Will Ferrell hasn't changed since Molly Shannon met him
"The Hawk" star Molly Shannon reveals Will Ferrell is the same as when she first met him at the beginning of their careers.
Will Ferrell and Molly Shannon's on-screen chemistry goes way back.
From their early days on "Saturday Night Live" to 1999's "Superstar" and 2006's "Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby," the two comedy legends continue to find their way back to each other. Ferrell says there was no uncertainty that Shannon would nail the role of his estranged wife in his new Netflix sports comedy "The Hawk."
In "The Hawk," out on Thursday, July 16, Ferrell plays Lonnie Hawkins, a washed-up, narcissistic golf legend desperately trying to restore his glory, while Shannon plays Stacy, an ambitious socialite and entrepreneur who despises him beyond measure. Apart, they are overtly unhinged; together, they are riled with disdain and sexual tension.
"I just knew that if Molly was up for it, she would get the tone perfectly, because it's a specific comic performance to play someone like Stacy," Ferrell, 58, tells USA TODAY. "It has to be very hot and cold. She loves being part of the golf world and being a society person, but you can also just turn on a dime, and I think there are very few people who could make those changes."
Their friendship dates back 30 years, when Shannon was introduced to him by a friend at a restaurant where she bought him a scone and a latte. They eventually found themselves both on "Saturday Night Live" in 1995, constantly sharing the screen, most notably in the Mary Katherine Gallagher skit that evolved into the "Superstar" feature film.
Their stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame sit right beside each other. When Shannon's name was paved into the concrete in June, Ferrell naturally delivered a heartfelt speech crediting her with saving "SNL" during the show's Season 21 overhaul, which introduced a predominantly new cast.
"I just have so much respect for Will, and just watching him become a megawatt superstar has been an absolute joy, Shannon, 61, tells USA TODAY.
She says that while she knows Ferrell as an extremely funny performer, he doesn't get enough credit for being a highly intelligent writer. Ferrell has written hit comedies like 2003's "Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy" and 2006's "Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby," in which Shannon appeared.
"If Will weren't a performer, he could just be a very successful writer and I think a lot of people don't know that. His ability to eyeball a scene and look at it within 30 seconds, he'd be, like, 'We could lose that, and that'll be fun, and you could add that.' I mean, he's brilliant," she added.
"I do have a doctorate from USC. I mean, honorary," Ferrell quips.
In the show, the victim of Lonnie and Stacy's unsettling and hostile marriage is their adult son, Lance, played by Jimmy Tatro. Lance finds himself falling out of love with golf, yet striving to beat his father at the game to earn his love and admiration, which Stacy understands he can never receive.
Tatro landed the role after golfing with Ferrell, who said the decision to cast him "definitely was not based on his golf game."
"He was just kind of a perfect fit in terms of feeling like the right age, and knowing exactly how to play that character," Ferrell adds. "Someone who's on the outside, very confident about their game, at the same time wondering how to hold on to this without going crazy."
Tatro joked that although Ferrell is 5-foot-10 and he is 6-foot-5, it still made sense for them to play father and son.
"It was a dream come true to have those be my parents," he said. "Two comedy actors that I've looked up to my whole life."
All episodes of "The Hawk" Season 1 premiere on Netflix on July 16.
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