Themed Column- WIll Ferrell- The odd duckling.

Who says that acting your shoe size does not pay?  WIll Ferrell surely would not agree.  Will Ferrell has made a household name for himself not just as a lead on Saturday Night Live (SNL) but by brilliantly tapping into the desire of most men to above the age of 21 to act like they are 21!  His career in film should be carefully studied by even the most devout and structured thespian for what it delivers onscreen-sincerity.  Yes that sincerity on the surface to the casual observer may look like nothing more than buffoonery but if you peel back a layer or two it can be seen for what it truly is-Genius.

The genius that I am referring to is WIll Ferrell's consistent deadpan delivery of in some of the most outrageous characters.  In the 2003 film "Old School" Ferrell plays opposite Vince Vaughn as middle-aged men looking to recapture their college glory days by opening up a fraternity at their alma mater.  Silly? Quite.  But what makes the movie hilarious is not necessarily the one-liners written into the script- It's that deadpan "Hey I am really serious" delivery that makes Ferrell a joy to watch onscreen.  Staying in character and not breaking form while portraying an enlightened  womanizing playboy guru of some sorts who has developed the art of picking up distraught women at funerals to an art form to the point that his only "logical" ascension is to do the same at funerals, all of this while still living with his mother.  Ferrell captures the man-child image absurdly and perfectly.

Another unique aspect of Ferrell's career which sets him apart and further goes to showcase his talent is one that is also overlooked is his size.  Will Ferrell stands extremely tall at a full 6'3 and he is not of slight build.  He's a really big guy-not fat but FAR from what you would look at as typical leading man material (Lets just say he won't be doing any Calvin Klein commercials in the near future). Yet he owns it.  In hollywood being big AND tall tends to make casting directors look past you.  If you look at the majority of male actors they are overwhelmingly very short in stature- there are a variety of theories on the "why's" this but it really boils down to the fact that it's more difficult to varying camera angles when your leading man is so much taller than not only your leading lady but the rest of the entire cast.  Aside from a few roles by NBA players looking to scratch the acting bug you really don't find tall big actors in leading roles. It's an unwanted distraction from the goal of filming and usually avoided. Ferrell turns that reality into an advantage by embracing it and owning it in every one of his films.  Instead of finding a way to "fit in" on the bigscreen Ferrell makes a point of putting his size right in your face.  An example of that is can be seen in the 2003 film "Elf" where Ferrell plays a man who was raised by elves and actually believes he is one.  Diving into the role all the way to the hilt Ferrell once again delivers all of his lines in this outrageously ridiculous plot in a elf suit complete with stockings!  All the while doing a great job of acting and embracing the role with a serious face.  The more outrageous the more serious he seems to come across and that is a true talent.  WIll Ferrell's acting career is one which seems to time and time again defy the odds.  His release 9 years ago of the film "Anchorman" was met with a lukewarm response in theatres but follow-on video sales and word of mouth combined with Will Ferrell's shameless and once again deadpan-comedic promotion of the character Ron Burgundy has led to it's  eagerly anticipated sequel "Anchorman 2" set to debut at #1 the box-office this week.  There are many layers to what Will Ferrell does and at the end of the day call it outrageous, call it absurd, call it crazy, call it whatever you want but it's funny and it's him.  As long as he sticks to his now tried and true method of acting-that will continue to be a winning formula for WIll Ferrell.