An Interview with Will Ferrell

I used to have this idea of what home security was.

I thought it was like an alarm that goes off after someone tries to break in and that scares off the intruder.

Maybe it gets your neighbor's attention.

But what I learned is that's really a reactive approach.

By the time the intruder's in your home, it's too late.

And you know, that's one of the things I really love about Simply Safe because their system is designed to be proactive, not reactive.

And here are ways that they are proactive.

They use smart, AI-powered cameras to identify threats lurking outside your home and immediately alert SimplySafe's professional monitoring agents.

You also might be wondering, how do I design my home security system?

And I can tell you from personal experience, their website is so easy to use.

They literally have a toggle that says build my system and you click on it and you go through all the different features that they offer and there are so many.

I've found that really helpful.

Some of the cameras they offer are like the outdoor cameras, the video doorbell pro,

which that one I really like because you can see who's coming right up to your front door.

Visit simplysafe.com slash office ladies to claim 50% off a new system.

That's simplysafe.com slash office ladies.

There's no safe like simply safe.

Having people in your corner to help you makes all the difference.

And with State Farm, you can feel good knowing that whether you need coverage for your car, your home, or even boats, motorcycles, and RVs, you can choose the right amount of coverage for you.

With State Farm, an agent can help you along the way.

And if things get complicated and you have questions, you've got options too.

Go online at statefarm.com or use the award-winning app to get help from one of their local agents.

You know, this is going to age me a little bit here, but when I got my first car, My dad got me State Farm car insurance and there was no online and there was no award-winning app.

And I have to think my dad would be so happy that that was more streamlined now because it really is so helpful, especially the app.

It's right on your phone.

Talk to your agent to help you choose the coverage you need.

Have coverage options to help protect the things you value most?

File a claim right on the State Farm mobile app.

Reach a real person when you need to talk to someone.

Like a good neighbor, State Farm is there.

I'm Jenna Fisher and And I'm Angela Kinsey.

We were on The Office together.

And we're best friends.

And now we're doing the Ultimate Office Rewatch podcast just for you.

Each week, we will break down an episode of The Office and give exclusive behind-the-scenes stories that only two people who were there can tell you.

We're the office ladies.

Hello.

Hi, lady.

How are you?

I'm very excited.

Well, I'm excited.

Before we get to it, you're having a super cute hair day.

Oh, my gosh, lady.

I got my hair cut and I got it colored.

And so it's like very frost.

You look salsa and frost.

Well, it's good timing too because we have a special guest today.

We do.

You guys.

You gave me a compliment.

Can I give you a compliment?

Yeah.

I love your sweater.

I said it when you walked in and you said it was.

It's like six years old.

It's so cute.

Because I can't take a compliment.

You're like, I like your sweater.

And I was like, it's really old.

Well, the point is, we look really stinking cute today.

And it's a good thing because someone's here.

Yeah, we zhuzhed up because we have a guest here today is Will Farrell.

Woo!

Woohoo!

Otherwise known as D'Angelo Vickers.

We thought we would do a little, I don't know, summary of Will Farrell, but come on, you guys all know him.

He was on Saturday Night Live for so many years.

He was amazing.

He got an Emmy nomination for being on SNL.

You know, he's also been in a gazillion movies.

I was in a movie with him, Blades of Glory.

He's also been in Elf, Anchorman, Kicking and Screaming, Teledega Knights, Semi-Pro, Step Brothers, and he received Golden Globe nominations for his roles in The Producers and Stranger Than Fiction and for producing vice.

Also, he has done so many voiceovers.

If you guys like the Lego movies like my kids, then you know he was Lord Business and he was hilarious.

He might be the funniest person on the planet, Jenna.

He might be one of the funniest people I've ever met.

This is true.

We got to spend over an hour chatting with him.

We talked about his time in the office, but we also just talked about life and

all kinds of things.

It was really fun.

He's just, oh my gosh, he's everything I remembered him to be when we worked with him.

So nice, so funny, but just a charming human to be around.

Well, before we get to that interview, we do have a little announcement.

Little office lady's business.

Yeah.

We are taking the next two weeks off.

That's right.

We have our kids' spring break and I'm doing a movie.

Some roll.

Jen is doing a movie.

Yes, I am doing the Mean Girls movie musical for Paramount Plus, written by Tina Faye.

I can't wait to see it.

It's going to be so great.

You said Tim Meadows is back.

Yes, Tim Meadows is in it.

And you know, I did walk hard with Tim Meadows.

So I'm so excited.

And he was on the office.

We love him.

I play Ms.

Heron.

I play Katie's Mom.

I have shot one day on the movie so far, but now I have to go back to do the bulk of my work over these next couple of weeks.

I mean, just based on the one day I've done so far, I could not be more excited.

So, sorry, guys, but we have to hit pause on the podcast.

But we'll be back in two weeks.

Two weeks.

All right.

We're going to take a break and then we'll be back with Will Farrell.

Woohoo!

This podcast is sponsored by Squarespace.

Today I had lunch with Ileana, who does our website, and we talked about the shop feature on our Squarespace website.

We can't wait.

We have some new merch coming and we're going to have a new little drop-down feature.

But this is the great thing about Squarespace.

We have been using it for years and it continues to grow with our business.

There's so many great templates and tools on Squarespace that you can design the perfect website for your business.

It's really an all-in-one platform for entrepreneurs to stand out and succeed online.

Whether you're just starting out, which we were years ago, or as you start to evolve your brand and add more things to your website, Squarespace is there for you.

They make it easy to create a beautiful website, engage with your audience, and sell anything from products to content to time, all in one place.

And you know, every dream needs a domain.

Squarespace Domains makes it easy to find the best name for your business at one fair, all-inclusive price.

No hidden fees or add-ons required.

Head to squarespace.com slash office ladies for a free trial.

And when you're ready to launch, go to squarespace.com/slash office ladies to save 10% off your first purchase of a website or domain.

You know those mornings where everything feels like it's moving a hundred miles an hour?

Emails are flying in.

You're trying to hit your protein goals and somehow you're already running late?

Yeah, same.

That's exactly when I hit pause and head to Tropical Smoothie Cafe.

Because nothing flips the vibe quite like Tropic Time.

Whether I'm craving something bold and fruity or warm and savory, Tropical Smoothie Cafe makes it easy breezy.

