Will Ferrell Discusses Megamind And More With Bleeding Cool – Tie Plan For Anchorman 2, Ghostbusters 3 Dream

We’ve already shared Five Things from Megamind director Tom McGrath, and now here are Five More Things from our chat with the inimitable Will Ferrell.

On Playing Villains

Mugatu in Zoolander was my only other time as a villain. I don’t usually get offered those kind of parts but it was great fun, you know? I think villains are the most interesting kind of characters to play in a way because they’re extremely flawed and you know, have a lot of problems. They also have the best costumes.

On Working Alone On A Voiceover, As Opposed To With Other Actors On Set

It’s definitely different. You know, I just kept checking with Tom, asking “It’s okay right?” and he was like “Oh no, it’s great, great.”

You feel a little isolated yet at the same time, once you get used to that environment, you almost have to get in the recording booth and forget that anyone’s listening to your voice. And once you get to that position of almost not caring, then it becomes really fun, because then you just try a bunch of different things and that’s when you kind of go off on these tangents that can lead to things.

Like the ‘Space Dad’ part in the movie. I thought “Why don’t I just try this as my best version of Marlon Brando? It won’t be that good, but it’ll be funny.” And Tom liked it and fought for it and kept it in the movie. Those parts are really fun.

I got to do a couple sessions with Tina, I think because we have the love story angle going on, we have a few more intimate scenes. But no, I didn’t get to record with Brad.

On His Improvisational Riffs

You just kind of go out on this limb and it’s kind of analogous to if you were starting to swim out into the ocean, and sometimes you find land and other times you just drown. But you someone like Tom McGrath, someone who is really good at being a director, allows you the freedom to fail and that’s the key. If you set up an environment where failing is encouraged, then you just want to kind of try everything and it’s obviously the best way to work.

On Where He’s At With His Career

I have to say I’m pretty satisfied as to where I am. I mean I didn’t really to try to think too far ahead. First I got on Saturday Night Live which was kind of a dream on its own and for any American comic that’s such a dream job. They make it so that you can’t ever get too cocky. I think you’re guaranteed nine shows and then you’re supposed to be guaranteed the next eleven. But then they changed it in midseason so then you’re just guaranteed six more shows. I always felt like “Oh is my foot gonna fall through the floor?”

Getting that was one step and then being on the show for a while was another step and then actually getting, you know, notoriety from it was the next one, and then leaving and getting to do films… I’ve been just kind of happy with every gradual step.

I’d love to work with Bill Murray. I’ve always been such a big fan and I think he’s such a great comedic actor, but also a really interesting ‘regular’ actor. I should try getting in the mix for Ghostbusters 3.

How We Can Force Paramount to Greenlight Anchorman 2

Anchorman is like the first movie that we decided, “Okay, let’s…”. I started thinking about all the Oceans 11, 12, and 13 and I’m like, those guys just like go off and do another sequel just because they like hanging out with each other and they don’t care about any of the press going “Here comes another Ocean’s 11…”, they just do it and I thought “Wow. We should have that same fun.”

So we, you know, we went to Paramount with for the idea of Anchorman and they’re kind of not interested right now, they don’t wanna do it. So we’re encouraging everyone to flood them with 70’s ties in the mail to force them to make the sequel.

Thanks to the stalwart Ben Mortimer and generous Hannah Ross for their work in bringing this to you.