Adam Sandler had a close encounter with a cheetah during a recent trip to South Africa when the wild animal turned on the actor and attacked him during a feeding session.

The Grown Ups star was in town filming new movie Blended with Drew Barrymore when he took a day off to enjoy a private safari, where he was allowed to get up close and personal with the native wildlife.

Under the supervision of an animal specialist, Sandler was invited to help feed a cheetah, but things quickly went awry when the feline became aggressive and jumped on the actor's back.

Sharing a clip of the experience with viewers during an appearance on U.S. programme Late Night With David Letterman on Tuesday (09Jul13), he explained, "They were very nice people at this place (the wildlife park), they let me in with a cheetah... and said I could feed the cheetah water with my hands. So I did it and something went a little bit wrong."

The owner ran in to pry the cat off the 46 year old, who remained remarkably calm throughout the ordeal, and he said, "What happened was they said you're not supposed to bend down low by the water and that's why he got mad... I played it off real good... (but) I was very nervous... I swear to God when he jumped on me all I was gonna do was let him eat me, there was not one part of me that was gonna fight back. I was like, 'Alright, this is how I'm dying.'"