**
-Well, you cannot mention the word "comedy"
without thinking of my next guest today.
He's been making us laugh for over 25 years --
first, of course, on "Saturday Night Live"
and then through some of the biggest comedy movies
of all time, including an incredible film
called "Get Hard."
Wow, was that a good one.
A legend he is.
Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome Will Ferrell.
Wow.
-That -- -Was that good?
-That was great. -Did you like it?
-Great job. Great job. -Thank you, man.
-I didn't think you had it in you.
-What do you mean, you didn't think I had it in me?
-No, that was great. -You didn't think I could do
an introduction, Will?
-Not in one take.
-What are you talking about? -It was incredible.
-Will, you worked with me. You know that I'm --
-I did. Yeah. I did. -Yeah. That's what I'm saying.
You know that I would be fine at doing something like that.
That's not -- -I was blown away.
-Okay. Alright, Will. Well --
-The place is abuzz right now.
-What does that -- Well, that -- I know what you're doing, okay?
And it's not abuzz.
You're not gonna hear the crowd cheering.
-I love your wine -- I love your wine cellar here.
-Yeah, you should love it.
-Yeah. -It's intimate.
-It's lovely. -Yeah.
-The rich smell of oak. -Yeah.
-The oak barrels in here.
-Will, uh, first and foremost, thank you.
Thank you for coming on. Okay? -Thanks for having me.
-You know, these conversations seem to get easier and easier
because my friends are coming on.
And the level of comfort that I have with my friends is unreal.
Right? This level of comfort.
-Yeah. -Insane, right?
-It's so insane.
-It's insane. I can let the --
-You can let it -- -I can let it Goddamn --
-Yeah. You can let your hair down.
-Yeah. I can let them fly. Right?
-Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. -All the hard-hitting questions.
-I love your socks. -You like that?
Little combo pack right there?
-Look what I wore today. -Don't do it, Will.
-Just decided to do a little self-promotion.
-Will.
-Even though I think this will air
in July. -No, Will, don't --
Will, that's not -- You're not showing --
You're showing your ass, Will.
-Well, that's -- -You're tooting it up. Okay.
-That's my ass. -Alright. Alright.
Okay. Thank you. -But then, I'm wearing
"Elf" socks -- -That's nice.
-Only 'cause someone gave them to me at a Christmas party.
-That's why you're wearing them?
-I thought, "I'll wear them for Kevin." But is that sad,
that I'm wearing socks with my face on them?
-Yeah, it actually is, Will. I'll be honest with you.
It's not your highlight. It's not --
It's not a big moment for you, right there.
-But I thought you'd get a kick out of them.
When I saw your fashionable socks,
it made me think of my socks.
-Well, my socks don't have my face on them.
-No, no. I'm saying they look great.
-Well, thank you, Will. -Just part of
the whole ensemble. -Ensemble. Yeah.
I knew you were gonna say that.
I know you like the back of my hand.
-Yeah. -Will, on this show,
we drink wine. Okay?
The reason why we drink wine is because what?
-Uh, because of the cellar. We're in the cellar.
-No, Will. -Oh.
-It's not because of the cellar.
It's because some of the best conversations
happen over a glass of wine. -Over a glass of wine.
-There it is. -Great. I love it.
-This conversation has the ability to be that.
This is my somm.
-Mr. Ferrell. -Hey. Hi.
-How are you? -Mr. Hart.
-How you doing, man? What do we got today?
-Fantastic. So, today, from the cellar...
-Yes. -...an exquisite
Cabernet Sauvignon -- clone 4, clone 6,
clone 7 Cabernet Sauvignon.
Single vineyard. Monopole -- That's what the French say.
-Okay. -Owned by one family.
2019 vintage, just released. -Just released. I know.
-We're talking about less than 500 cases.
-Whoa. -That's the good stuff.
That's the good stuff. -Wow.
-Yeah, go ahead. Let's let it rip.
-Mm-hmm.
-Uh-huh. -It looks thick.
-Yeah. -Viscous.
-Yes.
-Will this have legs?
-Lots of legs. -Lots of legs.
-Yeah. It's gonna have legs, Will.
It's -- -We like to say medium-plus
on these legs. -Oh. Medium-plus.
-Yeah. -Yeah. It's bold, robust.
You'll enjoy it. -Thank you.
-Please enjoy. -Always.
-Thank you. -Thank you.
-To you, man. Cheers. -Cheers.
-Thanks for having me. -Thank you for being had.
Ferrell, we get to talk a lot today.
And it's a lot that I want to talk about, man.
Um, here's what I got to say, dude.
When people refer to you, they really do attach you
to some of the biggest compliments
in the world of comedy.
Especially in the world of improv
and the world of just theatrical performance
attached to any piece of laughter,
your name never not comes up.
Uh, what does that feel like for you now?
-Uh, well,
it's pretty crazy,
only because, as you know, you know,
starting out in this biz, you just hope to get hired once.
-Uh-huh.
-But to kind of --
You know, "Saturday Night Live" was a dream job.
-Yeah. -You know, almost --
I've gotten to kind of do
almost everything I've wanted to do in this business.
And to look back and see that, for the most part,
a lot of it resonated with people,
that's pretty incredible.
-When you say -- -Only because, once again,
as you know, you only have the thoughts in your head.
You know, what you think,
sitting alone with your thoughts,
thinking, "Oh, that could be funny."
But it's only funny unless you can make strangers laugh.
-Yeah. -So, the fact that
I can sit around and think of weird things,
and it actually translates to an audience, it's still --
it's still --
I feel very fortunate that I get to do that.
-Before "SNL," though, you were where?
You were in one of the --
-I was out here at The Groundlings.
-Okay. You was in Groundlings.
-Which, over on Melrose.
And yeah, it was a --
I had actually seen one of their shows.
