JOIN OUR WHATSAPP CHANNEL
Christina Applegate Thought Will Ferrell Had Marriage Issues While Filming Anchorman; Here's Why
Will Ferrell revealed a funny misunderstanding that occurred during the filming of Anchorman. His co-star Christina Applegate believed he was having marital issues with his wife Viveca Paulin!
During the 2004 Anchorman filming, Christina Applegate was concerned about the status of Will Ferrell and Viveca Paulin's marriage. During Tuesday's episode of Applegate's MeSsy podcast, the former co-stars reflected on the misunderstanding. Anchorman, which also starred Paul Rudd and Steve Carell, made slightly less than 91 million USD at the box office when it was first released. This led to a 2013 follow-up film that featured the return of Ferrell, Applegate, Carell, and Rudd.
Will Ferrell's marriage misunderstanding on the set of Anchorman
During the filming of the 2004 movie Anchorman, Christina Applegate was concerned about Will Ferrell’s marriage to Viveca Paulin. Ferrell, now 56, recalled asking Applegate, “Christina, do you remember how you thought I was having marriage problems?”
He reminisced about their social outings during the shoot, mentioning that they often went out as a group on weekends or for dinners. Ferrell eagerly joined these gatherings, but Viveca frequently had to cancel. He later realized that Applegate had noticed something was amiss, as she questioned why his wife wasn't attending. "You verbalized it later," Ferrell said, "I could tell you were like, ‘What’s going on? His wife’s not coming again.’"
Ferrell explained that Viveca, who had married him four years before Anchorman, was not feeling well due to her pregnancy with their first son, Magnus. The news of the pregnancy was finally announced halfway through filming, prompting Applegate to exclaim, “I knew something was up!”
Applegate, now 52, acknowledged that she vaguely remembered the situation, noting that she remembers they had something they weren’t sharing about the pregnancy. She praised Ferrell and Paulin, calling them couple goals across the world, and expressed happiness that their co-stars, Steve Carell and Paul Rudd, are also still married to their respective wives.
In a 2012 interview with Elle, Ferrell revealed that he was dating someone else when he met Paulin. He shared that he was in another relationship, and Viv and he would talk as friends for two hours, and it would feel like five minutes.
Ferrell fondly recalled knowing he would marry Paulin after she invited him over for beers during a hiatus from Saturday Night Live. He admired Paulin's understanding of his humor, saying that he sent her flowers every day for a week with a card like, ‘You’re the fifth-prettiest woman in the office.’ And, she loved it. They both had a shorthand with each other.
Ferrell and Paulin have three sons together: Magnus, 20, Mattias, 17, and Axel, 14.
Will Ferrell admits to feeling 'so embarrassed' about his real name growing up
Today, the name "Will Ferrell" is synonymous with fame and success, but it hides a secret that embarrassed Ferrell throughout his school years. His real first name was a source of shame.
During an appearance on Christina Applegate’s MeSsy podcast, the “Saturday Night Live” alum revealed his true feelings about his name. Ferrell disclosed, “This is a minor thing in terms of — it’s not really even trauma" but he remembers feeling so embarrassed because his real name is John, John William Ferrell.
He went to elaborate saying that on the first day of school, he’d be called John. The teacher would say ‘John Ferrell?’ and it was so embarrassing for him to have to respond, correcting that he goes by Will, not John.
As a child, the process of reminding teachers that he preferred to be called Will was described by Ferrell as “excruciating.” When Applegate inquired about his dislike for the name John, Ferrell explained that it t wasn’t his choice. His parents named him John but called him Will. He grew up as Will, but his legal name on a roll sheet is John Ferrell.
Ferrell continued, expressing his confusion over the embarrassment saying that he doesn’t know why it was so embarrassing to explain he's actually Will, noting that other children often questioned him about his name after hearing him correct teachers annually or frequently.
The Step Brothers star joins a group of celebrities who are increasingly sharing stories about their real names. Recently it was Oscar winner Emma Stones who said that she would love to be called by her real name Emily. Before that, it was Anne Hathaway who said that everyone in her life calls her by her nickname, “Annie” — except for her mom, who calls her “Anne” when she’s upset at her.
ALSO READ: Was Will Ferrell ‘Embarrassed’ Of His Real Name? Find Out As Actor Spills Beans On Changing His Name
Latest Articles
