- 6 days ago
Will Ferrell and Paul Rudd join The Hollywood Reporter’s Closer Look to discuss coming together for Apple TV+’s new series ‘The Shrink Next Door’ and exploring the dark, heartbreaking relationship between their characters.
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00:00We have to sit really close to each other as we're out of frame.
00:02That's why I'm...
00:03If you could just cuddle, that would be ideal.
00:07It's like a Christmas card, a weird one, but one nonetheless.
00:11I'm not going to change the expression of my face either.
00:23Welcome to The Hollywood Reporter's closer look at the shrink next door.
00:27I am Ashley Bellman, and I am here with the stars of Apple TV+, new dark comedy, Will Ferrell and Paul Rudd.
00:34Welcome, you two. Thank you so much for being here.
00:37Thank you for having us here in the Kit Kat room.
00:39You're welcome.
00:40Kit Kat Corner.
00:41Kit Kat Corner.
00:42I'm so excited to be talking about the show. Congratulations. It's so good.
00:47That's very nice.
00:48Thanks.
00:48Wow.
00:49You're welcome.
00:49Really good to hear.
00:50Now, you two work together on a movie, a little film, Anchorman, way back in the day in its sequel.
00:57Right.
00:57So, you know, this is a little bit of a departure from that, but I want to know, what were your
01:03first memories working together on that movie and your first impressions of one another?
01:08I think the first real memories from Anchorman was probably those rehearsal times.
01:13Yeah, we had these four or five-hour rehearsals where we just improvised all day long.
01:20And before we ever shot anything, and I was, you know, I was a fan of Will's before I got to work on that movie.
01:28And then in those, I just remember those rehearsal days were so fun because the stuff that, it was all just improvising.
01:38And there were just so many laughs.
01:40And that never stopped.
01:41I mean, even when we went into shooting the movie, it felt that way.
01:44I just remember, I couldn't stop staring at Paul.
01:48Because he's good looking?
01:48Because he's gorgeous.
01:50Oh, yeah.
01:51And then what did you think of his acting?
01:54Well, you know.
01:56Look, it's all a process.
01:59Yeah.
01:59Thank you for recognizing that.
02:02It's true.
02:02And it's a lifelong process.
02:05I feel like I'm just starting.
02:07Now, compare that and all of that improv to this project where it's a lot, much more heavy material.
02:14Was there improv on set?
02:19Probably.
02:20Yeah.
02:20A little bit here and there.
02:21It was interesting, but, yeah, we had a lot to do every day.
02:25It was all, yeah, there was, I mean, it was a dense script, and we certainly adhered to it.
02:31But you did say something very interesting that I thought was, there were moments when we would kind of veer off of it a little bit.
02:39And you said, isn't it interesting how when you're improvising as one character, like if we were improvising in Anchorman, it felt totally different than improvising in this.
02:49You do feel, you do think differently, and your brain works differently if you're thinking from a different, like a different tone or a different character.
02:58You say completely different things, things that you wouldn't even say as yourself when you're improvising in character.
03:06Or things you wouldn't even think of.
03:08Yeah.
03:08Your brain actually works differently.
03:11You're thinking as that person 24-7.
03:13So, Paul, you go from playing opposite Ron Burgundy to playing opposite Marty Markowitz, so compare and contrast, please.
03:22Well, I think it's, you know, really a testament to Will as an actor.
03:29Truly, because I know that I'm biased, but I think Ron Burgundy is one of, like, the greatest comic personas and, like, performances of the last.
03:41Everyone in the room is shaping half a century, right?
03:44I mean, easily.
03:45Yeah, half a century, yeah.
03:46Maybe even full century.
03:48Right.
03:48Since movies.
03:50Since movies started.
03:50Since movies.
03:51And, you know, to be that kind of consistently funny and this fully formed creation, and then to see him in this show,
04:03and he's playing somebody who is very real, very un-Ron Burgundy-like, and, you know, broken in different kind of ways,
04:15but a sympathetic character and a very human character and complex and nuanced and, you know, Will just hits a home run.
