Megamind - Will Ferrell interview

WILL Ferrell talks about the appeal of playing the villain in 3D animated movie Megamind and why he likes to mix up his roles as much as possible. He also talks about potential sequels to Megamind and Anchorman, watching Arsenal play football and why he would love to work with Bill Murray at some point. He was speaking at a small UK round table...

Q. So how was it playing the villain? Is this the first time you’ve played a full on bad guy?
Will Ferrell: Since Mugatu in Zoolander, that was my only other time as a villain, which I was recently reminded of. I don’t usually get offered those kind of parts. It was great fun, I think villains are the most interesting characters to play in a way, because they’re extremely flawed and have a lot of problems. They also have the best costumes.

Q. With this role and your recent turn in Everything Must Go, your performances have not been crazy and out there. Is that a deliberate choice in terms of moving your career in another direction?
Will Ferrell: You know, maybe, I even think a lot of stuff in The Other Guys was almost… he was a very conversational character in a way, who in moments kind of goes crazy but it’s kind of played close the vest .But I just kind of get projects as they come… it’s not like we have put out an all points bulletin saying ‘please, only send me material that’s more grounded’. Even though I do think it is a tendency to try to change it up a little bit and do some different stuff.

Q. What’s your experience of working with non-comedic actors on comedy films? I’m thinking of Mark Wahlberg on The Other Guys and Brad Pitt in this? Are they particularly competitive, or do they go into their shell a bit because you’re the guy who gets the laughs?
Will Ferrell: You know, I haven’t found that to be the case. We had tons of experience with that on a show like Saturday Night Live because from week to week it wasn’t usually comedians that came in and hosted the show, it was usually straight actors who would come. But we always welcomed that because we found that dramatic actors would just commit to the character and not worry about being funny, and conversely would end up being the best hosts because you could really write to their strengths in that way. So, Mark [Wahlberg] kind of fit in right away because we approached it the same way. He just kind of committed to as if it was the real thing.

Q. And did you share scenes with Brad on this?
Will Ferrell: No, I got to do a couple of sessions with Tina [Fey], I think because we had the love story angle going. We had a few more intimate scenes, but no, I didn’t get to record with Brad. I think he was too intimidated to record with me, not so much as an actor but just because of my physical presence as you guys are all feeling right now.

Q. We were speaking to Tom McGrath before about riffing and running with a gag and how much he enjoyed it. When you’re starting a riff, do you know where you want to go with it, or are you just lost in the moment?
Will Ferrell: You kind of just go out on this limb. It’s analogous to starting to swim out into the ocean and sometimes you find land and other times you just drown. But someone like Tom, someone who’s 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 want to try everything. It’s obviously the best way to work.

Q. Have you ever drowned?
Will Ferrell: I’m a really good swimmer [smiles].

Q. A lot of actors change the type of roles they take when they become parents, has that been the case with you?
Will Ferrell: My children are still pretty little, they’re all under seven, so at least the oldest one is just starting to get a consciousness that I’m in movies and this is what I do. We talk about a lot, they have a clear sense that what I do is make believe, so I don’t think I’ll ever feel pressure to change, to make a choice that changes. In other words, streaking naked down the road, in Old School, I would [still] do it now, with a family. I wouldn’t think twice.

Q. Have they seen any of your films?
Will Ferrell: I did show them the streaking scene over and over, on a loop, in their bedrooms. It was like: “Don’t do this!”

Q. Last time we spoke to you, you said you were getting a hard time for too many scenes in your films wearing your underwear?
Will Ferrell: Is that what I said?

Q. Yeah…
Will Ferrell: I take it back, it’s all fine now.

Q. Can we ask you about football, we hear you’re a football fan and a fan of both Chelsea and Glasgow Celtic, is that right?
Will Ferrell: I have a Chelsea jersey.

Q. What about Celtic?
Will Ferrell: No, I don’t. But I went to the Arsenal match last night.

Q. Why?
Will Ferrell: Because they were playing, and it’s fun to come here and watch football. We had a chance to go so we went. Even though they don’t allow, you can’t bring a beer.

Q. I bet you found it a bit different from the experience of American football?
Will Ferrell: Yeah, I would think beer and football go hand in hand.

Q. Do you notice a difference in the nature of British sports crowds and American ones, where joviality can soon dissolve into mindless, senseless, protracted violence?
Will Ferrell: I’ve only seen the jovial part so far. I am impressed with all the songs and chants that are indecipherable to me. But everyone seems to know exactly the lyrics and when to sing them, and that’s pretty impressive because we don’t have that really. I think in the States we’re a little more simplistic, we have ‘let’s go Rangers,’ [claps in time] that’s about as well as we can do. But some of these songs go on forever.

