“Will Ferrell”

Summary

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SmartLess Podcast: "Will Ferrell" (August 24, 2020)

Main Theme

This episode of SmartLess brings the legendary comedian Will Ferrell into a freewheeling, candid, and delightfully absurd conversation with hosts Jason Bateman, Sean Hayes, and Will Arnett. With plenty of banter and behind-the-scenes stories, the hosts ditch the script to explore Ferrell’s comedic origins, unlikely career detours, impressions, parenting challenges, and memories from showbiz and beyond.

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Key Discussion Points

1. The Guest Reveal and Will Ferrell’s Entrance

• After several minutes of host antics and dog metaphors, Sean introduces the surprise guest: Will Ferrell, to the delight of the others.
  • [05:13] Sean Hayes: “He studied sports journalism at USC, but ultimately went on to join the Groundlings… Ladies and gentlemen, William Ferrell.”
  • Will immediately jokes about thinking the podcast is about “the Gong Show.”

    [05:55] Will Ferrell: “Can I start by saying I’m so excited to be on the Gong Show podcast. All things you want to know about the new Gong Show...”

2. Will Ferrell’s Early Life & Reluctance About Showbiz

• Will reveals his initial reluctance to pursue a career in entertainment, citing his father’s unstable career as a musician.

  [08:13] Will Ferrell: “I was actually diametrically opposed to going into entertainment because I watched my father, the musician, go from job to job and be fired at the drop of a hat… I thought, who would want to do that? I’m going to have a job where I carry a briefcase to work.”

• He shares how high school skit-writing and making people laugh lured him in despite his intentions.

3. The SNL Dream & Comedy Inspirations

• Ferrell describes joining the Columbia House Record and Tape Club as a teen and being drawn to the SNL cast album.

  [10:48] Will Ferrell: “One of my [selections was] the cast album of Saturday Night Live… So, I guess, quietly, I did [aspire to be on SNL].”

• He names Steve Martin and late-night stand-up comics as formative comedy influences.

  [12:24] Will Ferrell: “Steve Martin, yep. I was also a Tonight Show weirdo... If there was a comedian on that night, I’d watch.”

4. College Years & Career Pivot

• Discusses his time at USC studying sports journalism, working toward a career as a sportscaster, and why he walked away:

  [15:12] Will Ferrell: “I should be leaping out of my chair to go [interview an NFL coach], but I had no drive… That’s when I signed up for my first class at the Groundlings.”

• He explains how lack of passion for news led him to find fulfillment in comedy.

5. The Birth of Harry Caray and SNL Audition

• Will recounts his original Groundlings sketch based on Cubs announcer Harry Caray, who he first encountered out of curiosity.

  [20:47] Will Ferrell: “I hadn’t heard of Harry Caray... The thing that struck me was… listening to this announcer say, ‘If that ball’s a strike, I’m a Chinaman.’”

• He describes performing this character for SNL, the surreal pressure of that audition, and standing on the same stage as past comedy giants.

  [24:06] Will Ferrell: “You walk out to a studio that’s pitch black except for a spotlight… Lorne sitting in the shadows… you just have to do comedy standing in a void, possibly.”

6. Odd Jobs and Early Work Life

• Will admits he was “pretty terrible” at his “civilian” jobs, including bank teller and valet parking, describing specific mishaps:

  [28:14] Will Ferrell: “I once had a regular customer stop me in the middle of a transaction and say, ‘Can you call your manager? ...This guy is your worst teller.’”

• He jokes about his fantasy of being a postman because of the route, routine, and concrete, daily results.

7. Navigating Fame as a Parent

• Ferrell discusses attending school events for his kids and the awkwardness of being a celebrity parent.

  [30:12] Will Ferrell: “There is a certain level of underwhelming… I can tell there are a lot of let down people continually.”

• The hosts swap stories about trying to blend in amid expectations or, conversely, being ignored to avoid “bothering” the famous dad.

8. Creative Boundaries and Dramatic Roles

• Asked if there’s anything he wants to do, Ferrell downplays ambitions for radical new directions, noting his awareness of audience expectations.

  [34:20] Will Ferrell: “I don’t know, but how do you… you can’t give that answer without sounding like a jackass, right?”

• Jason Bateman praises Ferrell’s range and discipline regarding comedic and dramatic work.

  [35:13] Jason Bateman: “You’ve pushed what you do into so many realistic, dramatic, melancholy things that truly nobody else could do… it’s admirable.”

9. What Annoys Will Ferrell?

• The group pokes at Ferrell’s reputation for kindness, prompting Will to reveal what truly gets on his nerves.

  [37:14] Sean Hayes: “What really pisses you off?” [37:52] Will Ferrell: “I have screamed in a professional manner... but mostly it’s typical frustrations with your children… For some reason I’m always checking myself because I’m holding them to some standard that I don’t think I was held to.”

• He also laments “unit publicists” on film sets who guilt actors into endless press duties.

  [39:44] Will Ferrell: “I don’t love the unit publicist experience… There’s always this game of ‘so and so’s willing to do it if you are,’ and somehow you’re obligated.”

10. Classic Will Ferrell Stories

• Will shares a story of being roped into an imaginary charity golf event with Tiger Woods, only to discover it was fabricated.

  [42:28] Will Ferrell: “Turns out, of course, Tiger’s team has never heard anything of this… That’s the way the world sometimes works.”

• He recounts fleeing a competitive celebrity golf tournament, leaving without saying goodbye after being stuck with strangers:

  [44:24] Will Ferrell: “We were supposed to [go to] a banquet afterwards, and I said, guys, I’m gonna go put my clubs in the car... Just drove home.”

11. Parenting in the Pandemic

• The hosts commiserate about their kids’ use of devices and shares an epic parent move:

  [46:04] Will Ferrell: “I did throw my 13 year old Matias’s phone out the window… typical, true to form, we pulled over… he was so shocked… went back to look for the phone. ‘I can’t find it!’ I walked right up to the bush—‘It’s right here.’ [It was] a great little shot across the bow… But it hasn’t been much of a deterrent.”

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• [05:55] Will Ferrell (comedic deadpan about podcast):
  “I’m so excited to be on the Gong Show podcast. All things you want to know about the new Gong Show, and it is just… sweeping the country, both countries, Canada and US.”

• [08:13] Will Ferrell on why he resisted showbiz:
  “I was actually diametrically opposed to going into entertainment because I watched my father, the musician, go from job to job and be fired at the drop of a hat…”

• [20:47] Will Ferrell on Harry Caray’s infamous broadcast style:
  “…listening to this announcer say on syndicated national television, ‘If that ball’s a strike, I’m a Chinaman’… I literally did a spit take.”

• [28:14] Ferrell’s worst bank customer experience:
  “He said, ‘This guy is your worst teller, okay? And I just want you to know this. Look at him right now, he’s sweating.’ And I literally was—I was sweating.”

• [31:39] Jason Bateman asks about Ferrell’s “game face” as a parent at school events:
  “Do you have to sometimes lead with a vibe that is less than friendly because you’re afraid if you seem too friendly, [other parents] are really going to lean in?”