04:26Too many compliments.
04:28I'll take it.
04:29You can edit one of them out, right?
04:30I'm now shutting down.
04:31We'll just keep one or two.
04:32I'm shutting down.
04:34But they were two completely different, obviously.
04:36It's very nice of you.
04:40Take a bite of the Kit Kat.
04:42I don't even know how to touch people.
04:43Just, yeah, rub the Kit Kat.
04:45Get some of that energy.
04:46If anything becomes too much, just touch the Kit Kat, and we'll all be okay.
04:50Sorry.
04:51So you both are approached with this project.
04:53I imagine you dive into the podcast.
04:55At what point in listening were you thinking, okay, I have to be on board with this?
05:02I think right away.
05:04I mean, it's one of those, you listen to the first episode, and then you just binge the rest,
05:09and you have to get to the end of the story and see how this resolves itself,
05:13and it was just, you know, kind of storytelling at its best, and just, you know, my reaction was like,
05:22oh, of course they want to make this into a show.
05:24Yeah, it was riveting, riveting stuff.
05:27Now, they're calling this a dark comedy.
05:29The first question people ask me, because I've seen the screeners, is, is it funny?
05:36So let me ask you, is it funny?
05:38I feel like we should ask you.
05:40You're the one that just kind of watched it.
05:42I mean, that's why I want to know your opinion on it, because it's not a funny story,
05:48but there are elements of humor, and I mean, I guess that's how you would define dark comedy.
05:53I mean, I think it's a little bit, you're laughing through the tears of what's going on.
05:58You feel so bad for Marty at times, and some of the situations are so absurd that you can't help but laugh.
06:08At the same time, it's a really, it's a very vulnerable place that this character goes to.
06:17And even Ike, who's kind of, quote unquote, the bad guy in it, you see the human side of him as well.
06:26So it's, yeah.
06:28You know, it really happened.
06:30This is a real story, and so we went into it knowing, it's like, okay, this is not Ron Burgundy.
06:38Like, this isn't, this is, tonally is a very different thing.
06:41And we both innately knew that and wanted to do the, you know, tell the story in the appropriate way.
06:47And while the scenario is kind of, can get comically absurd, it's, you know, the stakes and the people and the drama in it is very real and not funny.
07:01No, but it's very well performed.
07:03Now, I read that there was no debate over who would play who.
07:07So, Paul, why Ike?
07:09Will, why Marty?
07:10Did Height have anything to do with your decisions?
07:13We never, no.
07:16It's funny.
07:17We never talked about it.
07:18We never talked about it.
07:19We both kind of came around and, like, set, you know, we'd heard the podcast, and we both said, oh, let's do this.
07:26And it was never, it was never really discussed.
07:30I think we just both said, oh, yeah, well, that would be the part you would play, and I'll play this part.
07:35And I was excited because it was obviously a different kind of part that I would normally get to play.
07:41Right.
07:42And I thought it would be a really interesting character to kind of sink my teeth into a little bit.
07:50I'm just excited that Ryan Gosling fell out.
07:57He would have been, he would have been Ike.
08:00You were supposed to originally do it with Ryan Gosling.
08:02Oh!
08:03He was going to do it.
08:05That's why.
08:06Because I had heard that he was supposed to play, he was going to do it for me.
08:09No, I, yeah.
08:10So what was his excuse?
08:10I think he was trying to decide at the last second.
08:12I think actually what happened was it was originally, you know what, this is where, this is where we're getting accused.
08:17And he was going to play both parts.
08:18Both parts.
08:19Ryan Gosling was originally going to do this, but it was like a kind of a one-man show.
08:23He was playing both parts.
08:24Got it, yeah.
08:25We hit a conflict, or we're not sure.
08:27I think that must have been it.
08:28I think it was just, yeah.
08:30Well, speaking of Ryan Gosling.
08:31COVID messed a lot of things up.