I went to USC, and it was my last year at USC.
I went to check out one of their sketch shows,
and I saw that they had a school.
I was blown away.
I was like, "Oh, my God.
This is something I would love to do."
And I saw that they had an improv school,
and you could sign up for these classes
and that you could work your way up into
actually being part of the performing company.
And I thought this was -- And they were so --
I think I saw Lisa Kudrow that night onstage
and a number of other people
that went on to either write for sitcoms
and this, that, and the other.
And I was actually pulled up onstage
as part of an audience participation.
-Your first night going? -Yeah.
First night. I'm part of the audience,
and I get pulled up into one of their sketches.
-Did you bitch up? -Did I what?
-Bitch up.
-Is "bitch up" a good thing or a bad thing?
-No, it's bad. -Yeah, I bitched up, big time.
-You bitched up. -Yeah.
-You just said -- -I didn't say a word.
I was paralyzed, to the point where the guy,
the other actor, was like, "What's your problem?
Stop bitching up."
-[ Laughs ]
-No.
"We've got a bitch up onstage here,
someone who's literally bitching up."
No, I fro-- I was terrible,
which is the irony that three years later,
I'd be performing on that stage, you know,
writing my own stuff and -- -But did you fall in love?
Like, did your terrible -- was that also --
was that the moment that you fell in love with the thing?
Like, I can remember when... -Yeah, I --
-...I had that moment of, like, "Lights. Oh, shit. People."
-Yeah. -"I got to get a laugh."
But, at the same time, even though I wasn't getting it,
I fell in love with the thing. Like, "Okay, this is
the thing I want to do." -Exactly.
And I think I was so enamored with it
that I didn't want to say something stupid
to mess up the sketch, so...
And I just was paralyzed
and walked back to my seat and --
But I remember thinking, "Oh, I got to --
I want to sign up for the next class that's available here."
And that became a home. -When you made the decision,
family, what was the family's -- What was their, like,
take on your choice of what you wanted to do with your life?
-You know, they were supportive.
-When you say "they," are we talking Mom and Dad?
-Yeah. -Okay.
-I wouldn't say they were like, "Rah, rah, you can do it."
-What did they want you to be? -"You can do anything."
I think they just wanted me
to, you know, be on my own
and be out of the house because I did --
After four years of college, I moved right back home.
So... -Nice.
-Yes. -No, that's good.
-Yeah, it's great. -By the way, "Mom!"
-For three years.
-"Where's the meatloaf?" -Yes.
-True.
-But I had a very -- That was true.
That was literally taken from my life.
[ Both laugh ]
Screaming at my mother to bring me meatloaf.
Which we never had in our house,
but I always hoped she'd bring me some.
-So, you -- -But, yeah.
So, I moved back home
and because
I was like --
I thought I was gonna go into, like, sports journalism and --
But I remember thinking, "No, I got to try this comedy thing,
'cause it'll always be kind of itching away."
But, yeah.
So, I started just kind of driving back up to L.A.,
doing the Groundlings thing.
You know, my dad's a musician, so he kind of was like --
would tell me, like, "Just so you know, it's pretty tough."
And I was like, "I got it."
And so, when they first came to see me
kind of a performing in a show,
where I got to kind of do my stuff,
I remember my dad kind of going, "Okay.
You're -- You're good."
-"You're good at it." -"I didn't think you'd be --
Not that I didn't think you'd be that good,
but you're confident up there.
It's like a whole 'nother side of you."
So, they were very supportive,
but it wasn't like,
"You can do it! We know it!"
They were worried -- -It was,
"He's got a good choice, and I'm supporting the fact
that you made a choice, and he's happy."
-Happy. And I think they were just like, at least --
'Cause I would just say, "Hey, if it doesn't work,
I can be a substitute schoolteacher."
-Yeah. I was like that --
-Nothing wrong against
substitute schoolteachers. -No. At all.
But...
-But... -Yeah. Right?
-I could have done better than that.
-Yeah. We don't got to put a finger on it, but...
-Right. No. Yeah.
-That's a tough one.
Depends on what program you're coming up in.
-Right. Right. -It can be tough.
Guys, we got to take a quick break.
Do me a favor. Stick around.
We got more "Hart to Heart" up after this.
**
-Welcome back. This is "Hart to Heart,"
and I still am talking to Will Ferrell.
Will, here's my real question for you.
The level of confidence, right?
The confidence that you have now doing it,
of course, is bar none. It's insane.
In the world of improv, well,
that's a different level of confidence
because it's not stand-up.
You're not retooling the jokes.
You're not reworking them. -Right.
-It's all on the spot.
It's all impromptu.
In your "class," your Groundling class,
first of all, who was there?
Are there any other names that I would know today
that were attached to you in the beginning stages?
-There was kind of either slightly ahead of me
or during that same time or a little bit behind me,
were all kind of from the same era,
there was Chris Kattan and Cheri Oteri
and Ana Gasteyer. -Wow. Wow.
-Molly Shannon was in L.A. at that time, doing her shows.
She wasn't affiliated with The Groundlings,
but we'd run into each other at, like, cabaret shows.
Kristen Wiig, Will Forte,
Maya Rudolph. -Holy shit.
-Yeah. -The whole cast, basically,
minus a couple, yeah. -Melissa McCarthy.
So, it was a lot of funny, fun, bright people,
all kind of feeding off each other,
which is why I was so drawn to it.
'Cause I did try my hand at stand-up...
-Mm-hmm. -...and doing open mics.
And as you know, it's such a lonely existence.
-It's a completely different ball game.
-And when it's working, it's the absolute best.
-Yeah. Yeah.
-And when it's -- There's no middle ground.
-No. There's not.
-There's no place to hide. -There's no in-between.
-And sketch comedy, I was like, I thought,
"Well, if I'm gonna bomb, at least
I'll bomb with three or four other people up onstage."
