Will Ferrell has made a career out of making his audiences smile. However, the “Elf” star is just like the rest of us, and that means that while he’s experienced a ton of joyful moments, there have been plenty of low points, too. From friendships ending to being snubbed from dream projects, Ferrell has had his share of tragedy.
If asked to think of Ferrell’s work, most people’s minds would go straight to his comedic roles. Whether it’s a festive project like the aforementioned “Elf,” newer additions like “Spirited,” or even the year-round classics like “Anchorman,” just about everybody has seen a Ferrell comedy at some point. However, he’s the first to admit that he loves being able to do more serious indie parts, too — that is, when casting directors will have him.
Speaking to The Talks, he said of roles outside of his general fare, “They just don’t get sent to me. I don’t even get to read them. I think they stop at other actors’ doorsteps first before they think of me. In a lot of people’s head I am not even considered for roles like that because of my reputation.” As such, he explained, he jumps at the chance to do anything different. Granted, that’s not to say he does so with the intention of pivoting into being a more serious actor. Au contraire, he told The Hollywood Reporter that he’d done his Lifetime movie “A Deadly Adoption” alongside Kristen Wiig simply because he thought it would be hilarious. “I thought, ‘Wait a minute, wouldn’t it be funny if you saw me and maybe another known comedy person do a Lifetime movie and just play it straight?’ Yeah, got to do that,” he quipped. We’d say that’s a win!
Will Ferrell fell out with a friend over a hurtful casting decision
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While Will Ferrell made it clear to The Hollywood Reporter that his drive for roles in more serious projects stemmed from wanting to have a good time making them, there was one exception. That would be “Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty.” Ferrell and Adam McKay’s production company, Gary Sanchez Productions, was at the helm of the project, but when they ended their partnership, it became the latter’s baby, produced by his new company … and that’s where things got messy.
It’s no secret that Ferrell is a longtime Lakers fan, so it’s not exactly surprising that he was hoping to be cast as the team’s former owner, Jerry Buss. However, McKay wasn’t convinced his former business partner was the right man for the job. “The way the show was always going to be done, it’s hyperrealistic … and Ferrell just doesn’t look like Jerry Buss, and he’s not that vibe of a Jerry Buss,” he told Vanity Fair. That would be fair enough, but that was just the start of the drama. McKay’s top pick was none other than Ferrell’s bestie, John C. Reilly. Still not the worst part, though. While Reilly’s casting would likely have stung Ferrell in itself, McKay wasn’t the one to break the news to him. “I should have called him and I didn’t. And Reilly did, of course, because Reilly, he’s a stand-up guy,” McKay admitted.
Though McKay has acknowledged that not addressing it with Ferrell was a mistake, the damage was done. Ferrell fell out with his longtime collaborator — and we don’t see a reconciliation on the horizon soon.
Will Ferrell felt betrayed by Chris Kattan
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Unfortunately for Will Ferrell, his relationship with Adam McKay hasn’t been the only one to implode. In fact, as Chris Kattan shared in his memoir, “Baby Don’t Hurt Me: Stories and Scars from Saturday Night Live,” his secrecy while they shot “A Night at the Roxbury” destroyed his and Ferrell’s friendship.
Recounting what went down in the early days of the project, Kattan shared that he’d been propositioned by the film’s director, Amy Heckerling. He turned her down at first, only to get a disturbing call from producer Lorne Michaels, who screamed at him that Heckerling might not stay on for the project if he didn’t acquiesce. “Chris, I’m not saying you have to f*** her, but it wouldn’t hurt,” Kattan recounted Michaels telling him. It probably goes without saying, but this was years prior to the Me Too movement. Even so, Heckerling’s daughter denounced the claims in the harshest of terms in since-deleted posts on X (formerly Twitter) and said that she’d like for Michaels to explain his part in the situation, which she claimed had horrifically affected her mother as well.
