How Jena Sims Helped Brooks Koepka Prepare for ‘Happy Gilmore 2’ Role (Exclusive)

Jena Sims had some acting tips for her husband Brooks Koepka on the set of Happy Gilmore 2!

While it was exciting that the actress and model, 36, had the opportunity to act alongside her husband, a 35-year-old PGA Championship winner, in the long-awaited Happy Gilmore sequel, the lovebirds’ joint casting was convenient for another reason: Sims could help show Koepka the ropes of working through his lines.

“He felt like he was stepping into my world,” the actress tells PEOPLE exclusively of her husband.

“I had to teach him how to read a script and how to find certain things within the script,” she continues. “It was cool watching him step out of his comfort zone because that rarely happens.”

Koepka is one of many pro golfers who scored a cameo in the Adam Sandler-led follow-up to the classic 1996 comedy — appearing alongside the likes of Rory McIlroy, Bryson DeChambeau and John Daly, among several others.

Luckily for Koepka, who makes his silver screen debut when Happy Gilmore 2 starts streaming on Netflix on Friday, July 25, his role in the film didn’t demand that he “do anything crazy,” says Sims. “It was like the golfers were playing themselves.”

But for Sims, who regularly accompanies her husband to tournaments around the world, she had to forget everything she knew about golf etiquette to get into the role of a crazed golf fanatic cheering on the opposing team.

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“I try to blend into the background or even not even be seen at golf tournaments,” she says. “This was the complete opposite. I had to literally jump up and down and scream and try to get this other guy’s attention.”

In fact, Sims tells PEOPLE that the role was a refreshing change of pace from the kinds of gigs she had taken throughout her 20s — often playing what she jokingly dubbed “the hot blonde who dies first.”

“I wasn’t the hot girl, and it was so fun because I truly got to be this character versus getting my head chopped off in a slasher movie,” she says. “Comedy is my passion. I had so much fun with it.”

Sims continues: “I studied acting for 10 years in L.A. I was like, ‘Finally, they gave me a shot out here.’ My scene was only one or two lines, and then they invited me back two more days. I feel like in a way I proved myself.”

Despite her new foray into comedic acting — on top of her first Sports Illustrated Swimsuit issue and the 20th anniversary of her nonprofit Pageant of Hope, both achievements she notched earlier this year — Sims says she and Koepka believe their family life is “equally important.”

The pair, who wed in 2022, welcomed their first child, son Crew, nearly two years ago.

“You know when they say it takes a village? It really does,” Sims says, describing how she, Koepka and a nanny trade off childcare duties when she or her husband have work obligations. 

As for what’s next, Sims already has her plate full: launching an eyewear line, continuing to work with Sports Illustrated and supporting Koepka on the road. And, she concludes, she would like to give baby Crew a sibling.

Says the actress and model: “We would love to hopefully expand our family in the near future, God willing.”