Stranger Than Fiction - Will Ferrell interview
Compiled by Jack Foley
WILL Ferrell discusses his experiences of working on Marc Forster’s Stranger Than Fiction...
What was working with Marc Forster like?
A. I love working with Marc. He’s really quietly quite funny and he has this kind of gentle side to him. He really let’s you work out what you’re gonna do on your own terms and in your own way, as regards a scene or a certain mood you have to be in. And he’s just got this gentle, gentle touch with everything.
At the same time, he’s very steady and knows exactly what he wants, so he really instills confidence in you with the way he directs. So I’ve loved every second of working with him.
Q. And what was it like working with Dustin Hoffman?
A. Dustin was wonderful to work with, especially at the start. But just to get to work with someone that you admire as much as Dustin Hoffman, you know, and to have him be as friendly, warm and giving as an actor and person as he is, was just so much fun. You didn’t want those two weeks to end.
Q. How did you come to terms with Emma Thompson’s narration in your head?
A. We pre-recorded all of her narration. So, as I did the scenes where Harold is starting to here the voice, I actually got to literally hear her voice in my head, which was fantastic because she’s got a great voice. You can tell there’s vocal training there, you know. But it’s nice that even in her narration you can still see what a wonderful actress she is. So, it really was fun to react off of that.