I'll grab a peanut paradise smoothie, 22 grams of smooth, peanut buttery protein, or mix it up with a PB protein crunch bowl, packing a punch at 32 grams of protein.

And when I'm in a breakfast sandwich mood, their sausage egg and cheese dia or the all-American wrap are always hot, toasty, and packed with the protein I need to actually power through my day.

Not just survive it.

The best part?

I order ahead in the app, swing by, and grab it on the go.

No waiting, no stress, just me, my smoothie, and a much needed mental getaway.

Every smoothie, bowl, and wrap is made to order, filled with better-for-you ingredients and serious good vibes.

So go ahead, manifest a more refreshing morning.

Tropical Smoothie Cafe.

You're on Tropic Time now.

So one of the hardest parts about business-to-business marketing is reaching the right audience.

And when you want to reach the right professionals, you need to use LinkedIn ads.

LinkedIn has grown to a network of over 1 billion professionals, and that's where it stands apart from other ad buys.

You can target your buyers by job title, industry, company, role, seniority, skills, company revenue, all in one place to reach the professionals you want to reach.

So you can stop wasting budget on the wrong audience and start targeting the right professionals only on LinkedIn ads.

You know how sometimes you get an ad and you're like, was this for me?

Who is sending this to me?

Well, with LinkedIn ads, that's never going to happen.

LinkedIn will even give you an extra $250 credit on your next campaign so you can try it yourself.

Just go to linkedin.com/slash office.

That's linkedin.com/slash office.

Terms and conditions apply only on LinkedIn ads.

Yay!

Welcome, Will Farrell!

Yay, Will's here!

I love the theme song.

Thank you.

Wait, your best friends?

Yes.

Did that

was that pre-the show or during the show?

During the show.

You guys became friends on the show.

Yes.

Wow.

We became besties.

And maybe one of, if not the greatest takeaway of doing the show in a weird way, right?

100%.

100%.

That's what Steve said.

Yeah.

Yeah.

Yeah.

Do you have a a best friend, Will?

From the office?

Sure, sure.

That I made.

Because we're only, that's the only context

specific.

In those four episodes.

Who is your best friend from those four episodes?

You can say Steve.

You knew him before.

Yeah.

I guess I'll say Steve.

Okay.

Yeah.

Since I knew him before.

Okay.

Yeah.

Not Creed.

You and Creed aren't hanging out.

I didn't talk to Creed that much.

No.

I didn't talk to any.

It was an interesting time.

Oh, oh.

this sounds like it's going to be a hard time it was an interesting time well anyway we'll get there

we have some questions that crack that open yeah okay best friend in real life

best friend in real life

um you can say their first name only if you don't want to alienate all the other friends

i'm gonna say the initial j

j's been there for you through thick and thin thick and thin all right Well, here we go.

In preparing for this interview, Jenna and I were Googling.

We were looking you up on the internet.

Okay.

I stumbled across something on your Wikipedia page that really cracked me up.

I have to read it to you.

Let's see if it's

holds muster.

Right.

Okay.

They list all the types of acting genres that you are featured in.

Okay.

Ready?

Here are the genres: improvisational comedy, sketch comedy, physical comedy, character comedy, cringe comedy, political satire, surreal humor, anti-humor, and deadpan.

Wow.

Does that like

those are all

spectrum you can do in comedy in a weird way?

I mean, I love cringe, cringe comedy, and that I'm in anti-comedy.

Yes.

That's the one I didn't understand.

What is anti-humor?

I mean, is that not drama?

any type of humor

or is it something that's actually

really funny that that person thought was not funny and described it as anti-comedy I don't know I don't know I couldn't tell

people I've never heard that

yeah I couldn't tell if they were praising you or throwing shit on my Wikipedia page which I obviously don't curate at all but I'm gonna now start telling people that's my specialty anti-comedy anti-humor

look on Wikipedia.

Some people think it's

there.

Some people think it's dangerous.

No, no, no.

It's anti-humor.

Anti-humor.

This is anti-humor.

Anti-humor.

Will, before we get started, I did want to introduce myself to you,

Jenna Fisher.

Right.

We did Blades of Glory together.

We did the office.

Yes.

This is a little inside joke because I told a story on the podcast.

I'm sure you don't remember, but early on in knowing you, every time I would run into you after we did blades of glory i would say will hey jenna fisher we did blades of glory and at one event you finally you took me by the hand you said jenna i know who you are

i do you don't need i know you introduce me every day and i was like i was like okay well you've worked with so many people you've done so many things i just thought maybe i would help you recall me if needed right

and it was really a sweet moment okay you're like you you don't ever have to do this.

So I told her when you showed up today, I was like,

you have to introduce yourself again.

Was there something else we worked on too?

Or were those the two main things?

You know, it's so funny.

I felt like there was.

I felt like there was too.

But in Googling us, I couldn't find it.

What else have we done?

I thought there was something before Blades.

Were you in Stepbrothers?

No.

Oh.

But I was in that movie with Will Arnett and Will Forte, the brother Solomon.

Solomon.

I wasn't Solomon.

but you weren't in that.

No, I know.

I went through my list of

things.

They weren't looking for anti-humor.

No.

I guess not.

No.

So you didn't get the job.

The phone didn't ring.

Not for that one.

Not for that one.

No.

Here is a question we ask all of our guests: How did you get your job on the office?

I got my job on the office.

I had called up

my peeps,

my representation.

No, I just thrown it out that I knew it was Steve's last year.

And I just said, God, I would love to do something in that last season.

I was thinking it'd be just a cameo or whatever.

Right.

It's up for anything.

And my agent called me back and said, oh, yeah, they're thrilled.

In fact, they want to know.

Greg was like, would you actually want to do a whole arc,

like four shows?

And I thought,

yeah, why not?

That'd be great.

But that's what I was alluding to when I didn't talk to many people on the set because those last shows were emotionally charged.

And you guys were all having a moment.

I'm like, what am I doing here?

I shouldn't be here.

I was always like, oh my God, everyone's crying.

Here's another read-through.

Everyone's going to cry.

And

I was like, I was invited to the party, and I wasn't, someone realized way after the fact, Will shouldn't be here.

And

while I had a great time and it was so fun to, you know, be a part of your guys' thing,

there was a big part of me.

It was like, I just really felt like an outsider to no one's fault, but it was like, as you guys know, this end of an era.

