Will Ferrell names his six most important comedy influences
It’s impossible to describe Will Ferrell as anything but a legend. He’s got a list of hits that would make any actor of any discipline cry themselves to sleep at night and is responsible for delivering some of the funniest moments in the history of comedy, on screens both big and small. The really remarkable thing is that he’s still going. While so many of his contemporaries have faded away, doomed to exist purely in their own time, he is still at the top of his game.
When it comes to titanic figures in any art form, people naturally want to know who their biggest inspirations are. In an interview with The Orange County Register, Ferrell went into some detail about his influences, revealing a wide range of catalysts for his own meteoric rise.
He began by explaining his love for a certain institution of American comedy; one he himself played a key role in. “I loved the whole first cast of Saturday Night Live, including Chevy Chase and Gilda Radner,” he explained. Saturday Night Live – or SNL for those who don’t have time – premiered in October of 1975 and changed the face of television forever. The inaugural cast, also known as ‘The Not Ready for Prime Time Players’, included some of the funniest stars of the age; John Belushi; Dan Aykroyd; Garrett Morris; and the two names that Ferrell referred to in the interview. He joined SNL in 1995 and served for seven seasons.
His love for classic comedy TV doesn’t stop there. “Of course, Johnny Carson,” he continued. “I loved Johnny. If I knew a comic was on the show that night, I’d stay up late, even if I had school in the morning.” It’s easy for newer generations not to realise just how big of a deal Carson was in his heyday. As the host of NBC’s The Tonight Show – a post he held for three decades – he revolutionised the late night chat show format. Every single late night host that has been on the air since then owes him huge debt of gratitude.
Ferrell also expressed a fondness for the late, great Bob Newhart. “It was so great to work with Bob on Elf,” he said. “He’s still funny.” Newhart rose to prominence in the early 1960s through his deadpan, rambling, often absurd monologues. He fronted a popular sitcom in the 1970s and continued to appear on TV and in movies well into his 80s. He played Ferrell’s character Buddy’s adopted elf dad in the enduring holiday classic.
Finally, the Step Brothers star shouted out two names that regularly appear in lists of the greatest comedians of all time; Steve Martin and Eddie Murphy. You’d think that these three idols would have worked together at some point, but the only crossover Ferrell has had with either was a sketch co-starring Murphy for the 50th anniversary episode of SNL.
It might seem like Ferrell just went for the obvious options, but it’s clear that he has a taste for all things classic. These six names are all famous for a reason, and their influence on one of the most gifted comedians of his generation cannot be underestimated.