08:32Yeah, yeah.
08:33We'll get to that.
08:34But speaking of Ryan Gosling, you guys had to take a deep dive into the world of cults.
08:38That has nothing to do with Ryan Gosling.
08:41But tell me.
08:42Well, that's where we disagree, because I am a card-carrying member in the cult of Ryan Gosling.
08:47Of Ryan Gosling.
08:48100%.
08:48No, but I heard that you really got into the HBO series, The Vow, and, you know, had to look into cults in your research.
08:56So what did you learn, and how did you apply that to your characters?
09:02I mean, you just kind of learn how tenuous and how fragile we all are.
09:10And that, you know, while this story seems, you know, absurd and kind of exceptional, far-fetched, it really isn't.
09:24And we can all kind of, we're all prone to, you know, having a point in our life where we feel vulnerable for whatever reasons
09:31and want to follow someone who's just going to give us advice that in that moment feels like it's going to help us.
09:38And so it was interesting to kind of compare the two.
09:42Our brains are pretty fragile.
09:44And that's why you could say, oh, that would never happen to me.
09:47But maybe it would.
09:48I just think we're all susceptible to, you know, anything.
09:52And that, I was watching that show.
09:55It just happened that it was kind of happening at the same time.
09:59I wasn't, I had been watching that before this.
10:01But I, we did see similarities of, oh, you know, certain kinds of personalities and things like that.
10:11The power of charisma.
10:12Yeah.
10:12And the power of...
10:14Volleyball.
10:15Volleyball.
10:16Yeah.
10:17No, it's so interesting because...
10:19And volleyball knee pads.
10:21Yeah.
10:21Definitely.
10:21Definitely the knee pads.
10:22It's a story that when you hear it, you think, that could never happen to me.
10:28There's no way.
10:29But then you start to watch the show and it becomes very relatable.
10:33So how do you two make those characters so relatable effortlessly on screen?
10:40Oh, thank you.
10:42You're welcome.
10:42These are real people and, you know, and I think that they're people that actually care
10:47about each other and, you know, the writing was very strong and we had such great, you
10:55know, Georgia Pritchard and the rest of the writing staff, the scripts were really solid
11:00and, you know, really great directors with Michael and Jesse.
11:04So, you know, we had the podcast to listen to.
11:12We had these great scripts and, you know, and then it gets down to working on the scenes
11:18and finding what it is within each character that is human and what it is that, why they
11:29need one another in the ways that they need one another.
11:31And then you just kind of play the truth in that.
11:36And the accents were really, really well done.
11:39Did either of you have any trouble really getting those New York accents down?
11:45I mean, I know you're both professionals, but.
11:47Huh.
11:48It's a weird thing.
11:50Oh, sorry.
11:50Yeah.
11:50Go ahead.
11:51No, I mean, we both worked with dialect coaches and it took it really seriously because it can
11:59stray into sketch if it's not done in a believable way.
12:05So that was like, that was a Burt.
12:07We really took that.
12:09And at first, I mean, there was even a debate whether to go there or not.
12:14But Michael Showalter was really like, I want you guys to lean into this.
12:18Also, and, you know, we're playing real people.
12:20Yeah.
12:20And the real people.
12:21Well, so speak like, you know, so a weird thing sometimes happens where it feels like,
12:28oh my God, I'm just leaning into this way too hard.
12:30It sounds ridiculous.
12:30But it does to us because we know the way we speak.
12:33But it doesn't come off, you know.
12:34Now, speaking of the real people, you actually spent a day in the Hamptons with the real
12:38Marty and his sister and the host of the podcast.
12:41So what questions did you find yourselves asking them and what was the most surprising
12:46thing that you learned that day?
12:49It was just fascinating to hear firsthand from Joe Nassero who, you know, kind of created
12:56the podcast of just his version of getting a knock on his door, you know, the first month
13:04or week that he had moved in to that neighborhood.
