Initially, a lot of people wrote Andy Samberg off as an Adam Sandler clone. Thinking he was only capable of goofy faces and silly noises. But over time (and with the help of his Digital Shorts), he proved himself to be so much more than just a pale imitation. Brooklyn Nine-Nine also helped cement him as a funny man who has a solid future ahead of him. But what about the things we don’t know about him? Well, here are five things you didn’t know about Andy Samberg that shows you he is so much more than people give him credit for.

Grammy Nominated

People may write off some of his songs with his Lonely Island crew, but that would be their mistake. Seems his I’m On A Boat track actually landed him and his fellow writer friends a Grammy nod. How many talentless people can you say have that under their belt. Plus, I’m On A Boat is hilarious. So if you have any issues with that, that falls back on you.

Has Two Older Sisters

If some people think Andy Samberg is annoying and acts like a little brother sometimes, that is the point. He kinda was the little brother, between two older girls. Do you know how hard it is to get attention at home between two girls who are older than you? You kind of have to act like a, well, how he acts. But look how far that has taken him.

Was Doing Lonely Island Stuff Long Before SNL

All you have to do is go check out the Lonely Island stuff on Youtube to realize, it goes back a lot farther than just Digital Shorts on SNL. He had been doing satire and parody music with his two co-writers for years. For a perfect example look up The Bing Bong Brothers on Youtube. He may not be in that one until the end, but he helped write it. Just don’t check it out at work. Trust us on that one.

Fox Passed On His Show, Awesometown

If you are lucky, you can still find the pilot for this (would have been) amazing show. The intro credits alone may have been the best we have ever seen. And some of the bits, though insane, showed you why he ended up on SNL doing what he did. How much you want to bet Fox was kicking themselves in the butt for that choice. It was a terrible choice, Fox. You could have helped break Andy Samberg into the business.

Swam With Sharks

Andy Samberg wanted to be a part of Shark Week so badly, he actually swam with sharks on TV. He got pretty scared at one point when it seems a few of the sharks around him got a little too close for comfort. But in the end, they got a great bit, and Samberg got some pretty serious bragging rights.

See, you may think he is just funny faces and pretty awesome and hilarious raps, but that is just the surface. I mean, how many of you have swam with sharks? How many of you have rapped with Natalie Portman? How many of you have your own show now? I  would like to think he has already proven all those naysayers wrong.

If not yet, he will over time. That is certain.

(Photo by Jason Merritt/Getty Images)