Yahoo Lifestyle Will Ferrell Reveals the 1 Instance Where John C. Reilly Made Him Break Character in “Talladega Nights”
Ferrell said that even though his character was in a coma, viewers can see him laughing during the scene
John C. Reilly has no bigger fan than Will Ferrell.
Ferrell, 57, spoke in honor of his friend and frequent co-star at the U.S.-Ireland Alliance’s 2025 Oscar Wilde Awards at the Wilshire Ebell Theater in Los Angeles on Feb. 27. The Awards honored four Irish and Irish-American creatives, including Reilly, 59.
Ferrell said during his speech that he met Reilly when he was working on Saturday Night Live, but it took time for them to work together. Reilly was part of the first table read for Anchorman, which was ultimately released in 2004. “We could not get over how funny he was, that someone who was so capable as an actor could also be as funny,” Ferrell said. “He, of course, blew it as he took a part in this movie Gangs of New York,” the Elf star joked.
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John C. Reilly (left) and Will Ferrell at the Oscar Wilde Awards on Feb. 27.“We then chased him down though,” Ferrell said. “We were hot to work with John C. Reilly. We wanted to work with him so badly.” Ferrell and Adam McKay (who co-wrote and directed the movie) then wrote Reilly the part of Cal Naughton Jr. in Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby. Cal plays the best friend of Ferrell’s title character.
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“And of course John is incredible,” Ferrell said. The actor noted that Reilly made him “break” on camera when his character was supposed to be in a coma.
“John comes to me to confess that he once posed for Playgirl under the name of Mike Honcho. And yes, he did spread his buttcheeks,” Ferrell said. He revealed of the scene, “That was all improvised, and I swear you just see me hanging on for dear life.”
After the movie was released in 2006, the friends collaborated more deeply in 2008’s Step Brothers, in which the duo play adult stepbrothers who go from enemies to best friends.
Ferrell said Reilly was the inspiration for the film. “John made Step Brothers,” he said. “And it just shows the enormous talent that my friend has.” He credited Reilly with writing half of “Boats N’ Hoes,” a song their characters film a music video for in the movie. In 2023, the pair performed the now-beloved song with Snoop Dogg.
In his own speech at the event, Reilly honored his Irish heritage and praised the country and its citizens. "What really stands out to me at this moment is their love of democracy and their common decency,” he said.
Post-Step Brothers, Reilly and Ferrell both starred in 2013’s Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues and 2018’s Holmes & Watson. They both also had cameos in 2012’s Tim & Eric’s Billion-Dollar Movie.
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