Will Ferrell
Episode of Good Hang with Amy Poehler · July 14, 2026 · 1 h 15 min
Amy Poehler talks with Will Ferrell about his childhood, the Groundlings, SNL, his comedy films, Swedish stereotypes, and his Netflix golf series The Hawk, after a check-in with Chris Parnell.
Summary
Amy Poehler opened the episode with a short conversation with Chris Parnell, who recalled meeting Will Ferrell at the Groundlings, sharing an SNL office with him and Jerry Collins, and Ferrell's confidence as a newcomer. Parnell described his role as an antagonistic PGA Tour board member in The Hawk and supplied questions for Poehler to ask Ferrell.
Ferrell then discussed his upbringing, including his musician father's unstable career, which led him to want a steady "briefcase job," his years as a defense-minded basketball captain, and the high school assembly sketches that first showed him writing comedy felt unlike work. He recounted quitting Disneyland after one day by having a friend claim he had a Dallas Cowboys tryout, and his campus pranks at USC. He described his Groundlings peers, the moment Molly Shannon's Mary Katherine Gallagher energized the 1995 SNL cast, and his habit of embracing harsh reviews, including being called the most annoying newcomer and Roger Ebert's condemnation of Step Brothers.
Poehler credited Ferrell with helping SNL recover after September 11, 2001, and the two reviewed his film run including Elf, Anchorman, Blades of Glory, and their flop The House. Ferrell shared observations about Swedes through his wife Viveca, praised his documentary with Harper Steele, and described his character Lonnie Hawkins in The Hawk. He named Tonight Show comedians and 1970s sitcoms as influences, discussed producing new voices, and the pair recalled his bombed Gabe Kaplan sketch before Ferrell mentioned watching the World Cup.
Chapters
Linked moment · 0:05Skip to 0:05 using a listen link in the info box.
0:05Introduction
Poehler introduces Will Ferrell and previews topics including SNL, his films, and The Hawk.
- 1:49
Chris Parnell talks behind Will's back
Parnell recalls the Groundlings, sharing an SNL office with Ferrell, his role in The Hawk, and offers questions for Ferrell.
- 8:51
Captain energy
Ferrell arrives and he and Poehler discuss promotion, embarrassment in comedy, and his aim to keep SNL fun.
- 14:54
Childhood and the briefcase job
Ferrell describes sports, his father's unstable music career, and the school sketches that sparked his interest in comedy.
- 21:47
Disneyland, USC, and campus pranks
Ferrell recounts quitting Disneyland via a fake Cowboys tryout and staging pranks around USC.
- 28:06
Groundlings and early SNL
Ferrell names his Groundlings peers and describes Molly Shannon's Mary Katherine Gallagher debut energizing the new cast.
- 32:25
Bad reviews
Ferrell describes taping a 'most annoying newcomer' review to his wall and relishing hostile critics including Roger Ebert.
- 38:39
SNL after 9/11 and the film run
Poehler credits Ferrell with reviving comedy in 2001, and they discuss Old School, Elf, and Anchorman.
- 49:28
Blades of Glory and The House
The two recall learning to skate for Blades of Glory and their poorly reviewed film The House.
- 51:42
Swedish stereotypes
Ferrell shares observations about Swedes and a story of posing as a Swede on a boat trip.
- 56:28
Will & Harper and The Hawk
Ferrell reflects on his documentary with Harper Steele and describes Lonnie Hawkins and Chris Parnell's role in The Hawk.
- 1:01:51
Comedy idols, producing, and a legendary bomb
Ferrell names his influences, discusses producing, recounts the failed Gabe Kaplan sketch, and mentions the World Cup before closing.
Key points
What was said, by whom, with the exact words. Timestamps jump to the moment.
- Chris Parnell
Parnell recalls that when he asked Ferrell whether it took him a while to get going at SNL, Ferrell said he started right away.
“did it take you a while to get rolling and get up to speed? He's like, nope, I just started right away”
- Chris Parnell
Parnell says he plays a PGA Tour board member in The Hawk who holds animosity toward Ferrell's character.
“I am on the PGA Tour board. I'm a PGA Tour board member”
- Will Ferrell
Ferrell says he intentionally reminded the SNL cast that the work was supposed to be fun.
“what was intentional was reminding everyone, and I'm referring to working on Saturday Night Live and that environment, reminding everyone that this is supposed to be fun”
- Will Ferrell
Ferrell says watching his musician father's unstable career made him want a conventional job as a child.
“there was no stability in the life of a musician”
- Will Ferrell
Ferrell recounts that writing high school announcement skits for hours felt effortless and signaled to him that comedy did not feel like work.
“hold on to this memory. Remember what this feels like. This does not feel like work”
- Will Ferrell
Ferrell says he quit Disneyland after one day by having a friend call and claim he had a Dallas Cowboys tryout.