• [35:13] Jason Bateman compliments Ferrell’s unique range:
  “You’ve pushed what you do into so many realistic, dramatic, melancholy things that truly nobody else could do… It’s admirable how aware you are of how you come across…”

• [37:52] On frustration as a parent:
  “For some reason I’m always checking myself because I’m holding them to some standard that I don’t think I was held to… You’re not done. It’s a two-step process!”

• [39:44] On press obligations as a movie star:
  “I don’t love the unit publicist experience... There’s always this game of, ‘so-and-so is willing to do it if you are’…”

• [44:24] On ghosting the golf tournament banquet:
  “Just drove home… Did we win? Yes, we won, even despite!”

• [46:04] The epic phone-throw incident while parenting:
  “I did throw my 13-year-old Matias’s phone out the window… so that was a great little shot across the bow... but it hasn’t been much of a deterrent.”

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Timestamps for Key Segments

• Guest reveal and Ferrell’s entrance: [05:08 – 05:28]
• Discussion of Will’s early reluctance, father’s influence: [08:13 – 09:14]
• Comedy influences and SNL aspirations: [10:48 – 12:24]
• Pivot to comedy/first Groundlings class: [13:44 – 16:23]
• Origin of Harry Caray impression and SNL audition: [19:55 – 24:27]
• Ferrell on day jobs and bank teller story: [27:27 – 29:17]
• Parenting and fame anxieties: [30:12 – 32:08]
• Ferrell on dramatic roles and career limits: [34:03 – 36:08]
• What ticks Will off (work and life): [37:14 – 39:44]
• Charity golf/Tiger Woods story: [41:02 – 42:53]
• Parenting during lockdown/devices incident: [45:07 – 46:56]

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Tone & Chemistry

The episode brims with improvisational energy and camaraderie. Ferrell’s humility, offbeat humor, and willingness to share professional mishaps blend perfectly with the hosts’ signature sarcastic banter. Throughout, the tone is self-deprecating, absurd, and honest, balancing insightful career discussion with side-splitting interruptions and playful digs.

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Stand-Out Takeaways

• Will Ferrell’s “everyman” persona is genuine; he remains skeptical of celebrity, is comically self-aware, and treasures normalcy—even as he’s recognized as a comedy legend.
• His comedic path was shaped as much by what he ran from (unstable showbiz family life) as what he ran toward (comedy as connection and release).
• Ferrell’s stories highlight the disjunction between public perception/fame and personal authenticity.

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A must-listen for anyone who loves inside-Hollywood tales, genuine friendship, and the art of comedy—served with riffs, real talk, and relentless laughter.

Transcript

[Sean Hayes]

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[Will Arnett]

Hey there. Will Arnett here. Welcome to Smartless, our podcast, where Jason Bateman, Sean Hayes, and I, each week, one of us brings a guest that the other two don't know about. And this week is no exception. We get real into it. Most of the time, we just mess around with each other, and then the guest has to be embarrassed. So let's get right to the podcast. Smart.

[Will Ferrell]

Less.

[Will Arnett]

Smart less.

[Jason Bateman]

Smart.

[Will Arnett]

Less.

[Jason Bateman]

Hi.

[Will Arnett]

Hi. How are you?

[Sean Hayes]

Good, good. Should we go around the room and just say our names and our roles?

[Jason Bateman]

Just introduce yourself.

[Sean Hayes]

Yeah, I'm Sean Hayes.

[Will Arnett]

People have been listening to the podcast for a minute now.

[Sean Hayes]

Sorry, so we just skipped that.

[Jason Bateman]

Same three idiots.

[Sean Hayes]

Okay.

[Will Arnett]

In the role of Sean Hayes is Sean Hayes.

[Jason Bateman]

Should we switch parts today?

[Will Arnett]

Oh, we could switch parts. Ooh, yeah. I'll play Will. I'll play Will. No, I want to play Will. You guys are assholes. You both want to play? A question?

[Sean Hayes]

Oh, God.

[Will Arnett]

Okay. I'm gonna be. I'm gonna be Jason. So I was, you know, so. So.

[Jason Bateman]

Now listen for me, though.

[Will Arnett]

So when I look back and I think about all the things that you've done. Let's start at the beginning. Okay, so America was founded in 1492.

[Jason Bateman]

But what if I want to really be understood? No one. No one understands me in my house. You know, I've got a wife and two girls. It just. I start talking, they glaze over. So I really have to fight for attention. I get on this thing, I feel like I've got. I can't I've got to stop describing my question, Right? We've spoken about this before, and I just need to ask the question.

[Will Arnett]

And then Sean. And then Sean's like a golden Sean comes on and he's like, do you like whipped cream?

[Jason Bateman]

The golden retriever.

[Sean Hayes]

Golden retriever.

[Will Ferrell]

What's your favorite color?

[Jason Bateman]

If Will was a dog, what kind of dog would Will be on this podcast?

[Sean Hayes]

Oh, God, that's a good question. Will's probably like a. Like an untrained German shepherd.

[Jason Bateman]

But messy. Matted.

[Sean Hayes]

Yeah. Just drool coming out on the sides.

[Jason Bateman]

Bad hips. Like the. Like the German shepherds get. Yeah.

[Sean Hayes]

Dysplasia.

[Jason Bateman]

Yeah.

[Will Arnett]

Jesus. B. B, be like a full size standard, but shaved poodle.

[Jason Bateman]

So cold, yet fancy.

[Sean Hayes]

And very proud walks. Very proud.

[Will Arnett]

Very proud.

[Sean Hayes]

Lord. Anyway, let's get to our guest, please.

[Will Arnett]

Yeah, let's do it.

[Sean Hayes]

And I'm going to tell you, you guys actually know this person, but we're going to find out stuff that we don't. I don't know about this person.

[Jason Bateman]

If it's my mom, I'm in trouble because I haven't called her for a while.

[Will Arnett]

Can I just say, if it's your mom. What?

[Jason Bateman]

Careful.

[Will Arnett]

This would be such a.

[Jason Bateman]

Careful.

[Will Arnett]

No, I'm just gonna say it would be such a mitzvah if it was your mom, because we could really get into. There's so much stuff about you and we've known each other a long time that I want to know, you know.

[Sean Hayes]

Whose mom is not going to come on mine because she's dead.

[Jason Bateman]

So that's our first commercial break. We're going to go to a florist commercial break right now.

[Will Arnett]

Sean, by the way, I will say your mom is dead, but imagine if my surprise guess was your mom. That would really. That would be more surprising than me.

[Sean Hayes]

Being pale or paler than me. My God. Guys, our guest today is from Irvine, California. His mom was a teacher, and his father played sax and keyboard for the Righteous Brothers.

[Jason Bateman]

Do we get a chance to guess at any point?

[Sean Hayes]

No.

[Will Arnett]

Oh, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait.

[Sean Hayes]

No, don't guess because it'll. I want. He studied sports journalism at usc, but ultimately went on to join the Groundlings, and the rest is history. He's got, like, a million movies under his belt, and I'm sure that's not the only thing. Ladies and gentlemen, William Farrell.

[Will Arnett]

Oh, my God.

[Will Ferrell]

Wow. Jason.

[Will Arnett]

There's his headshot.

[Will Ferrell]

Jason. Hi, Jason.

[Will Arnett]

Jason, answer the belly.

[Will Ferrell]

Jason, it's your mother.