13:08And there was this, you know, guy dressed as a groundskeeper inviting him to Dr. Ike's
13:14party.
13:17And realizing later, wait.
13:22I've learned about this.
13:23Yeah.
13:23And what was it, a year later or I don't know, six months later when the groundskeeper all
13:30of a sudden was now in front of the house, not dressed as a groundskeeper anymore and revealing
13:36that, oh, no, this was my house all along.
13:38I was just living in the back.
13:40And, yeah, just all these surreal kind of stories coming to life.
13:46Hearing about it after listening to the podcast and then getting to, you know, be in the setting,
13:51hearing about the details from them.
13:53And then also some extra stuff that we didn't know.
13:55So, you know, I got, I had questions and learned interesting things like therapy sessions were
14:03always from behind a desk, which is not normally the way a therapy session is conducted, which
14:07never would have occurred to me or either of us.
14:11Michael Showalter was with us, too.
14:13And I thought, oh, wow, okay.
14:15So when in therapy, it isn't like a chair and a couch or sitting across from each other
14:19like this.
14:19It was actually done behind a desk.
14:23So, you know, a couple of other things that we were able to put into the show.
14:27But hearing that kind of stuff was fascinating to us.
14:30Now, do you know, has the real Marty seen the show?
14:34And if so, have you talked to him since?
14:39I believe the real Marty is going to be seeing the show.
14:45He has not seen it.
14:45He's not seen it yet.
14:46Yes, yeah, so there's going to be premiere.
14:50But he loves it.
14:51He loves it.
14:52But as far as we can tell, he just loves it.
14:55Well, I'm just curious, like, how do you think?
14:57I don't know.
14:57It's going to be strange.
14:58I've never been in that situation where you're in the room with the person you're portraying.
15:03Right.
15:04Outside of like doing an SNL character and having someone come up to you, the real person that
15:09you're playing and, you know, meeting George Bush while you're playing George Bush.
15:13But that's, that's different because it's heightened.
15:17It's supposed to be funny.
15:19It's supposed to be arch.
15:21So I hope they're happy.
15:25I, you know, I know I did stress to Marty, like, just so you know, it's, it's kind of,
15:32it's a version of you.
15:33It's not you exactly.
15:35And he, he was very sweet.
15:39He was like, I, I won't hold you to any of that.
15:41I knew that going in.
15:43So I think they'll, I think they're going to enjoy, and I think they're just going to
15:49be surprised to see it all come to life.
15:51And did you speak with any of the previous patients of Dr. Ike, like Gwyneth Paltrow or
15:59any of the other celebrities?
16:02Did not.
16:03No.
16:04No, we haven't talked to anyone.
16:06Yeah.
16:07I think as far as that was concerned, I think they had Joe and Marty had takes on that relationship.
16:16And that really wasn't much of a, it might have been like two sessions or something.
16:19Yeah, that might have slightly overblown.
16:21Yeah, got it.
16:23But how do you think people who were affected by him are going to receive this?
16:29Will be interesting.
16:30I have no, I don't, I don't know.
16:35I would imagine it'll be an interesting experience for people who, you know, other patients.
16:44Right.
16:45Now, this is already heavy material going in.
16:48Then you throw in a global pandemic.
16:50So, you know, what were the biggest obstacles while you were shooting this?
16:54And were there any moments where you were, either of you were like, what did I get myself
16:58into?
17:01Well, it was because we were kind of in that wave of productions that were just starting
17:07to get back on their feet.
17:09So it was all, we've been working subsequently on other things.
17:14So you're a little more used to the protocols.
17:16But this was the first time to, you know, figure out, you know.
17:21How does this work?
17:22How does this work?
17:23And yeah, it was, it was, it's interesting to be the only ones that, you know, take off
17:30your mask while you have to do a scene while everyone is still masked up.
17:34And what's, it's a weird sensation when, you know, you, when you work on something, you'd
17:38know, you really get a sense of a movie or whatever it is, is a, is really a collective
17:45effort.