But we were all just in our feelings.

Oh, yeah.

And you should have.

And so that's where I was like, I didn't talk to a lot of people because I didn't feel like.

You you were like, I'm just going to stay out of the way.

I'm just going to stay out of the way.

Because you guys are all having private moments.

And it was almost, you know, it was like, sign my yearbook,

end of year.

Make sure.

So I have such a distinct memory.

When we were doing Michael's Last Dundee's, my character gets the award for kind of a bitch.

And I had to go up there.

And while we were doing the scene, they sort of, we had a moment where we took our lighting break or something.

And I was standing next to you.

And I just said to you, How's it going?

And you said,

You said, oh, it's great.

It's great.

I kind of feel like I'm doing comedy bits at a funeral sometimes.

And I was like,

yeah, yeah.

But I'll just never forget.

I was like, oh, this is going to be so hard.

It's going to be so hard to come in and try to be like the new funny guy.

And we're all just like,

yeah.

We had a really fun fan question.

This question from Joanna S.

Did anyone advise you not to take this role?

Oh, Joanna, no.

No one.

But

that makes me laugh.

The image of a lot of people calling me going,

be careful.

Don't do it.

Don't do it.

Hey.

You might want to.

Can we talk?

You might want to.

Although you might be great at it because there might be some anti-humor.

Yeah.

No, no one, no one advised me not to take the role,

which, you know, previously to what we were talking about, it was so fun to be there too.

You know, it was great to watch you guys all work and be a part of that as well.

But

it was really surreal.

Yeah.

From our perspective, you folded into the show so naturally.

Oh, good.

Like so easily.

And you were there that one episode after Steve had left.

Yes.

You stayed for one more.

And, oh, my gosh, we were so happy to have you there.

Just as a little bit of a bridge.

Yeah.

Yeah.

And your energy is similar to Steve's.

You guys are both so nice.

Right.

And just your kindness and your humor, we were like, okay, good.

But singing the rent song in the, you know, and Steve losing it, I was like, if there was a camera on me, I'd be like, oh, he's not acting.

Oh, he's.

That Darren headlights is real.

I was like, oh, my God.

Okay.

Yeah.

Right.

Of course.

Oh, now I get the scene.

But that was really, that was so sweet and powerful.

And yeah, and we were all crying.

We were all looking at you because you were standing in the front of the room with Steve and we were all looking at you crying.

I am just now in this moment.

Yeah.

Like putting myself in your shoes and imagining what it must have been like for you to stand there and Steve is crying next to you.

We're all crying and you're just like, hey.

D'Angelo Vickers, who has no emotional attachment, then the more takes we did, then I started, it started getting to me too.

Right.

And you're like, D'Angelo can't cry here.

D'Angelo can't cry here.

He doesn't have anything invested.

Here's another fan question.

Okay.

This is from Shel F.

Had you watched the show before you came on?

Yes, I had watched the show many a time.

And yeah, I was a fan like everyone else and just

loved, you know, all the stuff everyone was doing and all the writing and the cast and just, as you guys know, kind of a perfect storm of all those things put together, which is why the combination of that and knowing Steve, but all of those things were the reason why I called up.

I was like, gosh,

would they fit me in?

And you guys did.

And you got to go play with one of your best friends.

Yeah.

Yeah.

Exactly.

And that was so fun to revisiting the episodes.

I had totally forgotten that first

the first meeting between Michael and D'Angelo?

Yeah, where we're at the bar and calling each other and we don't realize it.

And it was like I was watching them all for the first time.

It was just so fun to see how well constructed that was.

And just, yeah, so stupid.

Right?

Yeah.

Yeah.

Okay.

This is actually a great time for me to share this with you.

I saw online a list of fan favorite quotes from D'Angelo.

Okay.

Here are some really good ones.

Top of the list.

Colorado, the sunshine state.

Yes.

That baby could be the star of a show called Babies I Don't Care About.

Everyone I know who skis is dead.

I never touch another juggler's instruments.

And then, is there an animal shelter on the way?

Annie Annie Shelto.

You know what's really fun about having done those four shows is the gift that keeps on giving, which is the,

you know, Greg and Paul obviously thought of that bit

of the juggling without my juggling apparatus.

We got more mail about that scene.

Oh, my God.

People want to hear everything you have to say about the juggling.

But I remember thinking,

how and why did you guys think of it this way?

I forget what their reason was, but that was just such a genius, weirdo thing that he still wants to show off his juggling.

yes yeah he has without any juggling yet yes and i have now done that bit on stage no less than 20 times really

because it's like a go-to

because

you know people will have like a little charity show or this and that where it's like would you come do sure a five-minute thing or whatever you want to do it's like ready-made it's perfect so i'll come out and i'll say just introduce me as so-and-so and that I'm a juggler who's worked for 20 years down at Fisherman's Worth in San Francisco or something.

So I come out.

I do the whole thing of like, I'm so sorry.

I left.

I have a little case.

I'll open up.

There'll be nothing in there.

Oh my gosh.

I'm like, oh my God, I'm so embarrassed.

All my juggling balls, I left them in my other case.

I don't know what to do.

And then coax the audience and like, unless I could just do my act without them and then everyone applauds.

Yeah, yeah.

And I do the whole thing.

Do you do the balls invisibly on someone's head?

Yes.

I'll pull someone out of the audience.

I love that.

And then I'll do that.

And I believe that defies like physics and gravity.

It's not a possible move.

And I whisper to them, like, stay as still because you can't.

And people will take it really seriously and they'll sit in the chair and they won't blink.

And I'll just throw the balls off their head.

And I play the same

song.

I do the whole thing.

Anyway, that is amazing.

It's the gift that keeps on giving.

My favorite part of it is at the end, when you, it lands on the back of your head.

Yes.

Yes.

You're going to catch it there.

And Kevin's like, didn't drop a single ball.

Right.

So that, that was a highlight for sure.

Yeah.

For me.

But also to just have to force you guys to watch it all for how many takes that I

saw myself breaking in so many takes with you.

So many.

I would see.

And also, not just me, but you would see shoulders.

Like shoulders are the dead giveaway.

And we were cracking up.

And then I just wanted to know, and we had people write in, have you ever juggled?

Do you know anything about juggling?

And I still can't juggle to the same thing.