[Jason Bateman]

First of all, she's British. Will.

[Will Ferrell]

Oh, okay. Sorry.

[Jason Bateman]

But let me guess. Let Me guess. And let me guess. And that. Oh, what a great booking, Sean.

[Will Ferrell]

Congratulations, guys. Can I just. Can I start by saying I'm so excited to be on the Gong show podcast. All things you want to know about the new Gong show, and it is just. I mean, it's sweeping the country, both countries, Canada and US. And.

[Jason Bateman]

Aren'T that taking fire?

[Will Arnett]

It's unbelievable. Are you just drinking? Is that just medicine out of the bottle? That's what it looks like.

[Will Ferrell]

Are you just.

[Jason Bateman]

That's a kombucha. I know that because my wife drinks those.

[Will Ferrell]

But it does look like a tonic.

[Will Arnett]

From old time tonic.

[Sean Hayes]

Yeah.

[Will Ferrell]

Old time tonic. Yeah.

[Will Arnett]

And I just. I drink it as a prophylactic.

[Will Ferrell]

Sure, yeah.

[Sean Hayes]

Will Ferrell, thank you so much for coming on our. Our little show.

[Will Ferrell]

My pleasure.

[Sean Hayes]

And we're all obviously such gigantic fans of yours. And one question. You know. You know, you're one of the rare people in this business, and I think I can speak on behalf of everybody that's, you know, it's really hard to find people like you.

[Will Ferrell]

Hold on one second.

[Jason Bateman]

Will Ferrell's got a phone call.

[Will Ferrell]

Yep.

[Jason Bateman]

Tight five, everybody.

[Will Ferrell]

Okay. That's a large pepperoni, right? Uh. Oh, do you want chicken fingers with that?

[Jason Bateman]

Okay.

[Will Arnett]

I thought he was ordering. He's taking orders.

[Will Ferrell]

Can I get the. Oh, all right. Okay. All right, Todd, we'll be there in 35 minutes.

[Will Arnett]

He asked for the address, and then he knew the guy, so he didn't need the address.

[Will Ferrell]

Hey, hey. Keep your landlines, folks. Keep your landlines.

[Jason Bateman]

It is pretty strong.

[Will Ferrell]

That looks like a banking system collapse. You're going to want to have a landlord.

[Sean Hayes]

What? I was going to say William was feral. Was.

[Will Arnett]

Yes.

[Sean Hayes]

I always wanted to know, what is that one thing or that one event or that one person that made you want to get in the business and pursue comedy? What was Barack Obama correct. Before that? Before that.

[Jason Bateman]

Great answer.

[Sean Hayes]

Just like a week before that.

[Will Ferrell]

The one. The one thing. The one person.

[Sean Hayes]

Yeah. Was there, like, a show or a person or an event or something in your family or.

[Will Ferrell]

Oh, Jesus. This is supposed to be things you don't know.

[Will Arnett]

Here come the waterworks.

[Will Ferrell]

Yeah.

[Sean Hayes]

And we are losing light. We're losing light.

[Will Ferrell]

I said I wouldn't cry. You said you wouldn't try to get me to cry, Sean. But right out of the gate, here's the real answer to your question. Yeah, I enjoyed being funny as a child, but I was actually diametrically opposed to going into entertainment because I watched my father, the musician, go from job to job and Be fired at the drop of a hat. And I thought that's not. Who would want to do that. I'm going to have a job where I carry a briefcase to work.

[Jason Bateman]

I can relate to that. I had some of the same fears myself, yet I still went into this non meritocracy and fickle sort of industry.

[Will Ferrell]

You went in early. You were early. You were early child.

[Jason Bateman]

Right. But you, you. You were young as well. But I mean, not a child. But I mean, you still had a. You had an opportunity to take a different path, yet you didn't. You still. You couldn't resist the allure of the pancake makeup.

[Sean Hayes]

Yeah. So what.

[Will Ferrell]

So what about that floor lights? After seeing your dad, Are there still floor lights? Yep, yep. They're scooped. They're scoop lights.

[Sean Hayes]

Scoop lights?

[Will Ferrell]

Yeah, yeah.

[Will Arnett]

Scoop, scoop.

[Sean Hayes]

Yeah.

[Will Ferrell]

Scoops.

[Sean Hayes]

No. Okay, listen, Will. But seeing your dad do that over and over again and not like, you know, travel, not hold down, you know, secure kind of jump. So what if that discouraged you? What encouraged you?

[Will Ferrell]

I. I just kind of slowly started incorporating the. The messing around with my friends, which I'm sure we all did.

[Jason Bateman]

Let's keep it clean.

[Sean Hayes]

Okay?

[Will Ferrell]

Yep.

[Will Arnett]

Yeah.

[Jason Bateman]

Okay.

[Will Ferrell]

You're right. Entertainment of my. Oh, that sounds weird. Yeah, the massage. No, no, no.

[Jason Bateman]

Tickle giggle.

[Will Ferrell]

Tickle giggle. You know, we don't. We'd love to have a good gang. Tickle giggle.

[Jason Bateman]

That's it. We got it. We're back on.

[Will Ferrell]

No, I just had. I. High school was kind of the moment. Even though I wasn't like a theater kid or anything. And I found myself writing what were essentially skits.

[Sean Hayes]

But was there like a comedy person that you were like, God, I wish I could do what that guy does.

[Will Arnett]

Or who did you think was funny when you were a teenager?

[Will Ferrell]

I kind of the typical interesting that.

[Sean Hayes]

Will Arnett asks it once and gets a response.

[Jason Bateman]

The pipes.

[Will Ferrell]

Yeah, it's the pipes. Exactly.

[Will Arnett]

I just got down to it. I didn't dress it up with a bunch of bs, Hayes.

[Will Ferrell]

I was a member of the Columbia House Record and Tape Club. And one of the items.

[Sean Hayes]

Oh, you're being serious.

[Will Ferrell]

I'm being serious. For $1 plus postage and handling, which really comes out to about a buck 89. That's where they get you. I got to choose 13.

[Will Arnett]

Still seething.

[Will Ferrell]

Well, it's supposed to be for a penny. You got 13 albums and it's not a penny, it's a buck 89. Okay.

[Jason Bateman]

It's the handling that's expensive.

[Will Arnett]

Hey, man, we don't work there.

[Will Ferrell]

It's the posters and the shipping and handling.

[Sean Hayes]

Yeah.

[Will Ferrell]

Not to mention, if you. You get a. You get one record a month. If you don't send it back within 14 days, you're charged for it. Yeah.

[Sean Hayes]

Is that how you still use Netflix?

[Will Ferrell]

I'm doing it the original way. Yeah. I never. I still get the discs. I'm not streaming.

[Sean Hayes]

I blame you.

[Will Arnett]

Will drives by Ted Serrano's house and throws discs at his front door. And here's your fucking movies.

[Will Ferrell]

I'm with these. One of my. One of my was the cast album of Saturday Night Live. And so.

[Sean Hayes]

Okay, great. So you always aspired to. To be on the show that you.

[Will Ferrell]

Were on, I guess, quietly. Yes, quietly, I did, but that's.

[Will Arnett]

So, Will.

[Will Ferrell]

So you wanted to. And. And. Hold on. I'm not done.

