Will Ferrell talks about his new holiday musical Apple+ Spirited.
The 55-year-old actor spoke to WSJ. December/January issue of the magazine for the Charles Dickens adaptation, starring Ryan Reynolds and Octavia Spencer.
The Irvine, California-born star said the film’s director and co-writer Sean Anders pitched the film as “a reimagining of A Christmas Carol, but this time it’s from the ghost’s perspective, and it’s a crisis of faith , and it’s no ordinary Scrooge to be visited by ghosts and wake up the next day refreshed.”
The latest: Will Ferrell, 55, talked about his new Apple+ holiday musical Spirited to the WSJ. December/January issue of the magazine. The Charles Dickens adaptation stars Ryan Reynolds and Octavia Spencer
Ferrell said the story centers around a group of “these guys, led by (his character) Christmas Present” who examine whether the concept of redemption works anymore.
“Then Sean said, ‘Oh, and it’s a musical,'” Ferrell told the publication. “And I go, ‘Oh.’ Then within five minutes, I was like, “Yes – of course, it’s a musical. Yes, we have to do this.”
The Saturday Night Live alum went into detail about rehearsing the dance sequences in the film with Reynolds, who plays Clint Briggs.
“Cut us to seven weeks of rehearsals and a month of just doing the pre-recordings. It was just crazy…” Ferrell said. “There was tons of stress, but there it was just great to be in the same foxhole with Ryan and go, ‘That’s crazy, right?’
Ferrell said the story centers around a group of “these guys, led by (his character’s) Christmas present” who are considering whether the concept of redemption works anymore.
He appears alongside Reynolds, who plays Clint Briggs in the film
The Elves star spoke about the level of difficulty involved in making the holiday film
“There were times when Ryan and I were in a dance studio looking in the mirrors trying to do the steps. Ryan said, “I feel like I’m in a Zumba class at The Villages retirement community in Florida.” We’re like, “Wait, we’re supposed to get to this twister here and this thing. How is that going to happen? This is crazy.”
The Elves star spoke about the level of difficulty involved in making the holiday film.
“It was sleepless nights, that was, ‘Oh, next week is dedicated to shooting this number,’ and waking up at four in the morning. And I can’t go back to sleep, so I’m walking in the dark on Boston Common with my headphones in, with the track, singing out loud, walking in the dark. People wake up and do their morning jog and [thinking] “What is this guy doing?”
Ferrell said Spirited marked a “huge difference” in what his performance required musically from other projects he’s done.
“All these other previous examples were comedy songs, like, ‘Oh, that’s funny,’ and maybe sometimes someone like, ‘You’re a good singer, too, but that was really funny.’
Ferrell said Spirited marked a “huge difference” in what his performance required musically from other projects he’s done
In the chat, Ferrell also talked about his involvement in the upcoming Barbie movie, describing it as “the ultimate example of high art and low art.”
“That was legal. That was the scary part, to give a serious performance with these songs. Well, it was theater camp. It was a complete boot camp. It’s literally the most vulnerable thing I’ve ever had to do.
He added: “It just felt like it was the longest action to date. Maybe the only closest thing was making a film entirely in Spanish, but that was still different. That still wasn’t so scary, in a weird way.’
In the chat, Ferrell also talked about his involvement in the upcoming Barbie movie from director Greta Gerwig and starring Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling.
“It is, in my humble opinion, the ultimate example of high and low art,” he said. “It’s a tender tribute to the brand and at the same time it couldn’t be more satirical – just a great commentary on male patriarchy and women in society and why Barbie is criticized and yet why every little girl still wants to play with Barbie.
“Boy, when I read that, I was like, ‘That’s fantastic.’ I get to play the CEO of Mattel and be this guy who’s just insensitive but weird and then, not to spoil anything, but… anyway, that’s what excites me.”
