a scene."

Ejaj was so happy to be of service, he claimed he would work for free, but Sandler reportedly refused to take advantage of him and handed over $500 for his time.

Steve Buscemi and Dustin Hoffman also star in the movie.