So, that's kind of how I --
-When you get to "SNL," of course, you're a fan.
Right? You're already a fan of the show.
It's a big deal just to try out.
Your audition, they say, is one for the record books.
Legendary.
I don't know if you're familiar with mine,
but mine is in the top two probably worst.
I know your -- -Wait, what was it --
-I did Avery Johnson, and Avery Johnson was --
I did Avery Johnson telling David Robinson --
-Super obscure, Avery Johnson. -Just -- By the way,
there's no shot Lorne knew who Avery Johnson was.
And I was committed.
-"He does a good Avery Johnson."
-I said, "Pass me the ball."
I just kept saying, "Pass me the ball."
-I pass the ball to them a lot.
I don't really shoot. Mm-hmm.
Mm, we -- Hopefully, we can keep winning championships.
Mm-hmm. That's pretty much it.
Thank you. Can I go?
That's pretty much it, my Avery Johnson.
The admiral -- -Lorne's a huge NBA guy.
-Lorne was just sitting there. I'll never forget.
He was just sitting there, looking at me,
and I ended, like, with a weird, like, "That was Avery Johnson."
[ Both laugh ]
Like, nobody said anything. -To silence.
-Silence. Silence. It was the worst --
Then, I did, like, my De Niro.
-But my audition was to complete silence, as well.
-They say it was legendary, though.
-It was -- -Silent, but funny as fuck
is what people refer to it as. -I don't know.
I mean, you know, you were just --
I forget, did you have to do it in the studio?
-Yeah. I was in the studio, onstage.
-So, same sort of thing.
And you're just in that, you know, 8H,
where they've filmed the show since 1975.
Big, empty studio.
You and a camera and Lorne in the shadows,
and extremely intimidating.
-But how did you prepare?
I remember them telling me they wanted, like, some characters.
-Yeah. -They said, "Just get in there.
Like, it's best if you show characters.
Show them what you can do." And I was like,
"Well, I don't really do characters,
but I could do some stand-up.
I'll try to incorporate some characters."
It was the shit-- It was bad.
It was probably one of the worst displays of talent
I've ever put on in my fucking life.
-But it's hard. -If I'd have got that show,
it really would have been a mystery as to how,
when I look back at it today.
-"I'm definitely gonna do my Avery Johnson.
I know that.
[ Gasping ] Where's my notepad?
Avery Johnson, 'SNL' audition."
-[ Laughs ]
-You committed to the Avery. -I really did.
I really did, man. -I did --
Yeah, they did the same sort -- They did --
If you could do it, a celebrity impersonation,
a character of your choice, and a political impersonation.
-Yeah, I had no political.
-And do it for five to eight minutes.
And if you can't do any of that, just be funny.
So,
I had a kind of, once again,
obscure celebrity impersonation in the world of sports,
but Harry Caray, the announcer of the Chicago Cubs --
-Yes. -...who, while I was at
The Groundlings -- or while I was working in L.A.,
I'd come home at lunch 'cause I lived close enough
to eat lunch at my house, my apartment.
And they would have the Cubs day games on.
And I didn't know anything about the Cubs,
But I'd turn on the baseball game, "Oh,"
and see this guy, Harry Caray, you know, just --
I was like, "Who is this guy? I've never..."
Growing up in L.A., I wasn't familiar with him.
And for those baseball fans, for those Chicago Cubs fans --
-He was the best thing ever. -...he's a legendary guy who,
you know, towards the middle to end of his career
would just say the most bizarre stuff.
And literally, I was watching one afternoon,
and he was like --
You know, he'd get confused with the names of the players.
He'd be like, you know,
"DeSantos back for the pop ball.
He drops it.
Oh, he lost it in the sun.
Here's something I'll never understand.
DeSantos grew up in the Dominican Republic.
It's sunny the whole time.
He's staring into the sun 24 hours a day,
and yet he drops the ball.
Oh.
Anyway.
Two in one count --" Like,
and I'm like, I was just thinking, "Who is this guy?
How is he allowed to be on television?"
-[ Laughing ] -And...
another time, he'd get really mad
when the Cubs were not playing well.
And there was a pitcher -- -[ Laughing ]
-There was a pitcher for the Cubs
named Heathcliff Slocumb,
and he was like, you know,
"Two one f-fast ball. Heathcliff
sets the pitch, and the pitch, high ball three.
If he's throwing hard, I'm a Chinaman."
[ Laughter ] And I was like, "What?
What did he just say?"
And, yeah. So, just always all over the place.
But anyway, I'd written a sketch at The Groundlings
that it was Harry Caray doing a play reading,
because it was -- The baseball strike was on,
and he was out of a job, so...
What happened, Carol?
I feel hollow inside.
My heart is black, and I hate you.
Sweet Jesus.
So, I did Harry Caray doing a play reading for my audition.
I think I did Bill Clinton?
Oh, no, no, I did Ted Kennedy
doing stand-up comedy.
And then, I did this sketch,
another sketch from The Groundlings that ended up being,
I think, what got me the job in the first place,
was this guy -- -Your original sketch?
-...yelling at his kids to get off the shed.
And he's a guy doing a barbecue with neighbors,
and he's just having a benign conversation,
talking about stupid suburban stuff,
and then he would yell, off-camera.
You don't see what's happening, was like, "Hey, you want to --
Hey, kids, you want to do me a favor and get off that shed?
Stop -- Stop crawling on the utility shed.
Okay?
Thanks, pal.
Thanks, buddy.
Anyway, my golf game is great.
I found a new sand wedge I just love.
It just cuts right through, you know. Beautiful.
You been playing a lot of golf lately?"
-Yeah, a little bit. -"Get off the shed!"
-Yeah.
Wow. Wow.
-Yeah. And I --
That was the game of that sketch.
Just yelling at kids off-camera.