[Jason Bateman]

Yeah, shut up, Arnett.

[Will Ferrell]

I know.

[Jason Bateman]

Fuck. Will, can I talk to you privately real quick?

[Will Ferrell]

Yeah, yeah.

[Jason Bateman]

No, no, Arnett. Sorry. Listen. Yeah, listen, Arnett. When the guest is responding to a question, for Christ's sake. No, no, wait until this Conan does. Because silence follows a completion of the fucking answer. Here we go.

[Sean Hayes]

Okay.

[Will Ferrell]

Steve Martin. Steve Martin, Yep. And then I was also a Tonight show weirdo. I'd stay up and wait to see who the comedian was. If there was a comedian on that night, I'd watch. If there wasn't, I'd turn it off.

[Jason Bateman]

Wow.

[Will Ferrell]

So I was kind of. That's how I.

[Will Arnett]

So those are the guys. Steve Martin, also an idol of mine, too, comedy wise. I just thought, right. So. So dry and brilliant. But what was that moment? So you. You grew up in Orange county, you go to usc, and then you go to Groundlings. What is that gap between when you. I never knew this, like, from when you finished USC to Groundlings. What was that gap like? How did you.

[Will Ferrell]

So I graduated USC with a degree in sports journalism. So in my mind's eye, I'm gonna go work on espn. You know, I'm gonna be a sportscaster and.

[Jason Bateman]

Oh, that would have been great.

[Will Ferrell]

I. I know I blew it and missed it. In fact, Craig Kilborn brings that up to me every day. Do you remember Craig Kilborn?

[Jason Bateman]

I sure do. Do you have a. Do you have an ongoing friendship with Craig Kilborn?

[Will Ferrell]

I haven't seen him in probably 15 years. No.

[Sean Hayes]

Well, he's on next. He's coming on next.

[Will Arnett]

Come on out, Craig.

[Jason Bateman]

You'll see him in the green room on your way out.

[Will Ferrell]

Come on out, Craig.

[Will Arnett]

If you were quarantining with Craig Kilborn, that would be it for me. It'd be the greatest. So. So you finish.

[Will Ferrell]

So, yeah, so I have this. I, I finish and then I start doing my. I mean, there wasn't really a job placement program coming out of college. And so you kind of have to figure out a way. I found like a local Orange county cable access news station I started working at and I was trying to put together a tape which I wish we could cut to that now that. In which. Yeah, I did, you know, started doing some field reporting and you would, you would anchor the news, you'd also work the camera, you would do everything. And there was a light bulb moment in that even though it was this small, rinky dink local cable access, they had legitimate press credentials to all the major sports teams in la. And at that time, the Rams, the LA Rams football team were playing down at Anaheim Stadium. And the editor, you know, of the show, which was actually a teacher of the class, it was actually run out of a junior college. He said, hey, we, we need someone to go interview John Robinson, the head coach of the Rams.

[Will Arnett]

Sure.

[Will Ferrell]

At the stadium after this weekend's game. And 40 hands shot up, except for mine, because.

[Jason Bateman]

But you knew him from sc.

[Will Ferrell]

Yeah, no, no, I'd never met him, but. But the point was, here were. I'm surrounded by these hungry people who were like, I need that interview on my reel. And my first thought was like, I'm gonna have to check out a camera. Parking, I gotta ask someone. Yeah, parking. I gotta pay for it. I gotta ask one of my classmates if they'll run sound for me.

[Sean Hayes]

Yeah. And you don't have a lot of money from. You don't have a lot of money left over from that subscription to all those from Columbia?

[Will Ferrell]

Yeah, no, I'm in debt from Columbia House Records and Tape because he's, he's.

[Will Arnett]

In the middle of a major lawsuit against Columbia.

[Will Ferrell]

We are, we are on the five yard line, guys, and if. Please have me on next when we finally come to terms. But I'm giving all the money to charity. But God, we're going to hammer them. But I had no, I had no. I said, this is not a good sign. I should be leaping out of my chair to go and actually get a legit interview with a head football coach from the NFL on my reel so that I can get hired at a, you know, station in Yuma, Arizona. And I said, if I don't, I don't really have that drive, then this other thing that's kind of still gnawing away at me is I should really be looking into this comedy thing. So that's when I signed up for my first class at the Groundlings.

[Jason Bateman]

Really?

[Will Ferrell]

Yeah.

[Sean Hayes]

What do you guys love to do? I love to hang out with friends. I love watching movies. I love playing piano. I love music. I love art. I love theater. I love. I even love sports, believe it or not. Do what you love to end alls lets you turn something you love into a fundraising event to end Alzheimer's and all dementia. By doing something you love to do, you can make a big difference in ending Alzheimer's. All proceeds benefit the care, support and research efforts of the Alzheimer's Association. What's your thing? Golf Running Live streaming Pickleball Baking Hiking Parties Flag football Something else do what you love to end Alls gives you the flexibility to host your own fundraiser doing something you love on your own time. By doing one simple thing, you can change everything. Select an activity, pick a date and fundraise for a future without Alzheimer's. Learn [e-mail] do what you love can.

[Jason Bateman]

You imagine never buying gas again? Just imagine. Just close your eyes. Imagine a car that's as easy to charge as your phone. Electric vehicles are perfect for real life and real savings. EVs have fewer parts, fewer repairs and are less expensive to drive. Plus you can ghost the gas station and save up to $2,000 a year not buying G Electric vehicles are perfect for real life with a daily range that allows you to drive with confidence wherever you want to go. And charging is easy. You just plug in overnight at home just like your phone or use a fast charger and get back on the road in as little as 20 minutes. With 100 plus new and used EV models available today, there's an EV to fit every lifestyle and every budget. The way forward is electric. Learn [e-mail]. My home like your home. It's a retreat, right? It's your nest, right? And you want to. You want to be able to just lay out in that nest, you know, after a long day. So you know, like my couch. Like your couch is probably deep. It's soft, highly crashable, right? The home should show off who you are and Ashley has styles that balance timeless appeal and modern trends to bring your personal look home. Ashley offers well crafted, affordable pieces built to stand up to real life with great looks that are made to last more than just eye catching design. Get features like stain resistant performance fabric options that are incredibly durable stain resistant with machine machine washable cushion covers. Plus Ashley provides fast reliable white glove delivery right to your door. Now My buns are very familiar with the Jerson Low Swivel chair. I sat in this chair at our show in Los Angeles that we did in front of a live audience. And let me tell you something. I would have sat there for another three, four, five hours, but then we would have had to have charged everybody four, five times the amount they spent on the one hour show. So it didn't make any sense. But the Jerson Low swivel chair made that a temptation for me. Visit your local Ashley store or head to Ashley.com to find your style. I'm not trying to prod you into doing it. How soon after that did you kind of braid the two things by working on your Harry Cary?

[Will Ferrell]

Oh, that was. Yeah, that was kind of midway. That was a couple years later during the baseball strike and just kills me.

[Will Arnett]

Oh, that was a character you did at Groundlings.

