The king of comedy on how his role as a NASCAR driver satisfied his need for speed.
The king of comedy on how his role as a NASCAR driver satisfied his need for speed.
In recent films former 'Saturday Night Live' regular Will Ferrell has hit his stride, enjoying success with Old School, Elf and Anchorman: The Legend Of Ron Burgundy.
Talladega Nights: The Ballad Of Ricky Bobby is cut from the same gaudy cloth as Anchorman. It's an acutely observed satire of a very particular world. But while 1970s news anchors may have been able to laugh at Ferrell sending them up, with Talladega Nights he immersed himself in the environment he was spoofing, the macho, petrolhead and occasionally redneck world of NASCAR.
"We obviously wanted to make fun of it," he explains, "but we wanted to celebrate it at the same time, as well as making the film accessible to people who knew nothing about motor sports or NASCAR in particular."
While this is a comedy that revels in the ridiculous arrogance of his lead character - 'unearned confidence' is Ferrell's description - much attention was paid to getting the details of the racing environment just right.
Next page • "I beat Britney Spears by almost 10 miles an hour"
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