So, that was my audition. Yeah.
-Will, an amazing conversation we're having,
but unfortunately, we do have to pay some bills.
Guys, we're gonna take a break. We'll be right back
with more "Hart to Heart" after this.
-Anybody want a burger? Who wants a burger?
These are just about -- just about done here.
Get off the Goddamn shed!
**
-Alright. We're back.
This is still "Hart to Heart," and I'm still talking
to the legend himself, Mr. Will Ferrell.
Will, you get "SNL."
Finding your wheelhouse
into becoming a not just fan favorite but a show favorite,
how long did it take you to get into the place where,
"Okay, I'm in the system of the norm and the regular.
Although I'm doing the work... -Yeah.
-...everybody feels like they can work with me
and provide me with material as I do for them, as well."
-I hate to keep saying that I got lucky,
but once again, you know,
the year that I got hired,
I think it was eight new cast members,
a brand-new writing staff.
So, we were just thrown into the fire together.
So they --
Lorne kind of had to use all of us, and it wasn't --
Usually, cast members are kind of piecemealed,
one or two, you know, every year or --
But we were all thrown in there and, you know --
So, that way, it almost created this even playing field.
-Mm-hmm.
-And everyone, you know -- It was on the verge --
I mean, the year that --
That was the '95-'96 season. -Wow.
-And, so, the year before
was the last year for Sandler and Farley
and Dana Carvey and Mike -- Everyone had left.
So, we're here with this brand-new crew,
and we're going up against -- Dana Carvey had a sketch show.
Howard Stern had a sketch show.
"Mad TV" started.
And I think that there was another sketch show,
all going up against "SNL" for the first time ever.
No one would ever go up against the show in its time slot.
-"Living Color" wasn't around then, right?
"Living Color" was -- -"Living Color" already was --
-Was it already done, or was it later in the '90s?
-No, I think it was -- -When it was done?
-I'm not sure.
-They were in the wheelhouse of that.
-Yeah. -I remember the "Mad TV" times,
and all that stuff was together then. Yeah.
-It was -- There was blood in the water,
and all the networks could sense it.
It was like, "This is the time to take them down."
So, we were like, "Well, here we are.
Our backs are against the wall.
Let's just have fun," you know, and we kind of --
You know, everyone was just kind of pulling on the same oar.
And so, I had to be used.
The writers kind of had to use me, right from the get-go.
-There comes a point on the show
where you have to make a decision.
And that decision is, "Okay, what's next for me?"
And some make it. Some don't. Right?
Some choose to make the decision to go on
and figure out the next version of their career,
and some say, "No, I'm fine."
And it's okay, by the way. -Right.
-Whatever it is that you choose to do
that's best for you and your opportunity.
The world of movie star that's on the other side of "SNL,"
you don't know about. -Sure.
-But there's a feeling of, like, Goddamn.
I mean, you were "SNL."
You were the face.
By the way, which is a fucking amazing accomplishment
because there's only a certain amount of people
that actually became the face.
You share that title with a few.
Okay, fuck.
Movies are next.
I'm going to not only go and do this,
but you later took a team, and you had some creators
that you then developed with and started to do more things.
But the actual decision of "I'm out" --
-Yeah. -That's a hard one to make.
When -- What was your thing
that made you go, "Okay, it has to be now.
I got to go now," and why?
-It was just time to take a flying leap,
and that's what hap--
I had filmed "Old School"
during that sixth and seventh season.
-"Old School" you did while being on the show.
-On the show, so I was going back and forth,
but that hadn't come out yet.
And that didn't come out till after I left the show.
And other than that, I only had this --
We had this other project that needed a lot of work
but was kind of an interesting concept,
about a human who was raised by elves up at the North Pole.
-Yeah, your socks. -And socks.
-Yeah, your socks.
"Elf" happened. "Elf" becomes this massive hit.
By the way, "Old School," the same, right?
But you -- -Well, yeah.
And so, then -- -It's lining up.
"Night at the Roxbury." -Yeah.
-One of my, honest, all-time favorite movies, just from --
That's where you started to understand, like,
the opportunities that come from "SNL,"
based off of their most popular sketches,
could go and springboard into films.
-They were great to kind of just get your feet wet.
But then, super fortunate in that the first three movies
after I leave the show are "Old School,"
"Elf," and "Anchorman." -Yeah. Bang, bang, bang.
-Yeah. -It kind of lined up.
With the world of success from the show
versus the world of success, like, with the movies after,
there's a significant change, of course, in attention.
How did you handle that?
'Cause you're not a guy that loves the world
of, "pop, pop, pop," paparazzi,
all this shit. How did you handle --
-Unlike you. You love it. -Well, okay.
What the fuck does that mean? -You love it.
-What does that mean? -Oh. Pop, pop, pop.
-What does that mean? -You love the lights.
-What is that? What are you saying?
-Yeah. -What do you mean, "Yeah"?
What is that?
-No, I -- 'cause my hobby, I'm a paparazzi
when I have downtime. -Okay.
-And I love following you around town.
-No, you don't. You don't follow me around.
-You always give us great shots. -No, Will.
-Thank you. From the paparazzi community, thank you.
-You don't -- You're not a fucking paparazzi, so stop it.
-Alright. Maybe one day, they'll let me in.
I don't know. -How did you handle it?
-I didn't really...
There was -- I do remember walking around New York...
...after the opening weekend of "Elf,"
and that was the real first time
where my wife and I are walking around,
and people are following us around.
And that was kind of
a little exciting, in a weird way,
and a little alarming.
We were like, "Why is this guy walking --
Someone's on the other side of the sidewalk,
walking the same speed as I am."
-Yeah. -"That's a weird feeling.
What are they doing?"
And then, "Why is he dressed in all black?"
And then, "Why is he holding a big camera?"