[Will Ferrell]

Yeah, yeah, there was. It was the baseball strike. And I used to. I had. I had a job, the art auction house that my then friend, now wife Vivica, used to work at. I was the appraisal coordinator at the auction house, which was basically. I answered the phones and coordinated appraisals and typed up appraisals and was. Was threatened to be fired on several occasions. But I would. I lived close enough home to drive home for lunch, and I would turn the Cubs games on during the day. And I had never heard of Harry Carey. And I was like, who is this? Who is this guy?

[Sean Hayes]

Yeah, I grew up in Chicago, so he was part of our lives, a fixture.

[Will Ferrell]

Right. And so I'm just. I would be listening. And the thing that struck me was listening to a game and listening to this announcer say on syndicated national television, if that ball's a strike, I'm a Chinaman. And I literally did like, a spit take and was like, did he just say Chinaman? Wait, what? Wait, this is like a guy who's paid to do this. He's like. And so I. Not. I just thought, no, this has got to be a sketch somehow. And so I Somehow, even though it was a Southern California audience, I wrote a sketch where it was during the baseball strike. So Harry Carey didn't have games to announce, and he would. He had somehow gotten involved in a play reading and in a local theater. And it was this melodramatic play. And they were just sitting around, you know, let's take it from act one. And it was, you know, Perry had lines like, God damn it, Carol, why don't you ever look at me when we make love? And I And by the end. By the end of the sketch, the audience was, like, doubling over in laughter, even though they. They had no idea that Harry Carey was a real person. This is something that's transcending, you know.

[Sean Hayes]

Yeah.

[Will Arnett]

By the way, never knowing that, of course, seeing you do the Harry Carey character so many times, but the idea of him doing something, it was always in the baseball context, but seeing him doing something that's completely out of.

[Will Ferrell]

Oh, yeah. And we had all these other actors, we had a really good troupe, and everyone was just playing it perfectly straight. And, like, this one actress, Maggie Baird, was literally getting herself to cry while she read it. And it was just like, your tears mean nothing to me. This marriage has been broken since the day we crossed the altar.

[Sean Hayes]

You know, always kind of drunk, right?

[Will Ferrell]

Yeah.

[Jason Bateman]

And quaking a little.

[Will Ferrell]

And then my friend Roy was the director, like, okay, let's stop there, Harry. I don't know if I'm feeling, you know, just giving the cliche acting notes and like, Harry, I really want to feel it from you this time. And you're speaking to no one but Carol right now in this scene. Okay, let's take it again. And just the starting and stopping of that.

[Jason Bateman]

And did you do, Harry, when you did your SNL audition?

[Will Ferrell]

I did. Which was. In fact, I tried to do an augmented version of that. And it was so surreal because, you know, you're just in a. You're just in a void. You're on. You're in 8H in the studio there.

[Jason Bateman]

God, you must have been so nervous. I would have been just a mess.

[Will Ferrell]

I just remember listening, waiting in the way. So you guys all know that set up there, waiting by the page desk outside the doors of the studio and hearing the person ahead of you go through their audition while you're on deck and just looking at all the famous pictures of everyone.

[Sean Hayes]

Yeah.

[Will Ferrell]

Who had just hosted and being in.

[Sean Hayes]

The spot and the place that you dreamed of being.

[Will Ferrell]

And now you're walking out to a studio that's pitch black, except for a spotlight and a camera and a boom operator and Lauren sitting in the shadows. And then you just have to do comedy or standing in a void, possibly. So, yeah, that was very surreal. I tried doing it. I don't know.

[Sean Hayes]

Will Ferrell, I also want to know, like, have you ever desired to do anything? I know you wanted to be a sports announcer, Right. Or sportscaster. But if you weren't doing the thing that you're doing, not quarantining, but in entertainment business, what would you be doing if you had to pick a blue collar job.

[Will Ferrell]

You had to pick.

[Sean Hayes]

What would it be?

[Will Ferrell]

Oh, blue collar. Because I was gonna say I've always wanted to do finance.

[Will Arnett]

Seems so interesting to you.

[Will Ferrell]

I love finance. I love figuring out, like a second more, you know.

[Jason Bateman]

Sure.

[Will Ferrell]

I can't even do the bit because I don't even know the terms, but.

[Sean Hayes]

Right. Refi.

[Will Ferrell]

Refi.

[Will Arnett]

Low will comes alive when you mention private equity. It's like, what who said?

[Will Ferrell]

Are you subprime? Is that still a thing? I actually could be a. I could actually be a post person, to be.

[Sean Hayes]

Quite honest, to deliver the mail.

[Will Ferrell]

Because I like, like the idea of a route and you get to, you know, have some contact with people and the idea of finishing a task every day.

[Jason Bateman]

Would you be on foot, armed with the. With the dog spray, or would you be in the buggy?

[Will Ferrell]

I would go. I would go foot with the trolley. I push the trolley.

[Jason Bateman]

Nice.

[Will Ferrell]

Yeah, nice.

[Jason Bateman]

Those are. Those are sneaky, tricky, those three wheels thing. They will go over on you.

[Will Ferrell]

I'm sure they. Yeah. In a high wind or. Yeah, yeah.

[Jason Bateman]

Or if you don't take the letters out, you don't go in a clockwise or counterclockwise rotation. If you take too many out of the left side, it's going to tip over on the right and vice versa.

[Will Ferrell]

Did you used to do it?

[Will Arnett]

Hey, how often did you look out the window masturbating at the postman? A lot or a little?

[Jason Bateman]

Only in the summer months when they wear the shorts.

[Will Arnett]

Look at that curve.

[Will Ferrell]

There's David. There's David. David, our postman's here. Yeah.

[Jason Bateman]

David is gonna topple. David is gonna topple.

[Sean Hayes]

I'll get the mail.

[Will Ferrell]

Hey, guys, David's here. Yes. What?

[Will Arnett]

Wait, cut to the reverse is. Nobody's there. Nobody's there. He's alone. Hey, Bateman, quick question, because you did. We mentioned before you grew up in showbiz. We all know that. We've seen the great things. And people who are listening can right now google up like Little House in the Prairie and see cute little Jason Bateman.

[Will Ferrell]

Yeah.

[Will Arnett]

Did you ever have a real. Did you ever have, like, an outside show business job?

[Jason Bateman]

Have you ever had, like a. I didn't. And I genuinely hate that. I'd love to have had a paper route similar to Dave's route with his three wheeler.

[Will Arnett]

But you were working all the time as a kid.

[Jason Bateman]

I started at 10. Yeah. So there was no chance to. But I've always legitimately fantasized about waiting tables or bartending. There's something about working for A tip. Which is sort of like the same thing as I. I want them to like me. I want. This table might need something different than that table. Just sort of like, being able to morph into whatever they need me to be.

[Will Ferrell]

I have. I do. I will say this. All my, quote unquote, civilian jobs, I've been pretty terrible at. So.

[Jason Bateman]

Because you didn't like authority or you.

[Will Ferrell]

Were just disinterested, like, slow. Yeah, just like, slow on the uptake. I had a lot of patient managers and supervisors. Who.

[Will Arnett]

Did you have a lot of job? Like, do you have weird jobs in high school that you did?

[Will Ferrell]

I never. I was doing sports all the time, so I. But I had, you know, I had, like, the. I worked as a bank teller. I was a valet parker of cars.

[Jason Bateman]

And how are you taking direction?

