Paul Rudd, 52, and Will Ferrell, 54, are back together for an Apple TV+ limited series called The Shrink Next Door. The two previously worked together on Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy and its sequel, Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues. With such great chemistry as a comedic duo, it makes you wonder how close the actors are in person.
You wouldn't think the recently named Sexiest Man Alive and the silly impressionist would make such a good pair. Recently, during interviews for their new show, the actors revealed how they first met and what they initially thought of each other. From "locking eyes" to "getting sucked into a tractor beam," here's everything Rudd and Ferrell have said about their friendship.
How Did Paul Rudd And Will Ferrell First Meet?
In an interview with Access Hollywood, Ferrell joked that he "did lock eyes" with Rudd the first time they met. "We did lock eyes, yeah," said the Blades of Glory star. "I mean to look into Paul Rudd's gorgeous [eyes], it's like getting sucked into a tractor beam." The Ant-Man actor added that it's "tough to tear yourself away" from Ferrell's "powerful gaze." Jokes aside, the actors confirmed that they first met on the set of Anchorman. "Obviously, the first — Anchorman. And I mean that was an exceptional group — Paul, Steve Carell, and David Koechner and I, and Christina [Applegate] — we just hit it off from day one," said Ferrell.
When asked how it was like working together on Anchorman, Rudd told The Hollywood Reporter about his fond memories of their rehearsals. "We’d have these four- or five-hour rehearsals where we just improvised all day long," Ferrell said of those behind-the-scene moments. The Clueless star also admitted that he was a fan of Ferrell even before joining the cast. "Before we shot anything, and I was a fan of Will’s before I got to work on that movie," said Rudd. "But those rehearsal days were just so fun. There were so many laughs, and that never stopped when we went into shooting the movie."
Paul Rudd And Will Ferrell On Reuniting For 'The Shrink Next Door'
Rudd and Ferrell last worked together in 2013 for Anchorman 2. Neither of them recalls if they'd worked between the years leading to The Shrink Next Door. But The Campaign star revealed that it was "kismet," being cast alongside Rudd for the Apple TV+ series. "Paul and [Michael] Showalter [a director and executive producer of the series] were pursuing it on their own," Ferrell told Firstpost. "Then I got a call from my agency going, 'Have you ever heard of this podcast? They’re thinking about making it.' And then we all started talking. Everyone was asking Paul, would you do it with Will? I was being asked, would you do it with Paul? Kismet."
When asked to compare their improvisations for Anchorman and for The Shrink Next Door, the actors said there was definitely a huge difference. "It was a dense script and we certainly adhered to it, but there were moments when we'd kind of veer off of it a bit," Rudd said of the latter project. "And Will said something interesting, he said, 'Isn’t it interesting how when you’re improvising as one character, like if we were improvising in Anchorman, it felt totally different than improvising in this?' You do think differently as a different character."
Ferrell added that "you say completely different things, things you wouldn’t even say as yourself when you’re improvising in character." His co-star took it as an opportunity to rave about his acting skills. "It’s really a testament to Will as an actor," Rudd said of Ferrell's range, seeing him play such distinct characters — Ron Burgundy (Anchorman) and Marty Markowitz (The Shrink Next Door). "Truly because I know that I’m biased, but I think Ron Burgundy is one of the greatest comic personas and performers of the past half-century. Maybe even the full century, right?" He's probably right about that.
How Close Are Paul Rudd And Will Ferrell In Real Life?
Like many onscreen tandems, Rudd and Ferrell obviously have tremendous respect for each other's work. They also have a natural rapport behind the scenes. It's the not-so-secret, secret behind their on-cam chemistry. But since they haven't worked together for almost a decade, we're guessing they haven't had much opportunity to brew up some bromance like Brad Pitt and Leonardo DiCaprio or Matt Damon and Ben Affleck. But who knows, maybe the comedic pair will star on more projects together — perhaps another show or film featuring some strong hair game.
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