17:46And that's not just actors and the director.
17:49It really is a camera department and lighting department and gaffers and crew.
17:56And, and, and, you know, you see these people every day and it, and it creates a working
18:01relationship and a mood and to work on really dense material for a long period of time with
18:09COVID protocols, but then never knowing what any of the crew really looked like, it was
18:14a really strange sensation.
18:15You realize that, that so much of that is the connection of, of the work experience.
18:19And so it was a totally unique kind of feel and, and, and, and hard, like kind of hard
18:27to, hard to, um, get used to that.
18:32And I don't, I don't know if we ever really did, but we talked about the fact that we will,
18:37we would never forget this experience between the complexity of the material, uh, and this
18:45time in history.
18:46And we were like, gosh, we're never, we're always going to remember.
18:49You know, there's always on productions, there always seems to be like a, you know,
18:53a still photographer and they'll take pictures of, you know, and, and, and all of the kind
18:58of still photography of us hanging out on set, uh, you can see people sitting in their chairs,
19:03uh, with wearing masks and because they're used to it, but like down the road, it's like,
19:10imagine like looking at those pictures and going, what the hell, what was going on?
19:13There, you know, so aside from that, what was it like on set between cut and action?
19:19Um, I, I think it was great.
19:21I mean, I loved, I love working with him.
19:24I love working with everybody in this and it seemed like it was, you know, it was really,
19:29uh, I mean, I, I, I really enjoyed it.
19:33I really enjoyed it.
19:34You know, everyone likes to kind of make the comment that we've, we've worked so much together.
19:39We technically haven't, uh, we only work in that we've just done the two Anchorman movies
19:46and, you know, and have known each other for the longest time.
19:50Yeah.
19:51So to get to kind of really do these characters that were kind of one on one the whole time,
19:55uh, was really special and, and we just loved the time in between the setups just to kind
20:02of tell old stories or talk about our families or, you know, just kind of, and you know,
20:09shoot the breeze.
20:10One of the, one of the, I was about to say shoot the shh, but I'm not going to say it.
20:13You call yourself.
20:14Not in the Kit Kat land.
20:15Yeah.
20:16The, you know, one of the, um, one of the many amazing things I think about Will is
20:21that Will doesn't, um, he doesn't, there's no cell phones on set or anything.
20:25What does it bring?
20:26So, so, and I'm, neither of us, when the scene's over, we'll go sit and we'll talk.
20:30I love that.
20:31Which is, it seems like it's just, hold on.
20:33He's got it going.
20:34He's getting it on.
20:35You got it.
20:36You got it.
20:37I don't even have it on me now.
20:38Um, so, you know, just that made the whole thing like, oh my God.
20:43But did you feel like though, there were probably times when you wanted to check your phone
20:46and you were like, oh.
20:47Oh God, Will's sitting there.
20:48He doesn't have his phone.
20:49So is that a rule?
20:50I'm so desperate to return these emails, but I just, no, it's not a rule.
20:52It's just what everybody.
20:53It was equivalent to shooting with an Amish person.
20:56Okay.
20:57Yeah.
20:58Well, you know, you, you laugh, but instead of checking his phone, a lot of times he's churning
21:03butter in between setups.
21:06Making my own clothes.
21:07Raising a barn.
21:08Repairing a carriage wheel.
21:10Got it.
21:11Yeah.
21:12Yeah.
21:13That's, I mean, that's nice for you.
21:14It's like two different sets.
21:15Which are skills everyone should learn.
21:16He's still, he's still, he's still, you know, he still makes the best pretzels.
21:21But that is so nice to be present like that.
21:24And the, and, and I don't know if for you, were you inclined then to grab the phone or,
21:30and then just.
21:31No, I didn't bring my phone either.
21:32You didn't have it.
21:33No, no, no.
21:34Um, not, not at all.
21:35It was, it was, uh, you know, you just, it's just, we're so connected to these damn
21:40things.
