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Backstage with Will Ferrell

February 22, 2008 11:41 PM

Producer Melinda Arons reports on tonight's interview with comedian Will Ferrell:

I love politics.  But even in an election year as fascinating as this one, it's nice to take a break from electoral math and post-debate spin and just do something fun.  That's always been a great thing about Nightline....you get to do the hard-core current events stuff and then switch to something hilarious.

And if you want hilarious, you need look no further than Will Ferrell.  As a huge fan of "Anchorman," "Old School," and Ferrell's Bush impression on Saturday Night Live, I made my bosses promise to let me out of the political grind for a couple of days when we secured an interview with Ferrell.

Thus I found myself sitting in a women's locker room in the middle of a snowstorm in Kingston, Rhode Island.  The backstage at the University of Rhode Island event center were converted into a sort of quasi-greenroom and dressing room for Will and his merry band of fellow jokesters, including Will Arnett (I border on Kathy Bates "number one fan" status with that one), and three up and coming comics for a comedy tour tied to Ferrell's new movie "Semi-Pro."

The first thing that struck me about Ferrell was that he's really tall. Most movie stars are depressingly short when you meet them in person.  Ferrell is 6'3".  The second is that he is incredibly nice and laid back. I'd heard he was one of the nicest celebrities around, and was pleasantly surprised to find it to be true. He instantly puts people at ease.   The third is that it's not an act.....he's just really funny.  Everything he says reminds you of your funniest friend, the one who's always cracking you up at work.

Sarcastic without being mean.  Goofy without being stupid.

At one point, I was talking to Will Arnet backstage at the show's rehearsal, asking if he'd be willing to let us talk to him on camera about Ferrell.  At that point Ferrell came over to us and our cameraman followed.  Accustomed to ducking out of the shot, I started to run away. But Ferrell and Arnett caught me.  They took a tensa-barrier (the flexible guardrails used for security lines at airports) and roped me in, making me part of what I can only describe as menage a improv.  They started to pretend like they were New England cops (Will Arnett asked if we wanted anything from "Dunky," aka Dunkin Donuts) dealing with a rogue audience member (me).  It was probably the hardest I've laughed in years.  Unfortunately for me, the cameraman caught the whole thing.  At the time I felt like a total idiot for laughing so hard and not being able to think of a witty line to participate in the shtick. Now that I look at the tape I'm grateful.....you don't mess with guys like that when they're doing their thing. Nothing I could have said would have been as funny as them engrossed in their own back and forth.

In all my celebrity shoots I've never had anyone do anything like that...they're usually so guarded and wary of journalists.  It really was more fun than anyone should have at work.

February 22, 2008 | Permalink | User Comments (0)

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