Will Ferrellbecame a star incredibly quickly, even by Hollywood standards. Cast onSaturday Night Livein 1995, he was already making appearances in big-budget movies in 1997, while still starring on the show each week. By 2003, following the release ofOld SchoolandElf, Ferrell was internationally recognized as a comedy favorite. Always in demand, over the last 20 years, Ferrell has added well over 100 entries to his acting résumé, but almost all were comedies. Nevertheless, some appearances lead us to believe that he’s more versatile than fans might assume. Here’s why we think Will Ferrell should do more dramatic performances.
Overlooked Roles
Among Ferrell’s first opportunities to demonstrate his range was in Woody Allen’s 2004Melinda and Melinda. A unique amalgam of humor and drama, the film has two playwrights debating whether the world iscomic or tragic, inventing two very different stories with the same characters, including out-of-work actor Hobie, played by Ferrell. Playing the same characters in essentially two different movies was undoubtedly a real challenge for the cast, but Ferrell pulled it off. Unfortunately, the performance was overshadowed by Ferrell’s lead role in the much more successfulAnchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy, released just months earlier.
Still, Ferrell seemed determined not to be pigeonholed. Yes, for the next two years, Ferrell would primarily be recognized forTalladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby, and the movie-turned-musical-turned movie-musicalThe Producers. But he also took on the role of Corbit, a musician and caretaker, inWinter Passing, an independent drama that re-teamed him with Zooey Deschanel in a very different film from their earlier collaboration inElf. Ferrell had to be careful with lines that could be comical but were intended to be more eccentric or peculiar. Again, he largely succeeded, giving a nuanced performance, but the film received mixed reviews, only had a limited theatrical release, and has largely been forgotten.
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Stranger Than Fiction
Ferrell’s chance to demonstrate versatility to a mass audience finally arrived at the end of 2006 withStranger than Fiction, as much romance, drama, or fantasy as comedy. The film follows Ferrell as IRS agent Harold Crick, who begins hearing the voice of Emma Thompson in his head,narrating everything that happens, as if in a novel. An intelligent film with a particularly earnest performance from Ferrell, it did surprisingly well at the box office (in part, no doubt, to Ferrell’s name recognition), and was generally well-reviewed. Ferrell even earned a Golden Globe Award nomination. But it didn’t change the overall trajectory of his career. Ferrell’s next big hit would beStep Brothers, seemingly cementing him, at least in the public’s mind, as a brash, physical comic actor.
Rare Opportunities
When opportunities did come along for Ferrell to do something different and unexpected, he took them. In 2010’sEverything Must Go, Ferrell is an alcoholic who reaches rock bottom when he loses his job and his wife locks him out of the house, leaving all his possessions on the front lawn. It’s a simple story, and while there are moments of humor, they are not over-the-top. Ferrell was respectful to the source material (a short story bynoted author Raymond Carver), and director Dan Rush (who reportedly went back to directing commercials after this film) resisted the urge to do too much, letting Ferrell and a handful of other actors to simply tell the story, even without a Hollywood ending. Most critics were kind, but the film’s limited release got lost among bigger summer movies, and it was a box office failure.
Unquestionably expressive, Ferrell had also begun to do voice work, first inCurious GeorgeandMegamind, and then in 2014’sThe Lego Movie. This was actually a dual role, combining the voice of toy minifig Lord Business with a live-action appearance as The Man Upstairs. This part, as a father who is forced to reconsider his hobby, allowed Ferrell to share a tender moment with his on-screen son, giving audiences another glimpse of a more serious actor.
Comedic Decline
Even as he entered his mid-40s, studios seemed determined to squeeze every last ounce of brute comedy from Ferrell. How else to explain movies that weren’t just critically panned and box office failures but also left audiences openly wishing for the Ferrell from a decade before? When Ferrell agreed to star inThe Housein 2017 andHolmes and Watsonthe following year, he must have sensedone phase of his career ending. Luckily, that meant a new chapter was beginning.
Ferrell is no longer the young actor who would regularly strip down and literally throw himself into physical comedy roles. He has both aged and matured. Starting in 2007, Ferrell spent much of his time developing Funny or Die, first as a comedy video website and later as a film and television production company. These days, he is just as likely to produce a film as appear in one. And while many of Ferrell’s productions are comedies, they too are showing more range, from 2018’sViceto 2019’sBooksmartandHustlers, all of which were critical successes.
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A Versatile Actor
Will Ferrell has always been a good actor. Comedy is hard, and it takes a talented performer to consistently make audiences laugh. There is no question that Ferrell is funny and will continue to be involved in comedies. But in the last few years, Ferrell has made noticeably fewer appearances in front of the camera. The projects he has chosen are more interesting and demand more of him as an actor.
It started withDownhillin 2020, a remake of the 2014 Swedish dramaForce Majeure. He plays a husband and father who seemingly chooses his safety over his family’s during an approaching avalanche. As he becomes desperate to defend himself, Ferrell’s character starts to become unhinged, even cruel. The film doesn’t allow him to go all the way (which is in part why it wasdivisive among critics), but Ferrell could have and probably would have, given the opportunity.
Audiences saw that versatility again when Ferrell joinedAnchormanco-star Paul Rudd in the Apple TV+ streaming seriesThe Shrink Next Doorin 2021. This time, as a patient of a manipulative psychiatrist, Ferrell showed a vulnerability that viewers hadn’t seen before. It was a good sign for things to come. Next up, Ferrell will be returning to the world of musicals, appearing in a modern retelling of Charles Dickens’A Christmas Carol, titledSpirited, where he’ll play the part ofPresent opposite Ryan Reynolds as Scrooge. Here’s hoping that Will Ferrell continues to choose quality projects that showcase his varied acting skills, especially more dramatic performances.