You can't?

You're such a good fake juggler.

It didn't give me, well, it didn't like.

spur me on to like, maybe I should really try juggling like and just pretend like I'm faking it pretty well.

I still can't do it.

I still haven't tried.

I still can't do it.

Oh, you know what?

We have talked about this.

Your character has such a great way that he introduces himself to everyone in the bullpen.

And we really wanted you to hear it.

And then Jenna's going to share with you a second part that didn't make it in that we found in the shooting draft.

Okay.

Presenting D'Angelo Vickers.

Hi.

Hello.

Come on out.

How are you, you, sir?

I'm well, sir.

How are you?

Can I just say I am so excited to be working here?

A little bit about myself.

I love the American Southwest for starters.

You may call them Arizona, New Mexico, Nevada, Utah.

I call them heaven.

I have a peanut allergy.

Something I live with.

It's a part of me.

I've learned to cope with it.

What else?

I'm just as comfortable at a ball game as I am at the opera.

And there was this line line where you would have said, I've never ridden a motorcycle.

I've had chances.

It just doesn't interest me.

And I love the idea that in introducing yourself to someone, you include something strangers that do not interest you.

Like, here's some stuff about me.

Yeah.

We'll get to know you.

But one thing you need to know, motorcycles do not interest me.

Yeah.

And so we were wondering if you had to introduce yourself in the D'Angelo Vickers style, what might you,

what might you include as your non-interests?

Angela's is like hardcore exercise.

Oh, yeah.

Like if I met a group of people I'd never met before, I might say, hi, my name is Angela.

I grew up overseas.

I like hummingbirds.

I am not interested in anyone yelling at me when I exercise.

Okay, yeah.

Yeah.

I would probably say,

hi, I'm Will.

I'm from Orange County.

I do enjoy vigorous exercise, but I have no interest in skydiving.

Don't talk to me about skydiving.

Did you?

No.

Do it?

No.

I've never done it.

No, no, I don't want it.

I don't want to do it.

No, I don't.

Yeah.

No.

So if you were offered a film or a project

that involved a skydiving moment, you would say hard pass.

That's going to be a stunt person.

That's going to definitely be a stunt person.

You're going to need to find someone that looks just like me and have them fall from the sky because I'm not doing it.

Because even if

I really got talked into it, because I don't know if you, have you guys had things where you're like, at first you were like, no way, hard pass.

And then,

it's really safe.

Want to do it this way?

And you're like, okay, I can't.

I don't know if I could look Vivica in the eye and be like, I'm just, honey, I'm going to do this skydiving thing.

It's going to be totally cool.

She's like, yeah, she's going to be like, really?

Is it that essential?

Like, you're right.

Yeah.

They can get someone else.

Yeah.

But you have done a lot of stuff.

I've done a lot of things that later I was like, why did I?

Yeah.

Yeah.

Like I did, I did a um, I was out in the wilderness with bear grills on the bear grills show, and I was hanging from a helicopter

twice.

I saw that.

And later I was like, I thought,

I didn't need to do that.

Yeah.

But I got wrapped up in trying to get bear grills to like me.

Wow.

I

just watched the movie Downhill because I have recently become sort of a skiing fanatic.

I just started skiing in my life during the pandemic.

I'm slightly upset.

I'm leaving today after this interview to go to Utah to ski.

This is amazing.

Just so wild to see.

You're taking it on right now in life.

This is your life.

I learned how to ski, put skis on my legs for the first time when I was 46.

And I'm turning 49 this year.

Because most people learn at an early age.

Yes.

I grew up in Missouri.

No skiing there.

Not even one, like, not even like a little bunny hill.

You know what?

I should say there is a place where you can ski, but I mean,

come on.

Right.

Come on.

It's not.

Let's be honest.

It's not really

skiing.

Yeah.

I watch downhill.

Right.

Are you skiing?

Is that you?

I'm skiing.

Yeah.

You're so good.

I'm not skiing where I fall and do the fall.

Right.

There's a fall part, right?

Yeah.

Totally.

Are we cutting to you at the end when you're already on the ground?

After I hit my head.

Yes, yes.

On the thing.

Yeah.

Right.

That was me acting after I hit my head.

Yes.

It was very good.

I'm going to add that to your Wikipedia.

Your Wikipedia paragraph.

Injury comedy.

Yeah, injury comedy.

Injury comedy.

Which

is, again, under the category of...

anti-humor.

It is.

I think that falls.

Yeah.

But no, all that other skiing is you.

That's me.

But Julia Louis Dreyfus, she's an excellent skier.

She was very good in the film as well.

She can do the moguls and everything.

I can't quite do the moguls.

No.

Okay.

So the movie you're referring to, we shot in Austria, and that's a whole another

kind of, how do you describe it?

Let's just say the Austrians are not afraid to cut in line.

Oh,

or

whoosh right in front of you.

Like you really have to be aggressive.

It's a different

cultural

natural national sport yeah and so everyone skis and there were times when you're because there's a certain etiquette in waiting in the lift line where you know we give ourselves yeah a little space in between there would be some guy would have his ski jammed in between my legs

pressed up against my back

and i would look back like hey to give the non-verbal like

hello and he this person just looks straight ahead

and then keeps scooting and like pressing against my shoulder blade and uh I thought oh this is just the way they do it that that was weird and the other thing was you'd get to the top of a beautiful mountain riding the gondola and

and then there's just cigarette butts everywhere really yeah it was so bizarre

just this you just look out and just this beautiful landscape and then littered with cigarette butts

so i would ski austria so ski austria so i would do are you guys know I'm so sorry.

I feel this is

this like a paid commercial for ski Austria because were you here today?

Is that why you're here?

I just have to mention did you bait me into talking about skiing?

If you fly into

hashtag hashtag

stay at the hotel

there was one of the towns the town that

used code Will40 for 40% off your house.

What happens in Ishkill stays in Ishkill.

Hashtag cigarette butts.

Hashtag cigarette butts.

I don't even know where we are.

I don't know where we are yet.

I don't either.

I love it.

I have something.

I read that when you were in college, you worked at a small-town television station.

Yes.

This was just local cable.

Oh.

Around and about Orange County News.

Oh, I love that.

Seen by no one.

Was this before you had decided to go into acting?

Like, was this like, maybe I'll do this?

Well, I was, I had my degree in sports information.

