Remember When I Tried to…: Will Ferrell Reflects on SNL Rejection from Co-Stars; Barbie Actor Reveals Details
Will Ferrell shared his experience of being initially rejected at Saturday Night Live. In his new documentary, Will and Harper, available on Netflix, the actor reflects on his early days in the industry and how his peers at SNL doubted his comedic abilities.
He discussed his journey in the entertainment industry with his longtime friend and SNL writer, Harper Steele, in the documentary.
In the documentary, Ferrell and Steele went on a road trip across the countryside after she came out as a transwoman.
Ferrell recalled a moment on their trip where he expressed, “I was trying to get to know everyone and there was a group of people who were looking at me and were like, we don’t get what this guy does. He doesn’t seem that funny.”
Steele chimed in, revealing, “That first week we went downstairs to lunch and there was just something about the two of us where we were kind of on the same wavelength in a lot of different ways. They all thought Will Ferrell was a dud. But you know, I just knew that Will was not the dud.”
As they traveled together, Ferrell shared how he would use his fame to connect with strangers and how they delved into personal and emotional topics, including Steele’s journey towards living authentically.
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Discussing the challenges of embracing her true identity, Harper confided in Ferrell, “My whole writing career, my whole creative life, I performed as a character named Andrew. And so coming out to my friends was especially hard and I really can’t tell if they think I’m Harper. I think they might think that I’m still Andrew and now I wear dresses.”
Other SNL colleagues featured in the Will & Harper documentary include Lorne Michaels, Fred Armisen, Tina Fey, Will Forte, Colin Jost, Tim Meadows, Seth Meyers, Tracy Morgan, Paula Pell, Molly Shannon, Kristen Wiig, and others.
Watch Will & Harper on Netflix.
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