[Will Ferrell]

Well, you know, bank teller, you know, there's certain protocols and procedures you have to follow and this and that. And it just took me a while. I mean, the fact that I was handling numbers and money was. It just.

[Jason Bateman]

I was, like, euphoric.

[Will Ferrell]

I mean, that led to my love of finance. But I once had a regular customer stop me in the middle of a transaction and say, can you call your manager over? And I said, sure. And I brought her over. And he. And in front of me, he said, this guy is your worst teller, okay? And I just want you to know this. And he did in a very calm way. And he was like, look. Look at him right now. He's sweating. And I literally was. I was sweating. He's like, he's terrible. He takes forever. He. And the manager, to her defense, was like, please, that's. That's not true. And I was like, no, he's kind of right. And I just want you to know, like, I hate when I have to go to his window. And then he just walked away. And she was like, I'm sorry about that. I was like, you know what? I can't really argue with him. There's. I'm not that great a teller.

[Jason Bateman]

This was counting bills, counting out cash.

[Will Ferrell]

Or, you know, everything. Cashing a chat. Yeah. Doing it all.

[Will Arnett]

So that guy did you a favor in the long run, right? In a lot of ways. Sounds like you need to pen someone a letter.

[Will Ferrell]

Well, every time I go, every time I put the pancake makeup on, and I picture that guy, and I. I say, who's laughing now?

[Will Arnett]

So you still do all your own makeup?

[Will Ferrell]

I insist on it.

[Will Arnett]

It's crazy.

[Will Ferrell]

Well, there's allergies, especially in the, you know, post COVID 19 world. We're all about to step into. I will definitely be doing all my own makeup.

[Sean Hayes]

So, Will Ferrell, you are one of the funniest people on the planet, if not the funniest person on the planet. And everybody kind of. Do you get sick of like, because now you're a parent and you have to show up to like, school things and parent things for your kids. Do people expect that from you? All the time. And what is your reaction?

[Will Ferrell]

There is. There is a certain level of underwhelming. Is that a word?

[Jason Bateman]

Yes.

[Will Arnett]

Yeah, it is.

[Will Ferrell]

Now I can tell. I can tell there are a lot of let down people continually.

[Will Arnett]

But Will, I will say this. You know, Will, I don't even remember this. A couple years ago, maybe last year, we were having dinner.

[Will Ferrell]

Yeah.

[Will Arnett]

I was having dinner with. With Richter and Pete Giles and. And you and Viv came in from a school event.

[Will Ferrell]

Yeah.

[Will Arnett]

And with a couple other parents. And Will was wearing his name. They're all wearing name tags. And Will says, hello, my name is Will on the thing. Which was, which is great. And that's such a testament to what a great guy you are. And it's like, yeah, man, I'm not here. I'm just here because my kids are at school here. And I'm interested in my kids and their lives in their school.

[Will Ferrell]

But I'm sure you guys face the same thing. I find more that there are some parents who literally won't say hi because they go so far the other way.

[Will Arnett]

Yeah.

[Will Ferrell]

I don't, I don't want to bother them. So then you're like, hey, how you doing? And they walk right by like, gosh, what, did I say something wrong?

[Sean Hayes]

Yeah.

[Will Ferrell]

Yeah.

[Jason Bateman]

And then do you feel on the, on the opposite of that? Do you feel that you have to sometimes lead with sort of a vibe that is less than sort of friendly or less than sort of solicitous of conversation because you're afraid that if you seem too friendly, they're really going to lean in. And like, how do you kind of say no?

[Will Ferrell]

I would say that. I would say, at least in the school setting, most everyone is, is. Is relatively normal. I would say that posture, that's my game face for when I'm on a commercial flight.

[Jason Bateman]

Right. Just sour. Don't come near me. I will rip your head off.

[Will Ferrell]

I will not here for fun and games. Let's get to flying eye mask and headphones.

[Sean Hayes]

People love Venmo Stache because it just makes sense. Something that can always be said about this podcast with Venmo Stash. You can get up to 5% cash back at your favorite brands. You spend money with the Venmo debit card. You get cash back just like that.

[Will Ferrell]

Boom.

[Sean Hayes]

Pick a bundle of your go tos to shop with your Venmo debit card and earn cash back at them. And you're free to mix things up. You can easily, easily swap out your bundle of brands every 30 days. Earn more cash when you do more with stash. Venmo stash terms and exclusions apply. Max $100 cash back per month. See Terms at Venmo Me Stash Terms what if there were a technology that lets you communicate with animals by pretending to be an animal? On March 6, Disney and Pixar's new movie Hoppers follows animal lover Mabel, who uses this technology to become a beaver to communicate with animals, but gets in way over her head when she accidentally gets them to plot against humans. And you'll just have to see what happens next. Disney and Pixar's hoppers in theaters March 6th. Tickets available now.

[Will Ferrell]

They always tell you there's a catch, a compromise, an asterisk.

[Sean Hayes]

Terms apply. See store for details. May be less than advertised.

[Jason Bateman]

May vary by mood.

[Will Ferrell]

Probably Spry zero sugar. It's different. It's the lemon lime flavored refreshment you want with zero sugar.

[Sean Hayes]

So no fast voice, no caveats, just refreshment.

[Will Ferrell]

This is spry zero sugar. Obey your thirst.

[Sean Hayes]

Will Is there anything that you haven't done that you want to do? Either a role that you want to play or.

[Will Ferrell]

Nope.

[Sean Hayes]

Talk to you later.

[Will Ferrell]

Totally satisfied. How do I. How do I turn this camera off? How do I get out of here? How do I, how do I. No, there isn't.

[Sean Hayes]

Because everybody thinks you can do anything.

[Will Ferrell]

I don't know. But how do you. How do you. You can't give that answer without sounding like a jackass, right?

[Jason Bateman]

What, yeah, what would you. What would you do if, like, let's say, let's say Ridley Scott came to you and he want to do King Lear and he just thought he sees something in you that would just be like an incredibly. It's off brand and studio's excited and all of those terms and all of that stuff and the money's just like, like you've never, etc. Etc. Etc. Does your douche meter go off and say, even though you could do it, do you feel like the audience will never accept it?

[Will Ferrell]

Yeah, I think that would be a. That would be a tough one to try to convince yourself that you could pull that one off.

[Jason Bateman]

Having said that you have. You have King Lear.

[Will Ferrell]

Are you about to.

[Jason Bateman]

No.

[Will Ferrell]

Jason, are you direct? Are you doing it?

[Jason Bateman]

No, but you have. But what about what. In all sincerity, I think you've taken what you do and you've pushed it into so many realistic, dramatic, melancholy things that truly nobody else could do, just like no one else could do what you do in comedy. I really think it's admirable how you are so aware of how you come across, what sort of your goal posts are and what you're. You're asking the audience to accept you as I think is. That's a lot of discipline.

[Will Ferrell]

I appreciate that. But, yeah, I mean, it's. It's fun to do that other stuff, but there are times where I'm. I am always on those sets of more serious things going. This is. This is very hard. And this is hard to not look like you're trying to be the actor who everyone needs to take serious. So it's a.

[Jason Bateman]

It's a drama face.

[Will Ferrell]

Yeah. It's so.

[Will Arnett]

It's so tough, which is so funny because doing. Doing what you do, specifically what you do, Will. Is so. Is so hard. And when I say not many people, like, nobody could do it, and it's.

