Will Ferrell is a comedy icon. Audiences were first introduced to his loud, brash, reckless-abandon style of comedy on Saturday Night Live, as well as early appearances in movies like Austin Powers and Zoolander. Ferrell eventually won praise for leading roles in Old School, Elf and Anchorman. He's no slouch in the drama department either, having turned in solid performances in Stranger than Fiction and Everything Must Go.
Who is Will Ferrell, exactly? What is his regular, day-to-day life like outside his movie roles? We've poured through Ferrell's history, including interviews, quotes, anecdotes, facts, and trivia to bring you the best stories about the man behind the comedic persona—a Will Ferrell Biography, if you will, or perhaps Wiki Will Pedia.
Fun Facts You Didn't Know About Will Ferrell, videos, people, celebrities, behind the scenes, other,
He Turned Down $29 Million to Do Elf 2
Will Ferrell doesn't just sign on to any film for the money. For instance, he was offered a staggering $29,000,000 to star in the sequel to the hit 2003 comedy Elf, but he turned it down. "That's what was on offer for it. But I killed the idea of a sequel. I remember asking myself: could I withstand the criticism when it's bad and they say, 'He did the sequel for the money'? I decided I wouldn't be able to. I didn't want to wander into an area that could erase all the good work I've done...But you watch—I'll do some sequel in the future that's crap."
Source: Contact Music
Part of What the Media Describes as 'The Frat Pack'
Because of appearances in Old School, Zoolander, and even The Cable Guy, critics lump Ferrell in with a a group of comedic actors known as The Frat Pack. Films from this group often feature numerous other so-called members—including Ben Stiller, Vince Vaughn, Steve Carrell, Jack Black, Luke Wilson and Owen Wilson—and generally involve dudes doing dude stuff, hence the "frat" reference in the name.
Source: Wikipedia
He Loves That He and Chad Smith Look Alike
Red Hot Chili Peppers drummer Chad Smith and Will Ferrell bear a striking resemblance to each other. Naturally, the pair love to use this resemblance in the service of comedy. They did just that on The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon, where they engaged in a "drum-off." (Check out the interview preceding the drum-off in the video above). He said in his Reddit AMA, "It has been acknowledged many times that myself and Chad Smith, drummer for the Red Hot Chili Peppers, share a resemblance to each other. A lot of people think that it's me playing for the Red Hot Chili Peppers. But that would be an insult to Chad Smith. The truth of the matter is there is no Will Ferrell. Only Chad Smith."
Source: Jimmy Fallon
The Roxbury Guys Began as a Groundlings Sketch
The Groundlings is a prestigious improv school in Los Angeles. It was there that Will Ferrell and and fellow student/future SNL co-star Chris Kattan developed their now-famous "Roxbury Guys" bit (later developed into the feature film A Night At The Roxbury. During a 2014 AMA, when asked how they came up with that iconic headshake, Ferrell said: "I don't know exactly. I think it was Chris Kattan and myself just acting stupid in my apartment when we wrote that sketch for the Groundlings show that we were in at the time. It's also what happens when the beat of any Haddaway song hits your ear."
Source: Reddit
He Found His Love for Performing While Doing the Morning Announcements
Will Ferrell went to University High School in Irvine, California, and was responsible for the morning announcements there. Naturally, he did them in various wacky voices, and would even perform full skits with his friends over the intercom. It was here that his love for performing was born.
Source: Movie Fone
He and His Wife are Avid Runners
You'd never guess it from his nude lap through the quad in Old School, but Ferrell is an avid runner. Both he and his wife ran the Boston Marathon in April, 2003, where his official time was 4 hours, 2 minutes, and 29 seconds. Two years prior they ran the New York City Marathon together, and there his time was 5 hours, 1 minute, and 56 seconds.
Source: Movie Fone
He Pops Up in Kingpin
In the Farrelly Brothers' 1996 film Kingpin there is a final bowling match between Woody Harrelson and Bill Murray. During the peak of the match, someone yells, "Ernie, you're the man!" That was a young Will Ferrell representing Team Murray.
Source: Movie Fone
He Loves That Cowbell Skit as Much as You Do
In an episode from SNL in 2000, Ferrell appeared alongside fellow cast mates and host Christopher Walken in a skit poking fun at the quite noticeable cowbell part in the Blue Oyster Cult song "Don't Fear The Reaper." It became an instant classic among fans, and made a catchphrase out of Walken's line "Needs more cowbell." Not only has Ferrell revisited the bit multiple times (during a hosting stint of SNL years later, and in the Beastie Boys music video "Make Some Noise") but spoke fondly about it up during a Reddit AMA in 2014: "I will say off the top of my head that my two favorite sketches that I was part of had to have been the Harry Caray space show with Jeff Goldblum and, of course the cowbell sketch with Christopher Walken."
Source: Reddit
He Was the Highest Paid SNL Cast Member of All Time
Will Ferrell had a long and impressive run on SNL from 1996 to 2002. Near the end of his tenure, he became the highest paid cast member ever, making $350,000 a season beginning in 2001. This pay raise was likely due to the actor's popularity, both on SNL (in particular his portrayal of President George W. Bush) and beyond.
Source: Celebzen.com
There's a Backstory Behind The Piano Key Tie in Zoolander
In the 2001 film Zoolander, Ferrell plays Mugutu, a fashion mogul. The character's claim to fame is creating the Piano Key necktie, an invention that coincidentally relates to Ferrell's father. Lee Ferrell, was the keyboardist (and also saxophonist) for The Righteous Brothers.
Source: Swide.com