For Ferrell, ‘Anchorman’ role trumps all others
It’s not fake news — Will Ferrell sees a key similarity between the classic TV journalist he played in “Anchorman” and President Trump.
“Ron Burgundy is kind of like Donald Trump in a way,” Ferrell told the New York Daily News. “He can say whatever he wants and it’s, ‘No, that’s true.’ Even though Ron’s not evil, really.”
Memorably, Ferrell’s portrayal of the bullish Burgundy in “Anchorman” included him making numerous bold, untrue proclamations, such as him suggesting the meaning of diversity is “an old, old wooden ship that was used during the Civil War era.”
Burgundy is one of many unforgettable roles Ferrell has taken on over the years, and the comedian says the over-the-top San Diego news anchor is his favorite of them all.
“If I had to boil it down to one character, and I only get to talk about one, it probably would be Ron Burgundy, because in the kind of revisionist history of that movie, that took us forever for anyone to green light,” Ferrell said. “They just didn’t understand what would be funny about guys in a newsroom.”
The film — which came out in 2004 and also starred Christina Applegate, Steve Carell, Paul Rudd and David Koechner as members of the Channel 4 news team — is now a widely revered classic, but Ferrell recalls it drawing reviews from both sides of the spectrum early on.
“There was a huge struggle to get it made. We felt like, ‘Oh my God, what are we doing? We’re making this movie that’s going to be so out there.’ And sure enough, it was received with kind of mixed feelings,” Ferrell said. “I had a friend who told me he and his wife and another couple went to see it on opening weekend, and the other couple left in the middle of the movie and just said, ‘This is weird, I don’t get it.’”
The film overcame that initial scrutiny, however, and became popular enough to warrant a sequel, “Anchorman 2,” which premiered in 2013.
Another highly memorable role for Ferrell is his impersonation of President George W. Bush, which dates to his “Saturday Night Live” days and has often been reprised over the years.
Ferrell, 50, brought the character back in April at Samantha Bee’s “Not the White House Correspondents Dinner” special, where he weaved in several jokes at the current president’s expense.
“Here’s a fashion update for you, Mr. Trump — the tie stops at the belt,” Ferrell quipped during the Bush impersonation.
Ferrell revives another character in his latest movie, “Daddy’s Home 2,” as he returns as Brad Whitaker, the overly earnest stepfather to Mark Wahlberg’s character Dusty Mayron’s three children.
The new film, which centers on Brad’s father (John Lithgow) and Dusty’s father (Mel Gibson) coming to town for the holidays, hits theaters Nov. 10.