Friendship, Self-Discovery and Fun
For any actor, getting Will Ferrell to crack up is a major win.
Ferrell recently shared a funny story about how John C. Reilly pulled it off while they were filming Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby. It’s a comedy about a NASCAR driver named Ricky Bobby who goes through some wild ups and downs in the fast-paced racing world. The film dives into themes like competition, friendship, and self-discovery as Ricky deals with obstacles both on and off the track.
During a speech honoring his buddy Reilly at the 2025 Oscar Wilde Awards in February, Ferrell recalled a moment when Reilly made him laugh, even when his character was supposed to be totally out of it.
“John came up to me and confessed he once posed for Playgirl. He went by Mike Honcho and yeah, he showed off his backside,” Ferrell reminisced. He added, “Everything was improvised, and I swear you can see me hanging on for dear life.”
Talladega Nights was Just the Beginning
In a more heartfelt moment, Ferrell talked about first meeting Reilly while he was on Saturday Night Live. They didn’t get a chance to team up right away, but Reilly was part of the first table read for Ferrell’s famous movie Anchorman. He made a lasting impression there, and Ferrell noted how talented Reilly is, saying, “We were blown away by how funny he was and what an actor he is.” Then he jokingly added, “But he messed it all up by choosing to be in *Gangs of New York.*”
This led to Ferrell and director Adam McKay working on a role for Reilly in their first project post-Anchorman, Talladega Nights. “We were really excited to team up with John C. Reilly,” Ferrell shared. “We just wanted to work with him… and of course, he’s amazing.”
After that, Reilly and Ferrell paired up for the 2008 movie Step Brothers. In this one, they play stepbrothers who’re still living at home with their parents. Their relationship evolves from rivalry to a close bond over their shared love for velociraptors, as well as Good Housekeeping and John Stamos.
Ferrell said that Reilly was the spark for the comedy. “John was the reason for it,” he mentioned about Step Brothers. He highlighted Reilly’s remarkable talent and gave him a shout-out for coming up with half of the outrageous song “Boats N’ Hoes,” which features in the film along with a hilarious music video they made to promote their ill-fated new business.