[Will Ferrell]

So working out, you mean. Yeah, just work out.

[Will Arnett]

Well, just lats. The way you do arms and legs. Yeah. Nobody does legs like you. And you've always said that.

[Sean Hayes]

And thanks for the posts. You always post them, too.

[Will Arnett]

Not a lot of people know that. Will train Reggie Bush. When I came through sc.

[Will Ferrell]

I'm a fair. I'm a fairly modest person, I think you guys. I think that comes across here, but I will not hold back. No one does legs the way I do, you know.

[Will Arnett]

I mean, leg day's a holiday in the Farrell household.

[Will Ferrell]

Leg day is. Yeah, it's just.

[Sean Hayes]

Now, here's the other thing. Will Ferrell, you know, you're also known not only as the funniest person in the world, but one of the kindest people. And everybody in this business always just raves about what a great human being you are.

[Will Ferrell]

That's the hard part.

[Sean Hayes]

I can attest to that.

[Jason Bateman]

Because that's what they pay. Yeah, that's the part.

[Sean Hayes]

They are very, very sweet and. But so that said, I think the thing I always wanted to know what really pisses you off?

[Jason Bateman]

Yeah, Here we go. This is where we start the interview. He's all kombucha up now.

[Will Ferrell]

Do you mean. I'm full of.

[Will Arnett]

We just want names. We just want names that.

[Jason Bateman]

Yeah. When's the last time you Just screamed your head off and let somebody had it.

[Sean Hayes]

Yeah. Because I can't picture you angry.

[Will Ferrell]

No, I, I don't, I don't get, I'm trying to think of the last, I mean, I have screamed before. I have screamed in a professional manner.

[Sean Hayes]

Or like in life or like at home or like within people and human beings. What pisses you off?

[Will Ferrell]

I mean, yeah, home, it's, you know, the, the typical frustrations you have with your children. And for some reason I'm always checking myself because I'm holding them to some standard that I don't think I was held to. Like I was, I was, I mean, I did well in school, but I still had, you know, my room was a mess and I never emptied the dishwasher and, but for some reason I'm just like, you guys. Yeah, you, it's not that hard. We're asking you to empty the trash.

[Sean Hayes]

See, if I was your child, I would laugh at that.

[Will Ferrell]

And put the liner back in, Put the liner back. Reline the trash can. You're not done. A two step process.

[Jason Bateman]

Right.

[Will Ferrell]

But that, for some reason that I get crazy and then I'm like, who is this person? Yeah.

[Will Arnett]

But I was going to say about holding them to that standard, I, I, you know, during these weird times we had the other day, Archie, our 11 year old, was on a Zoom class.

[Will Ferrell]

Yeah.

[Will Arnett]

And it turned out he was, he had his camera off and on the side he was on his iPad playing a video game. So I said to Amy, I said to my ex, I was like, I was like, what are we? He's on the thing and blah, blah, blah. And as I was saying to her, like, he's on the, he's on the Zoom class, but he's on pause and he's playing a video game. Beat, beat, beat. I was looking at her, I go, which I probably would have done if given the chance. And you probably would have too. And she's like, yeah, I totally would have.

[Will Ferrell]

I know.

[Sean Hayes]

Yeah, exactly.

[Will Arnett]

It was crazy.

[Will Ferrell]

I don't, I don't know why. Yeah, I don't know why I go there. But can I have one other thing? I don't on in a work experience kind of Bugaboo.

[Sean Hayes]

Yeah.

[Will Ferrell]

I don't love the unit publicist experience on a set.

[Sean Hayes]

Right.

[Will Ferrell]

And for those listeners who are wondering, there's a lot of times on a production there's a publicist assigned from the studio and this and that and they're always playing the game of like so and so is willing to do it if you are and then.

[Sean Hayes]

Right. Guilting you.

[Jason Bateman]

Yeah, yeah. And they do, they do these wide circles, right? They just do little drive bys every once in a while to gauge whether you're in a good mood or a bad mood. To just want to kind of run something by you.

[Will Ferrell]

And I'm always, I'm always amazed at, we want to have 20 journalists visit the set and do a three hour interview while you guys are filming. And I'm always like, but wait, isn't the movie the first priority? And I'm always like, absolutely, if we have time. Okay, but when do you think will be a good time? You'll have to check with the first ad. Okay, but is there a window? I have no idea. So you're up for it? Yes, if we have time.

[Will Arnett]

Okay, great.

[Jason Bateman]

So you've signed off.

[Will Ferrell]

If we have time.

[Jason Bateman]

Right.

[Will Ferrell]

And then I love those days when there's no time and you just walk by and you go, I'm sorry, there was no time.

[Will Arnett]

Will, what was the thing? I remember you were telling me once about kind of felt like the same thing. Somebody said to you, hey, we're going to do a golf tournament. Tiger woods is going to come if you're in. And like you felt like somebody. And then somebody had told Tiger that you were going to play. And it was like, yes, yes.

[Will Ferrell]

Somehow my dad, my dad became. My dad somehow became a middleman. He was asking me, he had some friend of his down in Newport beach who came to listen to him play music. Was like, hey, so he's talked to Tiger woods and Tiger woods is in for it. If you and Tiger woods play golf together and they'll raise a bunch of money for charity for another twosome. So you're a foursome together. And these two, whoever, you know, it goes to the highest bidder to play golf with Will Ferrell and Tiger woods. And that he's already reached out to Tiger and he's good to go. And I was like, well, dad, who is this friend again and how well do you know him? And he seems like a good guy. And, and, and I go, well, you know, a lot of times they'll ask one party before they ask the other. And so maybe I'll check. Let me do some research. And for some reason, some way I had some way to check to see if the Tiger camp had ever heard of this special charity golf.

[Will Arnett]

Dr. Miller got involved. Dr. James Miller.

[Will Ferrell]

And it turns out, of course, Tiger. I said, dad, guess what? Your buddy Tiger woods, apparently his team has never heard anything of this. And your friend's lying to you. And he was like, how, how could that be? And I said, I know. That's the way the world sometimes works.

[Jason Bateman]

What kind of music, what kind of music does he play?

[Will Ferrell]

He's. He's like an old time rock and roll.

[Sean Hayes]

Really?

[Will Ferrell]

Yeah.

[Jason Bateman]

Guitarist?

[Will Ferrell]

No, he's piano, sax. Hammond B3 organ.

[Jason Bateman]

Wow.

[Will Ferrell]

Wow.

[Jason Bateman]

Oh, yeah.

[Will Ferrell]

Let's hear for the Hammond B3.

[Sean Hayes]

That's amazing.

[Will Ferrell]

But yeah, that was Mike. Tiger woods story.

[Will Arnett]

I. I just, I always love that idea though. I've thought about that so many times. The idea of like, so many. When they go like, hey, we want you to do this thing. And so and so and so and so are doing it. And I always think back to that story of like. And then I'll go, why don't you make sure that so and so and so and so. That's how I found myself on an island with Marie Osmond and Kirk Cameron. You know.

[Jason Bateman]

Oh, boy.

