Universal Pictures invited press to a day on the set of the action comedy, and Ferrell sat down to chat about the long process of bringing the cult favorite to the big screen.
Will Ferrell Interview
You were attached to this for like three years?"I don't know. I don't know how long. I was attached initially and then I wasn't going to be able to do it and then Universal really wanted to make it and they were going to make it with other people - and then that disappeared. So, I forget the chronology of it all."
Well, you are rockin' the khaki.
"The khaki is good. I like it. I'm trying to think -- not since Elf have I been able to wear the same clothes every single day. It's nice. You don't have to think about things. You don't have those awkward wardrobe moments where you tried on a different T-shirt that you thought was really cool and then it's not the same one the next day and you're like, 'What happened?' 'Oh, the director didn't like it.' Which is good. It never changes. I like it."
How hard is it with this big movie where you have effects and have to hit marks, etc. to be really funny and loose and be Will Ferrell?
"Well, yeah, it's a whole different animal in a way. You know, in some ways you actually don't have to be funny all the time, which is what I like about it. And in other ways you can play these adventure moments just completely straight and they come off funny. You don't have to work at it too much. The flip side of it is that as we are in precarious situations. It's such a great backdrop to actually throw out these lines that are commenting that you're about to be eaten. That's why I love Rick Marshall who is like, obviously, scared for his life at the same time his scientific mind is always working and he has a great appreciation of this character that's going to eat him all at the same time. It's a great combination for comedy."
Can you talk about your character?
"Yeah, slightly different from the TV show, though George [from Landofthelost.com] may be able to shed some light on this. Was Rick Marshall, was it ever established? Was he just a guy who liked to explore with his children?"
George: He was a Park Ranger.
"He was a Park Ranger. Okay, so that's where there is a difference. Rick Marshall in the movie is a quantum paleontologist. So, slightly failed, there was a moment at time that we sort of see at the beginning of the movie where he was one of the stars of the scientific community, but then he wrote this book on how he thought there were holes in time and space and everyone thought he was crazy. And he ended up eventually punching Matt Lauer - we haven't shot it yet - and that led to his fall from grace. We sort of pick him up working at the LaBrea Tar Pits trying to teach children who aren't listening to him and all stuff like that. Yeah, so it's slightly different in that he had developed these theories about places like Land of the Lost and it wasn't until Holly showed up and studied some of his findings and sort of reinvigorated him to get back in the field and that led them on this adventure."
Did you watch the original Land of the Lost?
"My brother and I loved Land of the Lost. It was kind of, for those of us who watched it, such a unique thing on Saturday mornings. I just loved that it wasn't a silly cartoon. It seemed so real at the time and how did they make this show with dinosaurs and Sleestaks creatures and, 'It looked so real! And I wish I was Will!' I always thought it was the coolest premise and the fact it didn't talk down to kids. It seemed like a real adventure show, so I loved it."
You've known Danny McBride and presented Foot Fist Way to America, and this is your first time working with him. What's that dynamic like with the two of you?
"It's really fun. Dare I say [we've become] kind of good friends through this process and I'd love to keep working with him. I might do a couple cameo parts in the series we are producing. He is so much fun in that he sort of likes to work the same way I do : work hard, but have fun while you are making a movie. He's just kind of open, great improviser. We've been lucky that the three of us, Anna, Danny and Jorma [Taccone] too, who plays Chaka, for four people who have had to spend a lot of time together, we've had just a great time."
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Land of the Lost hits theaters on June 5, 2009.