Oh,

real major.

You know what?

That's why you learned.

That's like the class I took called Ideas of Mathematics.

It was like me in the defensive line of a football team.

Oh, right, right.

We just talked about ideas of mathematics.

General ideas.

General notions.

That was basically a sports journalism degree.

Okay.

So that's kind of where I thought I was going to.

that was a more legit way to get into entertainment.

And so I was,

I had my degree, but I was, I didn't really have a job.

It's not like I got hired out of college.

I moved back home and I started working at this local cable thing.

And so I did that for like a year and a half.

And

I'd heard like people had gotten hired out of there and had, you know, because the whole thing is to put together a tape that you send out.

And so while I was doing that, though, I thought, I remember there was a, they had really good press credentials to like go

to, they needed someone to go to the LA Rams.

And you had press credentials so you could like get on the field and get on the field and

interview the coach and all this stuff like that.

They were like, so we need someone to go do this.

And everyone's hand shot up.

And my first thought was like,

what day is that?

Hmm.

Do I really, oh, I got something on Sunday.

Yeah.

Maybe I don't really want to do it.

Yeah.

And I, I, it wasn't like,

oh, gosh, I need that for my tape, which is what you have to have.

Yes.

Mine was more like, who can I, I got to bring a friend to operate the camera.

Oh, it's going to be a pain.

And I thought, oh, I can't wear shorts.

Right.

I thought that's not a good sign.

That kind of coincided with

I just started thinking, oh,

I'm going to have to try to go for this comedy thing because I keep thinking about doing bits.

Doing bits and wanting to do it.

And I would go and I would sit at the improv in Irvine and sit in the back of the room at an open mic night and

almost sign my name to the list, but be too afraid and

go

consecutive weeks and just watch three hours of comedy and sit there and think,

well, that person,

oh, they're terrible.

Yeah.

I'm much better than them.

They should have set it up like this.

Yeah.

Yeah.

And,

or, ooh, they're really good.

And I would just like kind of see what.

And so I was kind of doing that.

I started taking my first class at the Groundlings.

I was taking some acting class.

So I was kind of doing all that while I was working at the news station.

And then the comedy.

You found your passion.

Yeah.

Yeah.

Yeah.

And it was, it was that I didn't really want to be a new, I wanted to be Chevy Chase doing the news.

I didn't want to actually be doing the news is what kind of came through.

I once did a news story.

I did a story on

there was a team of goats that the city of Laguna Beach would hire to clear all the brush

as a way of fire mitigation.

Right, right.

So I did a story on that.

It was not a great piece of journalism at all.

Super dry.

Like, I wish I had copies of that.

There's about 15 goats here today.

Yeah, yeah.

I'm in front of the Laguna B.

You know, it's like super stiff and this and that.

But I noticed when I filmed some of the goats, some of the footage, they looked like they were singing.

So I did the story, as much of it as there was to tell a story.

And then I just added opera music to these goats.

See?

It blew.

The guy who ran the station, who was our editor and also the teacher of the class, was like, that's the way you do a story.

You added a little pizzazz.

It was hilarious.

It wasn't that I just made that goat story really pop.

Yeah.

And

I was like, I thought, oh, that's funny.

I'm more interested in messing around.

I could never do anything in front of a group of people without doing a bit.

Okay.

And you know, you can't do bits with strangers for the most part.

They don't land.

But like, I was in charge of basically like the minutes and my sorority.

And I would get up.

My fraternity was a big stage for me.

Yes.

Yeah.

So I had to get up and sort of say how the, you know, the pledge dance went and what everyone ate.

And I just started doing all these bits.

Yeah.

And it was like crickets.

There were like three gals that laughed.

And then I also offended a few people because I guess they

did a bit about the chicken dish and it was a big deal.

I guess there was a committee that voted on this chicken dish and they were really pissed off at me.

But I just couldn't wait to get up there again the next week and give minutes.

But did you slowly win them over in a way?

Some notes.

I feel like the answer is no.

Yeah.

But I couldn't wait to get, I was like, oh,

what am I?

I can't get up there.

It was your first open mic.

I did the same thing.

I was our song chairman.

And so during the chapter meet, there's no, there was no reason for the song chairman to ever speak.

And you were like, once again, we need to hear from the song chairman i made the song chairman's report

and i had monday night class so i couldn't be there so i tape recorded a report and it became this thing and they would play it they would play it and everyone would be like

everyone be quiet and so

they would play the song chairman's report and i would just i'd make fun of people yes in the house i would do this i would do that and became a huge hit i don't think i became a hit yeah yeah so do you consider saturday night live like your quote-unquote big break or was there something before that that really felt like your big break

yeah no question that was definitely i mean there was there was one week when i was still before i auditioned for saturday night live there was a week here in la

where i got three jobs in one week

now they were all like five and on they were like one line each yeah but still that feels huge yeah i landed three different on three different sitcoms That almost was like, I still think of that, you know, and it like got, it was then just after,

uh,

got my AFTRA card from, you know, you're official.

You're in the union.

And so I remember, so that was huge.

And then, of course, yeah, the Saturday Night Live thing was.

How long had you been a struggling actor or an aspiring actor before you landed on Saturday Night Live?

Let's see.

I would have graduated college in 90 and i got on the show in

uh i was hired the summer of 95.

so about five years yeah knocking around yeah just got your aftercard just got yeah yeah yeah that's pretty cool doing uh yeah doing whatever like we all were just kind of like finding any sort of like variety show in la

Did you have any odd jobs while you were a struggling actor?

I answered phones.

Did you really?

I answered phones at a real estate auction company.

What is that?

And then I answered phones at a art auction company, which my friend, now wife, Vivica, got me the job.

So I was our appraisal coordinator

at Butterfield and Butterfield.

You appraised art?

No, I typed up the appraisal company.

You typed it up.

Coordinator.

Coordinator.

I coordinated.

Right.

The appraisal.

Yes.

Yes.

Okay.

Yeah.

No, I got hired at SNL and still worked at the auction company for another month.

Oh,

they didn't, they weren't going to pay you until the first week of the show.

And I had

bills to pay.

But there were other coworkers.

I'd be in my cubicle and they're like,

hey, didn't you get on Saturday Night Live?

I'm like, yep, I sure did.

I got a corner.

I got to get through this stack of appraisals before I leave.

