With an outlandish plot with unexpected absurdity and a satirical storyline, the 2010 comedy blockbuster The Other Guys quickly became Will Ferrell’s one of the most successful movies ever. The dynamic duo of Will Ferrell and Mark Wahlberg became a major hit and went on to collaborate on more blockbuster projects in the future.
But how did this iconic and comic duo come about to star together in the first place? Well, it all started with a single joke at the 2008 Academy Awards.
The Story Behind Will Ferrell And Mark Wahlberg’s Iconic Collaboration
The Other Guys director, Adam McKay had known Will Ferrell for quite some time since they first got together for Saturday Night Live in 1995. McKay describes how he hit it off with the Get Hard actor from the get-go. He describes him as a great man who could tell with anyone he meets as well as being very easy to collaborate with.
Now, when Will Ferrell was up there on the Oscar stage with Jack Black poking fun at the awards for not honoring the comedy genre, McKay noticed a kind of bonding moment between Ferrell and Wahlberg. Ferrell and Black went on to humorously threaten to beat up the Best Actor and Best Supporting Actors nominees, but when it came to Wahlberg, he quickly backed off while praising the Transformers actor.
“MARK WAHLBERG! WHERE ARE YOU? I won’t mess with you. You’re actually kinda badass. Once again, I hope we’re cool. You are very talented.”
While Mark Wahlberg gestured to thank the kind remarks with a smile, McKay quickly picked up the seemingly there but never-before-seen chemistry between the two. And this little, hardly-a-minute-long exchange had his head buzzing with ideas to cast the two together in what would become a $170 Million cult classic.
Adam McKay Brought Together Will Ferrell And Mark Wahlberg
After the 2008 Academy Awards, McKay went on to try and see whether his idea would work or not. He describes how great the chemistry was between the two when they decided to have dinner at an Italian restaurant soon after.
“We had dinner at a little Italian restaurant and the two of them just made me laugh. They’re very different people, but both of them just made me laugh the whole night.”
Soon enough Wahlberg agreed to star with Will Ferrell as cops in The Other Guys and the movie went on become an engaging comedy with an unconventional blend of satire, action, and social commentary.
You can stream The Other Guys on Netflix.
Source: CBR.com