-What's he doing? Why are they taking pictures of me?
-"Who's he photographing? Oh! Me."
-You've never really bought into the idea of the fame, though.
That's not you.
You love the job. You do the job.
But you never bought into,
"I'm famous, I'm Will Ferrell, and here I am."
Like, that's not your cup of tea.
-Yeah. -And you're very frugal.
You're a cheap ass.
You're a fucking cheap ass.
You don't spend any of your money.
How much do you have saved? Huh?
How much do you fucking have saved?
Jesus Christ. I've never seen anybody save more of it
in my Goddamn life.
Nothing. You don't spend a fucking dime.
-Have you looked into my financial statements?
-I know you don't spend fucking money. You don't care.
You still got your BlackBerry?
-I wish. It crumbled.
-You had it for a long time. -Crumbled to dust.
That BlackBerry, though. Ahh. Don't you miss it?
-No! -The textured keyboard?
[ Sighs ] Just the sensation
of that "clack, clack, clack, clack, clack, clack"?
Ah. "Brick Breaker"?
Relax with a little "Brick Breaker"?
Yeah.
-Why -- Why have you not truly bought into the higher side?
What keeps you grounded?
What keeps you in the humble thinking space?
-Because I grew up
a little bit around it, enough to see --
You know, like I was saying, my dad was a working musician.
And he lived hand to mouth, you know?
There'd be -- He'd be playing gigs for six months
at the, you know, Italian restaurant down the street.
And then, he'd come home and be like,
"Well, got to find a new place to play."
And I'm like, "What happened?"
Like, "Nothing happened. They love me.
They said they're just going into a new direction."
So he had to find a new place, new, you know --
I just was like, "This is -- Boy, this is tough."
And I would go and listen to him play,
and I thought, "I don't get it. He sounds --
He's as good a musician as anyone I've ever heard.
But why isn't, you know, the Hollywood thing of someone
walking into a restaurant and discovering someone
and, like, signing you to a record contract?"
-Mm-hmm. -"Oh, that doesn't exist."
And so, I just always had that in the back of my mind,
that it's, you know --
I've just never taken any of it for granted, ever.
-Yeah. Talking comedy? Oh, it doesn't get better.
But we do have to pay bills.
We got more "Hart to Heart" coming up after this.
**
-Welcome back. This is "Hart to Heart,"
and I still am talking to Will Ferrell.
Will, you got a lot of kids, right?
-How many? -Lot of kids.
-You got like four kids, right? -I got a lot.
-How many you have?
Four. Four.
No, you don't have that many. -No, I have three.
-Three, three kids. -Three kids.
-Active.
-Hey.
-Active. One's out, though.
-What's that mean? -Out -- At college.
-Oh, okay. Jesus. What do you --
-One just got kicked out. -What'd he do?
-At a certain point, you decide.
-Your relationship with your kids
and your kids' relationship with you,
especially in regards to what you do for a living,
have they found a nice balance?
-Yeah, but it's similar.
They're -- They --
We don't talk about what I do so much.
-Mm-hmm.
-To the point where I'm like,
"God, do they even like what I do?
Do they even think I'm funny?"
But I think they secretly are very proud and --
-Absolutely. -Yeah, and like that stuff.
But we've never made it a point
to make what I do such a big deal.
-Yeah.
-And, yeah, I just try to be Dad,
try to listen to them, try to offer advice, all that.
-It's not try. I mean, you actually do do it.
-No, I have to try. -Well, you're not trying, Will.
You do a good job of it. You're a good dad.
Like, I think -- No, don't do -- No, that's not -- Don't do that.
That's not -- You have nothing -- No.
-I just want to say -- -No, Will.
You don't have to do that. -Here's to me.
-No, cheers to you being a good dad.
-How many barrels of wine are in this place?
-Okay. Don't do that. Will, it's a lot.
-Just goes back there forever. -Yeah, we're gonna go --
We're gonna get into some of them, okay?
-Is it haunted? -No. It's not haunted.
Let's just finish the conversation, right?
No need to even address the barrels.
I want to know this from you.
Doing a lot of movies, of course,
you have to have your favorite. Right?
-Yeah. -Who's the favorite person,
I guess you could say, that you've been able
to attach yourself to in comedy, you've shared the screen with?
Who's your favorite?
You can leave me out of it. I don't want the pressure
of you feeling like you've got to say me 'cause I'm here.
I already know where you put me, so let's not even do that.
-Oh, good. -Alright?
-'Cause you're number 15.
You're probably the 15th best person I've worked with.
And that's high, 'cause I've done a ton.
-Yeah. I'll take it.
I'm saying -- -You're top 15.
-But that's what I'm saying. You didn't have to say it at all.
-I mean, obviously, created a bond with John C. Reilly.
-Mm-hmm. -Super fun, great guy.
-So, why can't you just say John C. Reilly?
-I did, didn't I? -No, you said,
"Obviously, I created a bond,"
but you didn't say, "John C. Reilly is my favorite."
-I don't know if I -- I mean, yes. Okay.
-You're stuttering. It's a simple question, Will.
-John C. Reilly. -Okay.
-But I've enjoyed -- -So, you think
John C. Reilly's better than me? -Oh, man.
-I'm not putting you on the spot.
By the way, I don't even care. -This was a trap.
-I don't even care. I don't want you to think
that I'm even into this 'cause I'm not.
But if I was, you think he's better to work with?
If so, why? -You told me it didn't matter.
-It doesn't. Forget it. Throw it out the window.
Close it.
Throw it out the window and close the window.
-I'm not saying he's better than you.
-Yeah. And by the way, if he was, that's fine.
-Okay. No, I'm not saying that.
-Yeah. It's fine.
-'Cause we all have our distinct --
-Exactly. -...abilities, what we do better
than other people, this, that, and the other.
-Is that why you've never done another movie with me?