Disturbing claims aside, Kattan ended up having a relationship with Heckerling, but kept it secret from Ferrell. However, he later learned that it wasn’t a particularly well-kept one — and that Michaels had actually told Ferrell about it. “Although the situation with Amy hadn’t directly involved Will, my actions and dishonesty had made him feel deceived and betrayed,” he wrote. He added that Ferrell later told him that he was done with their friendship, though he’d always remain professional. Yikes.
Will Ferrell has been called overpaid
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Will Ferrell is worth a pretty penny (pretty penny in this scenario meaning $160 million), but that’s not to say everyone is thrilled about it. In fact, speaking to The Talks, he jokingly recounted being referred to by Forbes as the most overpaid actor in Hollywood in 2009.
Granted, while it’s certainly not nice that he was put on blast, he wasn’t particularly upset by it. “I think we’re all striving to be overpaid, right? Why not? So I think it’s a victory to be the most overpaid person,” he quipped. As for the fact that his movies seemingly didn’t make enough to warrant his paychecks, he added that that wasn’t necessarily his problem, though he did always strive to make his projects as successful as possible. “I just feel like, if you want to write me a check to make a movie, thank you so much, but that’s your fault,” he cracked. May we all strive to be as unbothered as Mr. Ferrell!
It is worth noting that Ferrell’s handsome paychecks have made it possible for him to focus on projects he believes in. In fact, Ferrell turned down a huge $29 million payday for a second “Elf” film. As he told The Hollywood Reporter, “I would have had to promote the movie from an honest place, which would have been, like, ‘Oh no, it’s not good. I just couldn’t turn down that much money.'” After thinking long and hard about whether he could actually say that, he reached the conclusion, “I don’t think I can, so I guess I can’t do the movie.” Shout out to Ferrell for keeping Buddy the Elf pure, unlike some other holiday classics (cough, “Home Alone” straight-to-video sequels, cough).
Will Ferrell was involved in a serious car accident
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Some may remember that back in 2018, Will Ferrell was hospitalized after a serious car accident. According to eyewitnesses who spoke to TMZ, Ferrell’s car was hit on one side by another vehicle, causing the car to flip.
Footage from the scene showed a scary-looking crash, with Ferrell’s car on its side and the windscreen popped out. At one point, Ferrell was also seen being put into an ambulance. However, he wasn’t the only person to have been injured. With him in the car were his longtime collaborator and “Will & Harper” co-star Harper Steele, his assistant Carolina Barlow, and his driver, Mark Thompson. While Ferrell and Steele were released soon after getting to the hospital, Thompson and Barlow weren’t quite as lucky and needed more extensive care. However, ever the loyal friend, Ferrell stayed with them until they were able to be checked out. It’s no surprise that in an interview with Girl Talk HQ several years later, Barlow gushed over her boss. “He is a kind genius which is not something to take for granted. Behind his humor is an incredible moral center and he takes integrity seriously,” she said.
As an aside, hearing someone who’s worked so closely with Ferrell speak about how much he values integrity kind of explains why Adam McKay and Chris Kattan’s secretiveness affected him in such a profound way. But we digress.
Will Ferrell broke up with his wife (but they did reconcile)
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Long-term relationships are a rarity in Hollywood, but despite the odds not being in their favor, Will Ferrell and his wife Viveca Paulin have been married for more than two decades. However, some may be surprised to know that the twosome actually called it quits early on in their relationship.
Speaking about the start of his and Paulin’s relationship in an interview on “MeSsy with Christina Applegate and Jamie-Lynn Sigler,” Ferrell shared that they’d been smitten right from the start. That said, neither one of them was ready for a serious relationship at the time. “It was too much, too fast, at too young. Like, the intensity level was like, ‘Oh, woah,'” he recounted. Having said that, their split was far from messy. In fact, he shared that they remained close friends for several years after that. As for how they started dating again, Ferrell didn’t share much detail, simply offering that they “circled back to each other.”
However the reconciliation came about, Ferrell and Paulin have been together ever since. They’re also parents to three sons (who look just like Ferrell, BTW). Given just how successful they’ve been as a couple over the years, perhaps the split early on isn’t that tragic a detail after all.