21:41And, um, no, it was, it was great because I loved, I've loved every time we've always,
21:46you know, we've worked together and hung out and, you know, not just working on the Anchorman
21:51movies, but we got to travel the world promoting them.
21:54And so we've had a lot of, you know, fun times and it was, and also with Catherine as well
22:01and, and Casey.
22:02And, and so it was really just, uh, a blast hanging out with everybody.
22:09And is everyone just so funny, like in real life, behind the scenes too?
22:14Uh, pretty much.
22:17Uh, they certainly are.
22:18Yeah.
22:19Yeah.
22:20I think you are.
22:21We had too much to memorize.
22:22But they were.
22:23We, they were like nonstop.
22:24They were.
22:25Joke machine.
22:26But are they really?
22:27Yeah.
22:28They're, they're amazing.
22:29They're hysterical.
22:30Yeah.
22:31So being on the other side of the project, do you feel differently towards the characters
22:38than you did when you started?
22:39Do you feel defensive or protective over them more so now?
22:43I won't speak for you, but I think you're on the same page that I think the thing, the
22:48metamorphosis that happened in terms of our, uh, kind of feeling about the characters.
22:55I found myself in a strange way feeling much sorrier for Ike than I thought I would in the
23:05end.
23:06I, I, I, not defending his actions or anything like that.
23:11But it's, this, this is very, it's very gray at times.
23:17You know, um, you know, not, it's not necessarily someone's right and someone's wrong all the
23:25time.
23:26But it, and so that was an interesting, uh, kind of place to land.
23:30Yeah.
23:31I mean, we're playing real people and we're playing and, and, and so I don't judge any
23:36of the characters that I'm playing.
23:38Um, I feel very human.
23:41And, um, and so, uh, I felt that too.
23:46I mean, I, you know, a bit of a protective, a little bit here because I thought, oh, people
23:51are going to, you know, really judge this person, but I'm not going to, uh, judge him.
23:56And then when you are finished a project, any project, how do you decompress?
24:02How do you let the characters go?
24:04Or is there part of them that's kind of always with you?
24:11When it's done is done.
24:14Really?
24:15Yeah.
24:16Yeah.
24:17I think so.
24:18It is for me.
24:19I'm a big hot air balloon enthusiast.
24:22And, uh, I usually have to take a couple of trips up in my hot air balloon before I
24:28can really let them go.
24:30Let them go.
24:31And I literally let them go.
24:34You have like a, it's like a ceremony.
24:36I have a ceremony.
24:37Okay.
24:38Like spreading the metaphorical ashes.
24:40Right.
24:41Which were my beard, beard trimmings.
24:43The beard.
24:44Oh, got it.
24:45Yes.
24:46So you got rid of the trimmings when you were up in the balloon.
24:47Sprinkled them.
24:48That's nice.
24:49That's a really good idea.
24:50All over Van Nuys.
24:52I love it.
24:53Makes sense.
24:54Okay.
24:55So what can audiences expect when they are tuning into this show?
24:59I just think it's a really original, uh, piece that, and, and for Paul and I, it's,
25:06it's just kind of a brand new thing.
25:09Something you're just not going to expect seeing us kind of in, you know, for all the
25:15right reasons.
25:16And, uh, yeah, and, and just a compelling story.
25:21Yeah.
25:22Hopefully a story that people will connect to in, in one way or another or characters that,
25:27you know, they'll connect to or connect with and, um, and like it enough that they'll
25:33want to keep watching it.
25:35And for both of you, do you prefer this type of subject matter having done it or more full
25:42comedy?
25:43Oh, I don't, I, I mean, I think it's, I think it's always just like case by case.
25:48Yeah.
25:49Uh, but this was, this was, as challenging as it was, it was really fun to, to do something
25:55so different.
25:56Well, I am so excited for everyone to see it.
25:59You guys are both fabulous.
26:01Thank you both so much for being here and thank you all for joining us for The Hollywood
26:05Reporter's closer look at the shrink next door.
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