Huh. -Yes.
-Wow. -That is it.
[ Both laugh ]
That's totally it.
-No, you and John C. Reilly are something different.
It's a comedy duo that --
The thing that -- The action that's happening,
especially in regards to comedy, is obviously not written.
But the comfort that you guys have in one another
and the trust that you guys have in one another
and the ability to, like, exchange the levels, right?
When I look at you guys in "Step Brothers,"
and I look at you guys in "Talladega Nights,"
I'm looking at two different performances,
but I'm also looking at a changing of the guard
in both situations. -Yeah.
-And there's scenes where you guys are clearly
giving the other the world of. -Yeah. For sure.
And that kind of common goal of, you know,
just playing it through the character, as opposed to --
Yeah, not keeping track of who's gonna --
-Do what. -...end up funnier.
-Yeah. You don't care enough. -You don't care.
Just serving the story.
But I was also gonna say
what's really been enjoyable
has been working with non-comedic actors
who find a way --
So, like, if we're gonna use "Step Brothers" as an example,
Richard Jenkins. -Oh, my God.
-Casting someone like Richard Jenkins
and getting this amazing comedic performance out of him.
-Grounded comedic performance. -Exactly.
-Grounded. -That's like --
-It balances out for what you're doing.
That's the beauty to what you do well.
That's the thing that I learned from working with you.
It wasn't about the joke.
The jokes were clearly there,
but you chose the performance of low
that got the reaction of high, which is kind of genius.
It's kind of fucking genius.
-But when are we gonna do another thing together?
-I'll be honest, Will. I don't want to work with you again.
-Oh. -Yeah.
I don't really know.
I don't have an excuse, either. I just kind of don't.
You know how you make your mind up?
-So I'm like -- -Yeah, I'm done.
-Okay. -Yeah. But this is cool.
So, what I really want to get into is just --
-Do I have to sit through this?
Do I have to continue to sit here? Ben?
-Man, I would -- -But, like, there's no chance?
-No. What are you talking about? Absolutely.
-But I feel like -- -Abso-fucking-lutely.
-I feel like I've been like, "Hey, Kevin. Remember me?"
And you've been like, "Bang, bang, bang, bang."
-Doing stuff. -Boom, boom, boom.
-Yeah. -Body blow, body blow.
-Yeah. -Yeah.
-Right?
-Kind of. -Okay.
-Yeah. But we'll figure it out, man.
-Okay. Alright.
-I've been -- -Butch and Sundance.
-Yeah. Come on, man. -Yeah.
-You already know. -Back together again.
-If I got to tell you, then you ain't listening.
-Okay. -Come on, now.
-I want that on a T-shirt.
"If I got to tell you again...
you ain't listening." -"You ain't listening." Right.
-On the back. -Right there.
-That means it's on the back. -Right there.
-Yep. -I could say this, too.
This is gonna make you laugh. -But we had a great time.
-We had a fucking fantastic time.
You're in a bit every day.
-Remember you and the boys pulling up in the park?
-Yes. Rap music. -Rap music.
-Rap music blasting. -Blasting.
Entire crew of people
going, "What's going on?"
I knew it was you guys.
And you get out of the truck, and you're like...
-[ Laughs ]
-And I think I'm in the middle of a take,
and I just turn and I'm like... -Yeah. Yeah. Yeah.
-Right back at you. -We were in sync.
-Don't say anything for 30 seconds.
-We were in sync. -Just point at each other.
-Hip-hop. What's going on, baby?
That's how I show up to set.
-The director's like, "Um, can we get back..."
-We set the tone, baby.
-Set the tone. -Set the tone.
That's how every day of work started, too,
with a nice piece of tone that was set.
Yeah, well, you know what? We're gonna take a break after that.
I am your favorite.
Guys, we're gonna go take a break.
We got more "Hart to Heart" coming up after this.
**
-And we're back. This is still "Hart to Heart,"
and I'm Kevin Hart, and I'm with Will Ferrell.
Will, man, such an amazing journey.
What does Will Ferrell want to be known as,
when it's all said and done?
-Definitely someone who
wasn't afraid to take chances,
always was -- continued to --
whether the choices worked or not, made surprising choices.
-Mm-hmm.
-Also was -- treated everyone fairly and with respect.
-Respect, I think that's the biggest thing about you,
that's attached to your name. -Yeah.
-That follows you, that's the most impressive.
-But I think that's the least you can do in this business
'cause it's such a hard --
We've all dreamed of doing what we're doing,
and to not, you know, walk up to people
and shake people on the hand and go, "Hey, how you doing?"
-Yeah, but I've said it a lot.
Like, I feel like you've got them all fooled.
You've got them all where you want them, right?
'Cause I know the truth. You're --
-You know the truth. -You're a dick.
But -- -D-I-C-K.
-Yeah. But to them, to them, right?
No, I'll cut this part out. They won't see this part.
-No one's gonna watch this anyway.
-Wait a second. That's not -- -Wait. Huh?
-No, Will. -Did I say that?
-That's not -- This is a -- [ Laughter ]
No. No, no, no. That's not --
Don't -- -These seven people.
They're enjoying themselves. -No. That has nothing to do
with the fans that watch the show.
-These are the fans. -No, that's our live audience.
-Oh. -Okay?
We keep it intimate in my wine cellar
because we have to keep it -- -It's a very selective group.
-We have to keep the temperature at a certain level in here.
So, everybody knows that that drinks wine.
So, there you have it.
Two more. Okay? Two more.
And these are important ones. -I just saw the wide shot.
You're right. My body is growing.
-[ Snickering ]
-[ Exhales deeply ]
-No. No. No, you look great.
-Okay. -No, you don't have to do that.
Two more.
What else does Will Ferrell want to do in the business?
-I would like to return to the stage
in some way, shape, or form.
