Most Saturday Night Live alums who graduate into big-screen stardom are accustomed to being a part of an ensemble. But what sets Will Ferrell apart from the scores of other sketch comedians who have found success in Hollywood is that he thrives on sharing the spotlight. Think about it for a second. What are the comedic actor’s best movies? Yes, I think we can all agree that the shortlist includes titles like Old School, Step Brothers, Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby, and Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy. The common denominator between all of these films is that Ferrell is collaborating with other talented comedic actors to make the magic happen. Throughout his career, he has proven that he is more than willing to lift his cast mates in the interest of the project. Whether he’s deferring to the likes of John C. Reilly, Vince Vaughan, Christina Applegate, or Paul Rudd, his propensity for being a generous co-star has been a secret to his enduring success.
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Related: Why Adam McKay’s Early Movies Like ‘Talladega Nights’ and ‘Step Brothers’ Are His Best Satires

Will Ferrell and John C. Reilly Are a Match Made in Heaven

Image Via Sony Pictures Releasing

On the shortlist of great Will Ferrell comedies we just mentioned, there’s a reason the first two entries are movies in which he has worked hand in hand with the enormously talented John C. Reilly. These two are one of the best comedy duos of the 21st century. 40-something stepbrothers Brennan Huff (Ferrell) and Dale Doback (Reilly) are unlike anything we’ve ever seen before in the comedy genre. The man-child character had been done before with roles like Chris Farley in Tommy Boy and Adam Sandler in, well, just about everything he’s done except for a handful of quality roles that blended a little more drama like Uncut Gems and Punch Drunk Love. But when Ferrell and Reilly are sharing the screen, something special happens. The chemistry they share is uncanny and can’t be rehearsed or learned. If you’ve ever seen the outtakes from Step Brothers and Talladega Nights, then you can truly appreciate how much they feed off each other and love working together. However, let’s be honest, people are still coming to see a Will Ferrell movie as opposed to a John C. Reilly movie – and both know as much. It is a testament to Farrell that he recognizes that and still has enough humility to elevate his acting partners and project above his ego.

Will Ferrell Forms a Hilarious Ensemble in ‘Anchorman’

Imagine a room full of brilliant comedic actors like Will Ferrell, Steve Carell, Paul Rudd, and Christina Applegate. Do you have a vision in your head as we do? That’s a lot of “funny” that needs to be spread around if you want to optimize the abundance of talent assembled for the Anchorman films. For the story of Brian Fontana (Rudd), Brick Tamland (Carrell), Champ Kind (David Koechner), and Veronica Corningstone (Applegate), Ferrell had to recognize that all of these laugh-out-loud performers were more than capable of adding well-rounded, hilarious performances themselves, and he showed that being part of an ensemble and delegating adequate screen time and sharing all the sidesplitting one-liners would be necessary to make the best movie.

But still, he is clearly the lead and main draw in the film. Working with his long-time partner and director, Adam McKay, Ferrell also showed that he could work arm-in-arm with a female co-star to further develop the character and story of San Diego’s own Ron Burgundy. His exchanges with Applegate and their brief but tumultuous relationship make for some of the funniest exchanges and moments in the 2004 original and the 2013 sequel, Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues, where they are in a committed relationship while also bringing in the multitalented 21st-century queen of comedy, Kristen Wiig.

‘Old School’ and Will Ferrell’s Many Other Partnerships

The one that ostensibly started it all, Old School, saw Ferrell put in a different position as he was just a year removed from his successful stint on Saturday Night Live and though he had made some small supporting appearances in two Austin Powers films, Zoolander, and shared the screen in A Night at the Roxbury with fellow SNL alum and pal, Chris Kattan, Ferrell had yet to reach the level of super-stardom that lay just around the corner later that year following his performance in Elf. In the 2003 hit about three 30-something friends who return to college and relive their fraternity salad days of years gone by, he plays Frank “The Tank” Ricard and is sharing the top billing with established big-screen stars like Vince Vaughn and Luke Wilson.

In reality, Ferrell got his start in the movie industry learning to share the spotlight with a few notable exceptions like Elf and perhaps Kicking & Screaming in 2005 and has continued to do his best work when paired with someone else throughout his now 25-year career. In addition to all the films we’ve mentioned so far, the vast majority of his other successful films have seen him partner with other stars like in The Producers with Matthew Broderick, The Other Guys with Mark Wahlberg, and Blades of Glory where he starred opposite Jon Heder, Amy Poehler, and Will Arnett. And even in films that didn’t do as well as he had hoped, he has stuck to his penchant for splitting time in films like Get Hard with Kevin Hart, The Campaign with Zach Galifianakis, Daddy’s Home where he again teamed with Wahlberg, and the disappointing Holmes and Watson that saw Ferrell try to catch lightning in a bottle for a third time alongside John C. Reilly. Unfortunately, the third time proved to be less than a charm for the two jokesters.

The Trend Continues in 2022’s ‘Spirited’

A full 25 years after Ferrell made his big screen debut with a bit part in Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery, he is still more comfortable being accompanied by another big name on the marquee. Just last year, he teamed up with one of the biggest names in Hollywood to make the Christmas-themed comedy Spirited with Ryan Reynolds. The two put together a solid movie that has received generally positive reviews for its spin on the storied Charles Dickens classic tale A Christmas Carol. So, Ferrell is continuing to stick to what he knows well and does best. He has made one of the most successful careers in the history of comedy by being a generous co-star and shows no signs of wanting to shoulder the load of a feature film on his own anytime soon. His next project will feature him in a supporting role amongst a colossal ensemble in Greta Gerwig’s Barbie.