We got a fan question from Natalie D.

Okay.

All right.

Natalie wanted to know, how did you keep a straight face without laughing, especially in the scene with Ed Helms where you make him eat soap?

And Jess Renee asked, if you ever break in scenes.

Well, that was going to be my answer to Natalie.

I have a superpower of not, I'm really good at not breaking.

This is what we remember about you.

This is what we remember about you.

And also, my daughter loves bloopers, so we end up finding bloopers and we watch these bloopers of Talladega Nights.

Right.

And everyone is losing it.

And you are like a statue.

Right.

No, I never, it would only happen like twice a year.

Yeah.

On like Saturn Live or something.

And a lot of times, though,

there are times when I can tell I'm breaking, but no one else can tell.

Right.

Right.

So I hide it really well.

I could tell.

Not that you were breaking, but that you were genuinely surprised when Ed put the soap in his mouth because that wasn't scripted.

Yeah.

And it was real soap.

And I think you just improvised for him to try the soap.

And then when he did, you can see your face.

You're like, hey!

It felt like you were doing just like a prank on him.

Like, do this thing.

Like, there were all these scripted things, absurd things you were going to ask him to do.

And you're like, how about eat the soap?

And it felt like a personal challenge.

And Ed took you up on it.

And the look in your eyes is a little bit like, well,

okay.

That's so funny.

Yeah.

One question before we take a break.

Do you remember the stunt gone wrong in the warehouse?

We were talking about when stunts can go wrong.

We got to talk to Greg about it.

We got to talk to Randy Cordre, who was our production manager at the time.

They all just want to say sorry again

for basically just catapulting.

Catapulting you into a basketball hoop.

No, I don't remember it going wrong.

You're thinking of something else?

Oh, no.

I just thought you meant the

story-wise.

You don't remember when we actually almost like

gave you a real concussion?

They had the pulley, and they did it.

They are going to be so relieved that you don't remember this.

Oh my gosh, they have carried this around for years.

It has haunted us.

I'm watching it because I remembered when I revisited the episode going, oh, that's right.

We do the thing.

I go for the basketball dunk and it falls on me, but it's all

off camera.

But no, I don't remember.

Oh, did something go?

Will yes.

I don't remember.

So, what happened, Greg said, is they designed this pulley thing.

And Greg said, just as he looked at it, he thought the physics were off on it.

And they put you in it.

And the first take, they were, as you jumped, these guys were going to pull this thing.

And then you were going to go up a little bit.

And the first time, they didn't quite get you there.

Yeah.

And they were like, okay, we'll do it again.

You guys, we got to pull harder.

So the second time you went to do the jump and they yanked it and you went flying into the backboard.

And I guess you got like a big cut on your knee.

And

yes, and we were all just like mortified.

We were mortified.

How do I not have a memory of this?

I don't.

You probably blocked it out because of the trauma.

And then, and then they were like, you don't have to do it again.

Don't even worry about it.

And you're like, no, no, no.

I got one more.

Let's do one more.

And then they got that one.

That was it.

The only thing I do remember about that sequence is editorially I said the funniest, strongest,

kind of darkest thing is that D'Angelo is dead.

I do remember you pitching that.

That's the funniest thing.

That's

the funniest way.

We kill you.

Yes.

But then they're like, okay, just for safety, let's just shoot this thing.

And I'm like,

oh, this is going in.

Yeah.

Yeah.

Where I'm walking through the office with my head band.

Oh, no, I know.

I laughed through all your takes.

You see me laughing.

Fans just pointed it out.

They're like, Angela, you're not even.

You did see you.

I did see you on that one.

You know why?

Because, okay, here's the thing.

First of all, whatever.

You're the funniest person on the planet.

There's that.

But no, no.

No.

But then on top of it, you give someone who is so flippin' funny gibberish words, and then you never did them the same.

So every time I would get used to you being like, face, face, fair, then the next time I'd be like,

yeah, I was like, I can't.

I can't.

But that was the only thing I do really remember.

So that's crazy.

I don't remember cutting my leg open, but I do remember going, oh,

they should have killed me off.

That'd be so funny.

Yeah.

Like, whatever happened to D'Angelo.

There was a, in the shooting draft, there was, I guess it was too

dark for the guys.

Because we have the shooting drafts, there was a scene where the ambulance is taking you away.

Right.

And Daryl says to Andy, is he going to be okay?

And Andy goes, I don't, they said no.

That's what I'm saying.

That's so funny.

That's so funny.

Yes.

That would have been so good.

They said no.

No.

Why did I not remember getting slammed into the backboard?

I don't know.

Wow.

They are going to be so relieved.

I mean,

I'm an afternoon.

I know

Bill has no memory.

They're going to be like, what's his problem?

We asked Greg about it.

We asked Greg about it.

And the first thing he said was, oh, I still think about that constantly.

Really?

Yeah.

Yeah.

Oh, please tell him until this moment.

And even now, I'm not picturing it happening.

Wow.

Oh, I'm texting Greg.

Yeah.

Okay, well, let's take a break.

And when we come back, we have a regular guy quiz quiz for you.

Yeah, we just ask you questions that a regular guy would answer.

Okay.

We'll see if you're a regular guy.

This show is sponsored by Liquid IV.

So you guys know I play a lot of tennis.

I love it.

And it gets pretty hot here in the summer, and it gets really hot on that tennis court.

So one of the things I always bring with me are my packets of Liquid IV.

New Liquid IV's Energy Multiplier, Sugar-Free Hydrating Energy.

It is scientifically formulated to support physical energy, hydration, focus, mood, and social stamina.

How about that?

Just one stick and 16 ounces of water hydrates better than water alone.

Powered by LIV Hydro Science, an optimized ratio of electrolytes, essential vitamins, and clinically tested nutrients that turn ordinary water into extraordinary hydration.

Here are two of my favorite flavors I've got in my tennis bag right now, guava and lemon lime.

Hot tip for me, get the variety pack because then you get a lot of different flavors.

Ditch the glitch with zero sugar and zero crash from Liquid IV.

Tear, poor, live more.

Go to liquidiv.com and get 20% off your first order with code Office Ladies at checkout.

That's 20% off your first order with code Office Ladies at liquidiv.com.

All right, if you're like me, you want to look put together, but you don't have a lot of time to put into your routine to try and look put together.