-Wow. -And I don't know if that's,
like, do I try to write a play?
Do I try to, you know, like --
-One-man show?
-Like, you know what would be --
-The one you did was fucking amazing.
-This would take a lot of work, but it would be, like,
really fun to grab, like, you and myself
and a bunch of really well-known comedians
and do, like, "A Midsummer --"
like, do Shakespeare in the Park.
-That's what -- Listen. -You know what I mean?
Like, something like that...
-It's different. -...that would just have people
going, "What is going on?" -It's different. It's unique.
But, by the way, that's the outside-the-box thinking
that that's the reason why Will Ferrell is Will Ferrell.
-I still think along those lines.
Yeah. -I mean, I've never --
I forgot who I was talking about that wrote a play, too.
And, you know, the schedule was so crazy.
So, I'm like, yeah. I've never done it.
I don't know if I could. Like, that's a lot.
-It's a lot. -It's a lot. It's intense.
It is what it is, but it's a different ballpark.
In the world of a play, you can do, and business aside,
it's a limited four-day run of some unique shit
that people are never going to see.
And you tape one, and then it's available
for people to see, blah, blah, blah.
That's different. That's different. It's unique.
That schedule of -- -But here's where I'm a weirdo
is I've heard that --
'cause I've asked that same question.
'Cause the George Bush show we did was a limited run.
It was only 64 shows,
but still, it was 64 -- -That's a lot.
-It was a lot. But that's considered
a really short amount of time.
And so, I was asking people who've done Broadway a bunch,
I've asked, like, "What's the allure,
when you have to do it six months?"
And they've all said, to a person, that what happens
is you get through the honeymoon period.
Then you get into this kind of bit of a doldrums
where you're like, "Oh, boy. How many more shows do I have?"
And then, you come out the other end,
and you've done it so many times
that you start to discover new moves
and new ways of delivering the line
and surprising each other onstage
that it actually becomes almost like a new experience
for the last chunk of the show.
So, even though that sounds bizarre --
-It doesn't. -...I would like to experience
what that extra freedom is like,
after you've done it so many times
that you're not even thinking about it.
-You do understand
that you can do, like, whatever the fuck you want?
-Yeah, I know. -You do know that, right?
-I think I could -- -It's not think.
Like, you do understand --
-That I could go do a show? -Like, if you said, "Guys,
I want to do --" -But --
"I want to go on Broadway" --
-Someone would go -- -"Alright."
-"Well, maybe this will lead to me getting hired."
-Yeah.
-No, I know that. But you got to find --
I wouldn't want to just do the standard thing.
-No, you got to crack the code on the thing.
-You got to crack the code with what it is.
And is it an original piece?
I don't know. -Absolutely.
I would love to see Will Ferrell's school of improv.
I would love to see Will Ferrell in a improv-like class,
teaching what he feels are the anecdotes
to the next tiers of success in improv.
Everybody wants to do improv at your level.
Everybody wants to be deadpan.
Everybody wants to hold the laugh.
Everybody wants to be able to be in character, switch in and out.
Everybody wants to.
I would love to see
Will Ferrell's master class or class of.
By the way... -I don't know if I could --
-...the most ridiculous fucking thing ever you could do,
but the funniness is in whatever you would create it to be.
And it's just different. Like, when I think of you,
I just think of outside-the-box shit
that no one else can touch or do.
And it's only a couple,
it's only a couple that have touched that tier.
And for the space that you play in,
you play in it, like, by yourself.
I remember, Eddie had a box
that he could only play in by his self.
-Sure. -Right?
-Jim Carrey developed this thing that he could only be in
by his self. -Yeah, yeah. Yeah, for sure.
-Nobody else could be in that thing.
-Yeah. -You got a thing
that you are only in by yourself, right?
Robin Williams had, like, a thing
that was, like, by himself. -Mm-hmm.
-There's not many that do it.
So, you know, for that world of greats
and the world of greats that, of course, we're talking about
that do the thing that you've done,
dude, I just hope that you really understand --
-Thanks, man. -...where you stand at it.
And my respect level for you, of course, is one thing,
but my admiration and appreciation
just for what you've done in the business
and just for what you've done with me --
Like, that experience where we worked together?
I learned so fucking much.
-Yeah. -Like, I was young.
That's a young me at a young point in my career,
where it was starting to rise, and it was happening fast.
So, my attachment to those that have been there,
that have seen it,
that have weathered all types of storms
and know how to truly do a project from start to finish
and be professional and make everybody feel good about it --
you are one of the best examples.
-Thank you. Yeah.
-You were nothing short of nice
and dope from the standpoint
of making me feel like I was a co-star.
So, I hope we do work again, Will,
'cause I don't know how much time you got left.
-What? -And, you know, I would love --
-I'm not that old. -...for us to fucking
do something before it's too late, man.
-I'm here. Yeah.
-For now. That's what I'm saying.
-It's not --
-That's what I'm saying. We got to get it done.
Alright? -Let's hurry up and do it,
then, I guess. -We have to.
-Is there something you know about me that I don't know?
Like, medical health history?
What? Or something? -See? I can't stay in it.
See? See? That was my attempt to stay in it.
No, you're absolutely right.
We should do it sooner than later.
-I do want to fly out on a wire...
...and introduce one of your concerts.
-What? No. -Yeah.
-No. What are you talking about? -With a rock guitar?
-No. That's not even -- That doesn't make sense.
-"You guys ready for Kevin Hart?"
-Okay. -[ Imitating electric guitar ]
Okay. Okay. -"Ladies and gentlemen,
put your hands together."
[ Whooshing ] Can you imagine it?
I'm flying out over the crowd.
-Yeah, I know what you're saying.
-"Kevin Hart!" [ Imitating electric guitar ]
-And then you fly back. -And then I fly back.
-Nice.