Q. Given your workload, do you ever say no to anything?
Will Ferrell: Oh yeah, tons.

Q. What sort of excites you then, what draws you in?
Will Ferrell: Just, you know, hopefully original ideas, working with people that I haven’t gotten to work with, you know, which can range from actors to directors, certain writers, things like that. But there’s a massive amount of stuff that we say no to… and then trying to kind of fulfil the ideas that I have. For instance, for the longest time I had this idea to do a movie entirely in Spanish. And we just shot it, we did it in five weeks, with an all Latino cast.

Q. The Gael Garcia Bernal movie?
Will Ferrell: Yes, yeah. It’s called Casa de mi Padre. So, it’s going to be an entire movie in Spanish with English subtitles. Which is great, it’s either going to be a huge thing or a disaster. I kind of like taking those wild chances.

Q. The obvious question is do you speak Spanish?
Will Ferrell: I had High School and college Spanish, so I had enough basic knowledge of the language to get in there, but for the most part it was just trying to memorise the lines. We didn’t work on having proper pronunciation.

Q. And no improv?
Will Ferrell: [Laughs] No improv, no!

Q. Who is on your wish-list to work with, in an ideal world?
Will Ferrell: Huh… I would love to work with Bill Murray. I’ve always been such a big fan. I think he’s obviously a great comedic actor but a really interesting actor.

Q. Weren’t you at some point linked to Ghostbusters 3?
Will Ferrell: Not that I know of. Someone else was just talking about how they were maybe trying to do that.

Q. Did you meet Adam McKay on Saturday Night Live?
Will Ferrell: We were former lovers [laughs]. Oh, OK, you already knew that? We got hired on the same day at Saturday Night Live. He was obviously a writer and it became very evident early on that Adam was the star writer. The sketches he wrote always had a really specific voice. He was one of the few writers who would venture out and write a really sharp political piece but he can also write the most absurd kind of premise. We were just kind of drawn to each other. He would cast me a lot and then I kind of said: “Hey, let’s write something…” So, we started writing sketches and that turned into writing features.

Q. As someone who feeds off the energy in a room and getting a laugh, how was it in an animation studio?
Will Ferrell: It’s definitely different. You really are… I just kept checking in with Tom, asking: “Is this OK?” And he would say: “It’s great, great.” But yeah you feel a little isolated. At the same time, once you get used to that environment you kind of… it’s funny, you almost have to get in the recording booth and forget that anyone’s listening to your voice. Once you get to that position of almost not caring, then it becomes really fun because then you just try a bunch of 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 was like: “Why don’t I just try this as my best version of Marlon Brando, which won’t be that good, but it’ll be funny.” But Tom liked it and fought for it and kept it. Those parts were really fun.

Q. The character in the film thinks he knows what he wants, gets it and then realises that’s not what he wanted. I wonder if you in your career are where you always wanted to be right now?
Will Ferrell: You know, I have to say I’m pretty satisfied as to where I am. I don’t really try and think too far ahead because I think each step has been…. first I got on Saturday Night Live, which is kind of a dream on its own. For any American comic, that’s such a dream job. But of course, they make it so that you can’t ever get too cocky because your first contract you’re guaranteed nine shows, and then you’re supposed to be guaranteed the next 11, but then they changed it in mid-season, and guaranteed just six more shows. So, you always felt like: “Oh, is my flip going to fall through the floor?” So, getting that was just one step, and then being on the show for a while was another step, and actually getting notoriety from it was the next one. And then leaving and getting to do films… So, I’ve just kind of been happy with every gradual step.

Q. You tend not to do sequels as a general rule. But there’s room to do a sequel with Megamind, so would that be attractive to you, and are you sorting something out for Anchorman 2 now?
Will Ferrell: Yeah, I would love to do… if they wanted to do a sequel to Megamind that would be great. I would not say no to that. Anchorman is like the first movie that we decided: “OK…” I started thinking about all the Ocean’s films – 11, 12, 13… – and I’m like: “Those guys just go off and do another sequel because they like hanging out with each other and they don’t care about the press going, ‘here comes another Ocean’s 11’!” They just do it. So, I thought: “Wow, we should have that same fun.” So, we went to Paramount with the idea for Anchorman and they’re kind of not interested right now [laughs].

Q. Really?
Will Ferrell: Yeah, they don’t want to do it. So, we’re encouraging everyone to flood them with ‘70s ties in the mail to force them to make a sequel.

Q. In terms of your Saturday Night Live legacy, where does the cowbell sketch rate? And is Christopher Walken someone you’d like to work with again?
Will Ferrell: I would love to… even though I saw him… back in the spring he was doing a show on Broadway and I went to say hello to him back-stage and he was like [in character]: “You know, you’ve ruined my life!” I guess at curtain call people would bring cow-bells to the play. [Laughs]. But that’s a prime example of… that sketch is a classic example of how you never know exactly what’s going to land with the audience. It was a sketch I’d tried earlier in the season and it didn’t even make it into the show, and it didn’t even make it past the read through table, but then I re-submitted it again and wrote the part more for Christopher Walken and now it’s played at sporting events and has had this whole crazy life, which is great.