[Will Ferrell]

I got asked to play in another charity golf tournament by a friend, assuming that I was going to play with the person I know, right? Only to show up and be placed with four strangers. And these guys were like, in it to win it. And they're like, hey, hope you're pretty good.

[Sean Hayes]

Did you end up playing?

[Will Ferrell]

Yeah, I had to play this entire 18 holes with these four guys.

[Will Arnett]

And they wanted to show you how good they were, right?

[Will Ferrell]

100%. They're like, we hope you're good because we win this thing every year and.

[Jason Bateman]

You better be funny and you're.

[Will Ferrell]

Well. And it was early SNL days, so they kind of had heard of me. Maybe not. And they were like, is that show still on the air? I didn't know people watched it.

[Sean Hayes]

Sweet. He sounds sweet.

[Will Ferrell]

And then I literally. We were supposed to be a banquet afterwards, and I said, guys, I'm gonna go put my clubs in my car and I'll meet you back inside. Just. Just drove home and. Did we win? Yes, we won even despite.

[Jason Bateman]

Did you really? You didn't stick around for the trophy?

[Will Ferrell]

I didn't stick around.

[Jason Bateman]

That's strong.

[Will Ferrell]

Yeah.

[Jason Bateman]

So as we say goodbye to you on this. In this pandemic day. What. What, what do you do the rest of the day?

[Will Ferrell]

Let's see, it's three in the afternoon. I'm gonna go. I might go. I might go walk our dogs. Peanut and Cosmo. Right?

[Jason Bateman]

So that's with a mask.

[Will Ferrell]

They'll be with a mask. I'm gonna do a sweep through the house to find where all the devices have been hidden because these kids are liars. And thieves. And so I'll do a sweep and. And then Vivian, we'll start talking about. We start talking about what we're making for dinner at around noon every day. So we'll have to start.

[Jason Bateman]

You gotta build a day around that. And then it's sleep by eight.

[Will Ferrell]

Yeah.

[Will Arnett]

Jason, have you done or Will or Sean? Well, not to your kids, but maybe to Scotty. Have you ever done a thing where you go, you're so had it with the devices? I've threatened during this pandemic a minimum 100 times to throw the devices in the pool.

[Will Ferrell]

Yes.

[Will Arnett]

I said this iPad is going in the bottom of the pool if I see it on one more time. Yeah, yeah.

[Jason Bateman]

But then you quickly realize all that means is more work for you.

[Will Ferrell]

Yeah, yeah, true. I did throw my, my 13 year old Matias's phone out the window.

[Will Arnett]

You did.

[Will Ferrell]

Driving. All of us driving. But it was a real slow crawl and I, I picked a target area where I knew we could find it later and I just chucked it out the window and hit this bush. And he literally was like, what is wrong with you? And he was so shocked that I actually did it. And typical, true to form, we pulled over, he's like, I can't believe it. Burst into tears, went back to. To look for the phone. He's like, I can't find it. I can't find it. I walked right up to the bush. I'm like, here it is. It's right here. And so that was a great little shot across the bow.

[Jason Bateman]

What you're capable of, right? Don't mess.

[Will Ferrell]

What I'm capable of. But it hasn't been much of a deterrent.

[Will Arnett]

Yeah.

[Will Ferrell]

So.

[Sean Hayes]

Well, Will Ferrell, thank you for being here with us. We love you. You're our comedy hero.

[Will Ferrell]

Thanks, you guys. So much fun.

[Jason Bateman]

Can't thank you enough. Very, very nice of you, Willie.

[Will Ferrell]

Bye, guys.

[Will Arnett]

Love you, buddy.

[Sean Hayes]

Bye, Will.

[Will Ferrell]

Thank you.

[Sean Hayes]

Guys. That was so fun. How awesome is he?

[Jason Bateman]

He literally is one of my favorite people in the whole world. And I was a little starstruck there for the first few minutes, but. God, he puts you at ease, doesn't he? What a nice guy.

[Sean Hayes]

You were Star Trek when I came on or when he was.

[Jason Bateman]

So sorry. Arnett. Oh, oh, when Arnett was.

[Sean Hayes]

Yeah, sure.

[Will Arnett]

Good for you, dude. Good for you, dude. I'm just like, I'm a regular guy. I'm very approachable. Farrell is the best, isn't he? I had the honor and pleasure and good fortune to, to work on a couple things with Him. And they were some of my fondest memories because most of the time we just screwed around.

[Sean Hayes]

And he's one of those guys who you go, oh, no wonder you're a superstar. Because everybody wants to work with you because you're one of the nicest people in the business and incredibly talented. Right.

[Will Arnett]

Yeah. He's got. He's got that. As you know, you guys know, he's got that sort of that natural timing that you cannot learn. You just have it or you don't. And he has got it in spades in ways that are. He's got that thing that makes him. He's so surprising, too.

[Will Ferrell]

Yeah.

[Will Arnett]

Always. He just surprises you with stuff. It's just awesome.

[Sean Hayes]

Is there anything you guys learned about him that you didn't know?

[Will Arnett]

Certainly about his dad.

[Will Ferrell]

Yeah.

[Sean Hayes]

Isn't that interesting?

[Jason Bateman]

And all the sports journalism stuff that he was excited about early on.

[Will Ferrell]

Right.

[Will Arnett]

It's crazy. I've met his dad a few times and I guess I didn't really realize his dad was a musician. I don't know how.

[Sean Hayes]

For the Righteous Brothers. I mean, that's crazy.

[Will Arnett]

Yeah.

[Sean Hayes]

I did not know he was on Saturday Night Live.

[Will Ferrell]

Oh, yeah.

[Will Arnett]

You didn't know that?

[Sean Hayes]

Wow.

[Jason Bateman]

Mind blow.

[Will Ferrell]

No.

[Jason Bateman]

You gotta go back and look at some of those.

[Will Arnett]

But you were. You hosted a couple times while he was on the show.

[Sean Hayes]

I never. I don't look behind me. I don't look behind me. I just look forward.

[Will Arnett]

Oh, okay. Look. So I don't know how that's applicable in this case.

[Jason Bateman]

Sean, I'm very proud of you that you. You got. You got Will Ferrell to say yes. Do you have any sort of incriminating photos or does he owe you?

[Sean Hayes]

How did you.

[Jason Bateman]

How'd you do that?

[Sean Hayes]

I have a couple. No, I don't have anything. I can't think of anything. Okay.

[Will Arnett]

All right, guys.

[Sean Hayes]

Love you guys.

[Jason Bateman]

I love you.

[Will Arnett]

Hey, guys. I just want to say smart. Smart.

[Sean Hayes]

We've talked about sleep apnea before, but not about what you may be missing. Dreams, maybe. The kind where your dog is giving you incredible life advice. Get back to sleeping deeply with Inspire Therapy. It's a small FDA approved implant placed during a short outpatient procedure. It helps keep your airway open while you sleep. No mask or hose needed. And a study shows over 90% of users prefer it over CPAP. Learn more, see if you qualify and view safety [e-mail] safety they put hot.

[Will Arnett]

Honey sauce on the snack wrap. McDonald's outdid themselves again. The classic snack wrap.

[Jason Bateman]

We all know and love paired with the sweet heat of hot honey sauce.

[Will Arnett]

Just what we needed to make it even more perfect. You know the drill. So go to McDonald's and try it today.