I'll give it 15 minutes.

I want to look polished in 15 minutes.

And I'm talking, that's everything.

That is skincare and makeup.

Yeah.

Well, Merit helps you simplify what it takes to get ready.

Merit is designed for people who want to look put together without spending a ton of time on their routine, a.k.a.

Me and Angela.

That's right.

Merit is a minimalist beauty brand that has curated sets to create easy-to-use routines for you.

All of their products are clean, vegan, and cruelty-free, and they're made with skincare ingredients that leave your skin looking better long after you take your makeup off.

In fact, Merit's products are so easy to use, they claim you don't even need a mirror when you're doing your routine.

Okay.

Okay.

I'm listening, Merit.

I am listening.

It's time to simplify your morning.

Head to meritbeauty.com to get their signature makeup bag free with your first order.

All right, Will, we're back from our break.

We're going to give you the regular guy questions.

These are real, like, hard-hitting stuff.

Yeah.

If you're ready, this is the part where it'll prove if I'm a regular guy.

I can feel it.

Okay.

Question number one.

Everyone's really crowded around the windows of the studio.

We got a few succulents looking in.

What do you eat for breakfast?

I usually eat,

I love this Ezekiel's brand cereal.

Is it like a muesly sort of thing?

It's kind of like a more of like a grape nuts-y thing.

Okay.

Is that every morning?

Are you the same breakfast every day?

Some

not necessarily.

Oh, you mix it up.

I mix it up.

Okay.

Okay.

Where's your protein in the morning?

It's in the cereal.

Okay.

I'm just checking.

Yeah.

All right.

Number two.

What is one of your favorite places you've visited in the United States?

One of...

Well,

really?

Yeah.

I love New York City.

Duh.

Who doesn't?

It's a great place.

I love it.

I want to retire there.

It's always surprising to me how you rediscover that city every time you visit.

That is true.

You're speaking to my soul.

Right.

There's just so many nooks and crannies and a new place here

and this museum.

And

it blows my mind.

I love it.

It blows my mind.

But I also just went to Portland.

Portland, it's a little hidden gym.

Maybe not so hidden now, but Portland's great.

Yeah.

Have you been?

No.

I love Portland.

I love the Oregon coast.

Great restaurants, little coffee places, like cool bike paths and walking trails and

a big enough of a city feel to it if you need that, but then really great neighborhoods.

In general, are you more city or more like rural kind of, like, do you like a kind of like hiking kind of outdoorsy thing or do you like city?

Do any of it because I can kind of adjust wherever I am.

But my wife's definitely more city and I love cities too.

So I'll go city.

Okay.

Okay.

Okay.

What was the make and model of your first car?

It was a 1969 powder blue VW bug.

Oh, do you wish you still had it?

It's kind of amazing.

I had a COVID midlife purchase where i bought a 61 vw bus with the 23 windows around yeah yeah yeah yes

like

surf green blue with white trend it was like oh my gosh beautiful but i just sold it again because it made me too nervous to drive it because it was in like mint condition right it was too special it was too special yeah but then i i'd feel guilty about not driving it right and then i felt guilty about when i drove it because i didn't want to get dinged and i just couldn't handle it was a stressful purchase Exactly.

I don't think I'll ever be like a car guy that way.

Yeah.

I get it.

So regular guy.

Pretty regular.

Regular guy.

Okay, this one hits close to home with me.

How many emails are your inbox?

Do you keep a tidy box or do you let them pile up?

Very tidy.

Okay.

Very tidy.

I answer stuff.

I cleared the decks right away.

How many do I have?

1700.

Yeah, how does that make you feel when you read that Angela has 1700 emails?

Does that

I can't handle it.

It bothers me.

I can't handle it.

I don't like it when she shows it to me.

It gives me heart palpitation.

Sorry.

Listen, I'm chipping away at it.

Yeah.

Next one.

If you are in charge of cooking dinner, what is your go-to dish?

I can't even say.

What?

Do you not cook?

I don't have a cook dinner.

Who cooks?

Viv does.

Oh, well, that's good.

You're lucky.

You have a person who does the dinner.

My person always cooks.

Really?

Yeah, I don't cook.

I need to.

I need to.

I need to get a dish.

We need a go-to dish.

You should take a cooking class together.

Get a go-to dish.

You should get a go-to called God.

There should be a cooking school called Go-To Dish.

Because you go to learn, but you also go to dish.

Dish.

Did you hear about this?

Yeah, yeah, and I got too much parmesan.

I told her, no way.

I got wrapped up in the dish.

Now I have to focus back on this one.

That's actually pretty great.

Go-to dish.

What's your go-to board game?

Do you have a family board game?

The go-to game right now

is celebrity.

Yeah.

Love it.

So the kids, we started doing it on ski trips and they go crazy.

They love trying to trip us up with, you know, YouTubers and people like that.

We're trying to act out, yeah, pop culture people that we don't know anymore and it cracks them up.

But then we get them back with the oldies.

Martin Van Buren.

We were playing with my family and I was trying.

I had had Jennifer Anniston.

Yeah.

And my sister Janet was like, I don't know who that is.

I was like,

well, yes, you do.

No, don't know.

I'm like, oh, my God.

Okay.

How early do you get to the airport before a flight?

I am, I'm like, I'm pretty much a rule follower.

I, I, like the two-hour

thing.

But here's my rule, though.

If I'm late,

I don't run.

I don't run.

I don't, I don't run to catch that flight.

So what happens?

Do you

slowly?

Almost to punish.

What is this?

Because it won't be.

I'm not the reason we're late.

I'll just leave it at that.

Oh, so I'm not going to have to.

But I'll slow walk it.

If everyone wants to be this late, we're going to miss our flight.

There's consequences.

There's consequences.

Right.

Get your act together.

Let's be ready.

That'll teach them.

Plan better.

I don't know why.

I don't want to.

I want to punish, but I do.

It's a teaching moment.

All right.

Well, Cynthia R.

asked, what was your favorite sitcom or cartoon as a kid?

Oh, I had so many.

I mean,

I lived in the world of sitcoms.

You know, I just like, oh, wouldn't it be great to be on the castle?

Wouldn't it be great to live on the love boat?

Yes.

Right?

Or Fantasy Island, Fantasy Island.

Please.