“he said, I have a tryout with the Dallas Cowboys. And they went, thank you very much”
- Will Ferrell
Ferrell argues that Molly Shannon's debut of Mary Katherine Gallagher effectively saved the struggling 1995 SNL cast.
“I thought, oh, that, she kind of saved the show in a way”
- Will Ferrell
Ferrell says a review calling him the most annoying newcomer did not make him change course but motivated him to lean in further.
“there was no part of me that was like, what am I doing wrong? Oh, I better change things up”
- Will Ferrell
Ferrell recalls that Roger Ebert's review of Step Brothers urged people not to buy the film on DVD, which he and McKay found delightful.
“this is the end of Western civilization. And he went as far as to say, do not buy this on DVD when it comes out”
- Amy Poehler
Poehler says Ferrell's patriotic office-worker sketch after 9/11 reassured audiences that comedy would survive.
“I remember the audience laughing and being like, oh, we're going to be okay. Okay, comedy is going to be okay”
- Will Ferrell
Ferrell says that while filming Elf in yellow tights he believed the movie would either be a huge success or end his career.
“this is either going to be a home run or it's going to be a complete strikeout”
- Amy Poehler
Poehler argues that Ferrell excels at playing with status, portraying characters who are powerless yet overconfident.
“It's a very good example too of what you do so well, which is like the big and little of it all”
- Will Ferrell
Ferrell maintains that The House is funny despite having flopped.
“Flop. But yet... I still argue that movie's funny”
- Will Ferrell
Ferrell argues that the stereotype of Swedes as unfunny is false, describing their humor as sly and dry.
“I think the stereotype that Swedes aren't funny is not true”
- Will Ferrell
Ferrell says that when filming of Will & Harper wrapped, he and Harper Steele doubted there was a movie in the footage.
“Oh, my God, that was so much fun. But I don't think there's a movie there”
- Will Ferrell
Ferrell praises Chris Parnell as a precise comedic performer who executes every note.
“He's so precise. He nails every performance, every nuance, everything you give him a note”
- Will Ferrell
Ferrell says he enjoys producing because it lets him lend credibility to people with fresh voices.
“just being able to lend some currency to someone who, you know, has a fresh voice”
- Amy Poehler
Poehler says Ferrell's bombed Gabe Kaplan sketch illustrates that every performer is always close to failing.
“Everyone is one thing away from bombing all the time. That's no matter who you are”
People
In the conversation
- Amy PoehlerAmerican actress, comedian and podcast host, formerly of Saturday Night Live
- Will FerrellAmerican comedian and actor cited among Druski's comedic heroes
- Chris ParnellFormer SNL cast member and actor
Discussed
- Molly ShannonAmerican comedian and SNL alum known for Mary Katherine Gallagher
- Roger EbertAmerican film critic
- Harper SteeleAmerican comedy writer and former SNL writer featured in Will & Harper
- Jon FavreauCo-host of Pod Save America and former speechwriter for President Barack Obama
- Steve CarellAmerican actor and comedian, Colbert's office mate on The Dana Carvey Show
- Ted DansonAmerican actor quoted as saying acting is embarrassing
- Jerry SeinfeldComedian and co-creator of Seinfeld
- Gabe KaplanAmerican actor from Welcome Back, Kotter
- Bill KurtisAmerican broadcast journalist and longtime judge and scorekeeper of Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me!
- Viveca PaulinSwedish actress and Will Ferrell's wife
- Adam McKayAmerican director and Ferrell's frequent collaborator
- Cheri OteriAmerican comedian and SNL alum
- Ana GasteyerAmerican comedian who played Bobbie Mohan-Culp opposite Ferrell on SNL
Topics
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From the publisher
Will Ferrell has major captain energy. Amy hangs with the 'SNL' alum and star of 'The Hawk' and talks about wanting to have a briefcase job as a kid, quitting Disneyland to try out for the Dallas Cowboys, and his favorite Swedish stereotypes. Host: Amy PoehlerGuests: Chris Parnell and Will FerrellExecutive Producers: Bill Simmons, Amy Poehler, and Jenna Weiss-BermanFor Paper Kite Productions: Executive producer Jenna Weiss-Berman, coordinator Sam Green, and supervising producer Joel LovellFor The Ringer: Supervising producers Juliet Litman, Sean Fennessey, and Mallory Rubin; video producers Jack Wilson, Belle Roman, and Aleya Zenieris; lighting director Caroline Jannace; audio producer Kaya McMullen; social producer Bridget Geerlings; video editor Drew van Steenbergen; and bookers Kat Spillane and Paige Garbarini Original Music: Amy Miles Check Allstate first for a quote that could save you hundreds: https://Allstate.com Switch today at https://visible.com for just 25/mo. Or get premium Visible+ pro plan and save $10 on your first month with code HANG. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Summary, chapters and key points were generated from the episode transcript on September 30, 2026. Quotes are checked word for word against the transcript.