Why Adam McKay regrets his fall out with Will Ferrell
Adam McKay is responsible for making some of the most beloved comedies of the 21st Century, including Anchorman, Talladega Nights and Step Brothers, all of which he co-wrote with longtime collaborator Will Ferrell, who also starred in the films. Of course, McKay would later venture into more serious films, such as The Big Short and Vice.
However, in 2019, it was announced that McKay and Ferrell were going to be separating as producing partners. Together, they founded Gary Sanchez Productions in 2006, which would oversee much of the production of the duo’s filmography. After the pair released Holmes & Watson, it was poorly received in the press, and they made the decision to close down Gary Sanchez. The only other film to be released by the company was Eurovision Song Contest.
It was reported at the time that Ferrell and McKay had split amicably and were going to remain friends. However, it later transpired that the writing duo and former best buddies were not even remotely on talking terms. McKay revealed that things had not gone well after the company’s dissolution and largely blamed himself for their significant fall out.
“I fucked up on how I handled that,” McKay admitted. “It’s the old thing of keep your side of the street clean. I should have just done everything by the book. In my head, I was like, ‘We’ll let all this blow over. Six months to a year, we’ll sit down, we’ll laugh about it and go, It’s all business junk, who gives a shit? We worked together for 25 years. Are we really going to let this go away?’ [He] took it as a way deeper hurt than I ever imagined, and I tried to reach out to him, and I reminded him of some slights that were thrown my way that were never apologised for.”
Reportedly, the split had occurred over a scheduled miniseries about the LA Lakers. Ferrell had originally been cast by McKay as Jerry Buss, the owner of the Lakers. However, McKay’s original top choice for the role was Ferrell’s Step Brothers co-lead actor, John C. Reilly. Reilly did not want to take the part as he did not want to ruffle Ferrell’s feathers. But McKay decided to cast Reilly regardless, without telling Ferrell, and this deeply upset him.
McKay said, “I said, ‘Well, I mean, we’re splitting up the company.’ And he basically was like, ‘Yeah, we are,’ and basically was like, ‘Have a good life.’ And I’m like, ‘Fuck, Ferrell’s never going to talk to me again.’ So it ended not well.”
“The whole time it was like I was saying it out loud, ‘Let’s not become an episode of Behind the Music. Don’t let it happen.’ And it happened,” he added. “Maybe there was a little shadow in there where I wasn’t able to confront a harsher, darker side of myself that would ultimately err on the side of making the right casting choice over a lifelong friendship. What are you going to do?”