That ABC, they had a little run there

between

Happy Days, Laverne and Shirley, Tuesday nights.

Forget about it.

How cool to just be able to hit a jukebox and then use it?

Like, what a fun character.

How cool to have your office in the men's bathroom.

Yeah.

That's true.

I forgot about that.

All right.

Our last regular guy question for you, Will, is: do you have a hobby?

I get asked this.

Do you really?

And I never have an answer.

I don't collect stamps or baseball cards or anything like like that.

What is, if I did have a hobby?

Big finish here.

Big finish.

I don't know if I, if I have a habitual thing.

Right.

Yeah.

That's.

Mine is, I was thinking about this.

I'm like, what's my hobby?

Really?

Like, I love to go for a walk every day.

And I love, I have a lot of hummingbird feeders.

Okay.

Because I live the sexy life.

Yeah, no kidding.

I do genuinely love driving my kids to school, but that's not a a hobby.

That's so cute.

This is not a hobby because I don't do it consistently enough, but we have a chicken coop.

So we have chickens.

Oh.

And I love, there's a real serenity to going out there and cleaning the chicken coop.

Kind of talk to the chickens a little bit.

There's a little compost section to it.

I kind of make sure they're fresh, you know.

But it's not like I do that every two days.

Right, right.

I'll take it.

Okay, that's my hobby.

It doesn't have to be often.

It's It's just a thing that brings you joy.

Yeah.

Sorry.

What am I waiting for?

I feel like this was

no one's, everyone's going to remember how bad the podcast ended.

Stop it.

I have a good ending.

There's going to be, you're going to get so many letters.

No, no.

Dud City.

By the way, no.

Steve City.

By the way, Farrell, Dud City.

Dud City, hashtag Dud City USA.

When we did Steve's regular guy questions, all we did was make Steve feel like he was the most boring person.

He was like, oh my God.

He was like, I am, why did Nancy marry me?

Like, I'm hearing myself back, and I've never felt worse about myself.

This is why we asked to take the picture at the top.

Because we like to leave people in a shame spiral.

Prophetic.

We might need to change the name from regular guy quiz to just like want to feel shitty.

I want to really feel.

Now I got to get a hobby.

Oh.

So I can literally answer this question.

We want to thank you so much for coming today, Will.

And I wanted to end with this such this sweet note from a fan from Maxie B.

Maxie said this, my mom and I adore watching Will Farrell movies together and cracking up.

My mom just turned 70 in January, and we began talking about the thing that all kids dread talking about with their parents, the funeral arrangements.

She wants cremation and a big party to celebrate her life, which I love, but she had the cutest requests that she knows won't be able to happen.

She asked me to please hire Will Farrell to sing her favorite song, Dust in the Wind, at her party.

Oh my God.

I just think that is the sweetest thing.

And I would love for Will to know how much he means to us and our family.

He has kept us going through hard times.

All my love, Maxie B.

Wow.

That is, isn't that so sweet?

Great.

I just think that's like,

you bring so much comfort to people with what you do, with your comedy, and just with who you you are.

You brought so much comfort to us on the office when you came in during that transition time.

Right.

So, I mean, that's why we do it.

That's why, I mean, that's what being an artist is.

That couldn't be nicer.

Nicer.

And what a fun sense of humor her mom has.

She wants to be cremated and wants you to sing dust in the wind.

I love this woman, right?

I know.

I know.

Well, we're speechless.

We adore you.

We really do.

I'm just always so happy when I see you.

And when we run into you, you're just one of the good guys.

You're one of the good ones.

Thanks, you guys.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Thank you.

I'm going to just drive in my car now.

Yeah.

And just let all of this praise wash over me.

Own it.

Okay.

That was so much fun.

So fun.

Okay, before we leave for our two-week break.

You guys, you know how much I love birthdays.

You know how much I love celebrating them.

Well, we have had a wonky few weeks with scheduling.

We've had a lot going on and we were not able to celebrate Gemma's birthday when it was her birthday week.

But you know what?

It is never too late for birthday week.

I am honestly, I am surprised.

This is so nice.

Angela, you know, I spent my birthday by myself in New York City because I was shooting mean girls.

I know.

And it was a little tough.

I'll say my family was wonderful.

Lee hid birthday presents in my suitcase for me to open.

And we celebrated a little before I left a little bit after I got home but we have not been able to celebrate here on the studio so ladies sit back I got some stuff coming your way oh my gosh Cody and Sam I'm opening up the shower screen door thing Cassie I'm sad you're not here today but we'll save some for you

okay I have this all hidden in the corner of the room I had no idea this was here okay so first of all this is a gift that the minute you open it it's something you said you wanted.

Okay.

Okay.

Something I said I wanted.

Oh my gosh.

I really did want this.

This is the lighted magnification mirror so I can tweeze my eyebrows.

And it magnifies three times the magnitude of whatever my 49-year-old eyes.

Thank you so much.

Why should I have to take your picture with it?

Okay.

And next lady, I went to one of of my favorite bakeries and I got you gluten-free brownies with sprinkles.

Ooh, gluten-free dessert.

Oh, I love it.

Okay, I hope they didn't get tossed around in the car.

Oh, they're perfect.

Thank you, lady.

Birthday.

Thank you.

Bye, you guys.

Bye.

See you in two weeks.

Thank you for listening to Office Ladies.

Office Ladies is produced by Earwolf, Jenna Fisher, and Angela Kinsey.

Our show is executive produced by Cody Fisher.

Our producer is Cassie Jerkins, our sound engineer is Sam Kiefer, and our associate producer is Ainsley Bubico.

Our theme song is Rubber Tree by Creed Bratton.

For ad-free versions of Office Ladies, go to StitcherPremium.com.

For a free one-month trial of Stitcher Premium, use code Office.

As a young adult, finding the right path to your future can feel overwhelming.

It starts with Year Up United's tuition-free job training program Career Pathways.

If you're without a bachelor's degree but have a high school diploma or GED, you can get skills-first training to succeed in the industries you're passionate about, all while earning a weekly educational stipend to offset basic expenses.

From there, you'll have access to internships and hands-on experiences with Fortune 500 companies.

And with Europe United's job placement services and personalized coaching and mentorship, you can put your knowledge, skills, and most importantly, confidence into practice.

Apply to Europe United today and take the first step toward achieving the career you want.

Visit Europe.org to learn more.