Guys, listen, we are having fun,
and of course, all good things come to an end,
but not yet. So do me a favor and stick around.
We got more "Hart to Heart" after this.
**
-Welcome back. This is "Hart to Heart,"
and I still am talking to Will Ferrell.
Will, Staples Center, you was the security guard.
-Yes.
-Just why?
Why? How? -That --
You just coming out at the Lakers game,
dressed up as the on-court security.
-That was -- A Staples Center security guard outfit
was given to me as a gift.
How they were able to get it, I have no idea.
But it was Adam McKay and Chris Henchy.
Henchy gave me this full --
And -- 'Cause they know I like weird costumes.
And I open the present.
I'm like, "Wow.
Oh, man. I don't know what" --
They thought I was mad. They're like, "Are you okay?"
And I was like, "No, this is great.
I just realized I have to wear it at a Laker game, though."
-Oh, my God. So, it wasn't even planned?
You just did it? -No. And so,
it took me like almost the whole season
for me to get up the guts to -- And I was like,
"How do I bring it? I don't want to get kicked out,
but I don't want to tell the Lakers that I'm doing it
because it's not" --
-It's not the same. -It's not the same.
-It's not the same. The bit -- -So, I bundled up the coat,
and I went through with my ticket.
I wore the pants. I had the tie.
And I was sitting there.
I was like, "Okay. It's go time."
I popped the tie on and put my jacket on.
-And you just stood there. -And just stood there,
out there, with the guy -- At first, I was on the court,
and the guy was like, "You can't be on the court."
I'm like, "Okay. Can I just stand here?"
He goes, "Yeah. You can stand there."
I just stood there and just stared the crowd down.
-For everybody watching this right now,
if you are not familiar with what I'm talking about --
-If you go on YouTube, I think you can find clips of it.
-Google "Will Ferrell" -- -"As a Staples security guard."
-"Staples Center security guard."
And he's just standing there in the full security outfit,
and he's not moving.
And you see players, like,
dribbling the basketball behind him.
-And you see Kobe -- They're in a time-out,
and Kobe's like, "What?
What is he doing?"
-[ Laughing ]
-Because, at first, they didn't --
But the whole section starts taking photos of me.
-Yes. -And they stand up.
So, they're reacting to that, and they're like,
"What are they looking at?" And they see me dressed --
-And then they put you on the big screen.
-So, I'm thinking
that I'm gonna get tackled or I'm gonna --
And then, the time-out's done, and I just sit back down.
-You just sit back down.
-And I was with Henchy, and we were like, "Wow.
Okay. Nothing happened."
-One of the best impromptu bits.
-And then I find out that -- The security guys are like,
"Hey, hey, man. We appreciate the shout-out."
-[ Laughing ]
-"Hey, it means a lot. Thank you."
-And you had to act like that's what it was.
-And I was like -- -Yeah, no, guys, seriously.
-"No, I love what you guys do." -"Listen, got to hold you down."
-Keep people in their seats. -Somebody's got to.
-"I love it."
And then, the best part was I get a tap on the shoulder.
So, then, we're sitting, and we still have like
a whole 'nother quarter left, like, "What do we do?
Do I stand up again? Like, what --
Do I just --" I'm in my security guard outfit.
And the guy taps me on the shoulder.
And -- 'Cause Shaq happened to be at the game,
so he's sitting baseline, over in the corner.
And one of his guys is like,
"Shaq thought that was hilarious.
During the next time-out,
do you want to throw him out of the game?"
-Holy shit. -"'Cause he's ready to leave."
And I go, "Oh, that's genius. Yeah.
Okay. I'll stand up, and I'll pretend" --
So, the next time, I stood up.
I keep looking over at Shaq.
I keep -- 'cause we're like 30 feet away from each other.
And he's looking.
And I'm like, "Unh-unh.
Please."
And then, he keeps "getting my attention."
He's not doing anything.
And then, finally, I'm like, "That's it.
Let's go. Let's go." -You toss him out of the game.
-And I throw him out of the game.
And then, Shaq and I are hugging each other.
He's like -- I'm like, "That is so funny, that you..."
He was like, "Anytime. You can throw me out anytime.
That was hilarious." -This is what makes
Will Ferrell, Will Ferrell. And this is what I'm talking
about -- your ability to ground the biggest ideas.
Will, I could talk to you all Goddamn day, man,
simply because it's you. -Thanks, buddy.
-What I will leave you with is
just understand you're a legend.
Right? You don't have to revel in it
because you're still doing what you do.
But please understand what you've done
for the business of comedy.
Please understand the revenue that you've generated
for the studios in comedy.
-Oh, yeah. -You are a massive --
-The revenues. It's all -- yeah.
-That's it. It all boils down to that.
I want you to walk away from today understanding that this --
-I'm thinking about the revenues.
-Well, don't do that too long, Will.
This conversation, right here, is the one...
-I need to audit some of the revenues.
-...that your fans are gonna walk away with,
they're gonna walk away with a better understanding
of who you are. You know why?
'Cause this is "Hart to Heart."
-Whoa! -Hmm?
Did you see what I did there? No, don't look in my cam--
-Oh. -Look in your camera, Will.
This is "Hart to Heart," guys,
and it doesn't get better than this.
Today, I talked to the legend himself, Will Ferrell.
Hope you enjoyed it just as much I did. Goddamn.
Let's get out of here. Huh? Will, how do I do it?
-Let's get out. -Huh? How do I do it? Wait.
Come on. Did you see that? -It was so smooth. I love that.
-I'm gonna walk you back to the barrels. I'm gonna show you --
-Finally. -Yeah. Not now. Not now.
Not now. No, not now. -Let's go back to those barrels.
-We're not gonna go yet. We're not gonna go yet, Will!
Don't go back there, Will!
[ Laughing ] Will, don't -- No, don't --