Actor of the Week: Will Ferrell
It’s not an easy choice when it comes to picking our Actor of the Week, due to there being a wide range of incredible talent out there, but when it comes to comedy, it doesn’t get much better than Will Ferrell, which is why he has made it as this week’s choice. Will Ferrell has starred in countless comedy classics, such as Anchorman and Elf, making him a favourite of mine.
The first time I saw Will Ferrell was when he starred alongside another comedy juggernaut, Ben Stiller, in Zoolander. With Stiller playing the iconic Derek Zoolander, a model who is getting towards the end of his career and trying to find a way to stay present, he is brainwashed by the evil fashion designer, Mugatu, played by Will Ferrell, to kill the Prime Minister of Malaysia. Ferrell is easily a highlight of this film, being part of the hilarious and favourite scene where Derek Zoolander thinks a model of a school Mugatu promised to build for him is the real thing. This was simply just the tip of the iceberg for Ferrell, and a great way to introduce him to the world, leading him into his most popular role as Buddy the Elf…
There are many christmas films, but there aren’t many that are on the level of Elf. Will Ferrell plays Buddy the Elf, a human being that gets taken to the North Pole by Santa, by accident, when he was a baby, by sneaking into Santa’s sack. With Buddy bought up like an Elf, as he gets older, he quickly starts to realise he is not an Elf, he is in fact a human, and his dad is from New York. The film then continues showing someone who has been brought up as an Elf travel to New York to find his long lost father. In a time where many christmas movies have already been created, Elf is an absolutely genius idea for a christmas film, executed perfectly by Ferrell.
Will Ferrell continued to build his comedy career by starring in the cult classic Old School, but what really cemented him as one of the funniest actors ever, and a film that is a huge part of my adolescence, was his role as Ron Burgundy in Anchorman. When it comes to the most quotable films, Anchorman is up there. The film follows the legendary, fictional 70’s Channel 4 news anchor Ron Burgundy, who has to comes to terms with his new co-anchor being a woman. In an era where men felt superior to women, this change is extremely hard for Ron and his co-workers to come to terms with, as we follow him and his crew adjust to the new times ahead of them. In my opinion Anchorman is one of the best comedies ever made, with me laughing out loud everytime I watch it, which is a lot!
When you think Ferrell couldn’t keep up with this incredible run, he proves you wrong, starring in another comedy classic - Step Brothers. Step Brothers isn’t my favourite comedy, but it is still very funny, with yet more memorable quotes. This film is a great take on adults who still live at home, but adding in the dynamic of parents remarrying and having to put up with your step family.
One Ferrell film I love, which sadly wasn’t as well received as his others, is The Other Guys. The Other Guys is a film we, here at Life of Films, find ourselves quoting to each other on a regular basis. Not only does the film focus on a cop partnership, it was the start to a brilliant comedy partnership in Will Ferrell and Mark Wahlberg. The couple have continued to do two more films together, and have even more planned in, as people love this duo, and I am one of them.
Ferrell has become a household name, and is a huge selling point to any film he stars in, as you are guaranteed laughs, which in my opinion, is a hard thing to come by these days. Comedy just isn’t quite what it was, but Ferrell is keeping it alive. You stay classy Will!
