Anchorman Star Reveals Improvised Ron Burgundy Line That Shocked Him

Anchorman star Paul Rudd reveals which improvised Ron Burgundy line by leading star Will Ferrell shocked him the most in the 2004 original film.

Anchorman star Paul Rudd has revealed which improvised line from Will Ferrell’s iconic Ron Burgundy character shocked him the most in the original news station comedy movie. Anchorman was directed by Oscar-winning The Big Short writer Adam McKay and written by both McKay and Ferrell. Rudd starred in the movie as field reporter Brian Fantana, an overconfident newsperson who participates in many of the San Diego news teams’ shenanigans. Christina Applegate. Steve Carell, Fred Willard, and David Koechner also starred in the film alongside Rudd and Ferrell.

In a video released by GQ, Paul Rudd discussed his best films and revealed some behind-the-scenes information from Anchorman.

In the interview, Rudd recalled Ferrell’s improvised line after the team returned to the studio after fighting the rival news stations, where Ron Burgundy said, “I’m proud of you, fellas. You all kept your head on a swivel, and that’s what you gotta do when you find yourself in a vicious cockfight.” Rudd said that he didn’t expect Ferrell to say the line, as it wasn’t in the script, but he had to hold back his laughs for the sake of the scene.

We met before we started filming to rehearse, improvise some scenes, or just kind of riff off of what was in the script. I had had experience with improvisation, but never on a big studio movie. I mean, I was pleasantly surprised when we started shooting, and then Will might just go off in some direction that I’m not prepared for, or McKay would be behind the monitor yelling out lines. You know, he and Will had worked together obviously on SNL, and they had a way of doing things, and Judd Apatow was a producer on it, and Judd had a way of kind of working in this style. So we would always do what was in script, but then we’d start kind of messing around. It was a whole new way of working on a big-budget movie, and it was thrilling. There are so many times in Anchorman and scenes that I have such clear memories of laughing… That’s not in the script or anything, and I was like, took me by surprise. You don’t wanna laugh when you’re in someone’s take because you don’t wanna make something unusable. And if it’s really funny and then somebody laughs, and you can’t use it’s really annoying, and so there’s always a pressure not to laugh.

Related: Why Adam McKay’s Satires Are Getting Less Subtle (On Purpose)

Why Anchorman Gets Better Over Time

Anchorman is a strange comedy, but the McKay/Ferrell joint venture was a special one. As it gained popularity over time after mixed reception upon its release. The immediate reaction to the film was considerably better overseas, particularly in the U.K., but American audiences did eventually grow more receptive over time, turning it into a cult classic. The continued success of the original led to the creation of a sequel with 2013’s Anchorman 2.

Through the outrageous comedic beats in the film, Anchorman‘s social commentary is similar to many of McKay’s other movies. Ferrell has previously stated that Anchorman was inspired by the 1970s when local news stations were near the height of their popularity. Sexism in the workplace was especially prevalent at the time, and that is shown in the film as Burgundy struggles with female anchor Veronica Corningstone’s rise through the broadcasting ranks. Most of the station is firmly against the idea, citing ancient talking points about men and women and their roles in society, despite being wholly incompetent themselves.

Now that society is more in tune with these social issues, Anchorman is a film that is highly re-watchable. The jokes and outrageous scenarios, improved by some comedic legends both in front of and behind the cameras, are layered and sometimes missed on the first watch. Anchorman 2 fell short of the original’s high praise but was still received well enough to spark conversations about a third movie. Anchorman 3 may one day happen, but in the meantime, Anchorman still lives on as a legendary comedy entry.

More: Every Adam McKay & Will Ferrell Movie Ranked From Worst To Best

Source: GQ