“Anchorman 2” Premieres in New York City
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Gemma LaMana/Paramount Pictures Corporation(NEW YORK) — Will Ferrell’s nonstop promotion for his new Anchorman sequel brought him to New York City on Sunday night.
The Big Apple hosted the U.S. premiere of Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues. Ferrell walked the black carpet as himself — a surprise, given how often he’s publicly appeared in character as Ron Burgundy in recent weeks.
Why do Anchorman fans love Burgundy so much? Ferrell offered this explanation: “Everybody loves a buffoon, but there’s something special about Ron because he doesn’t back down, even in a situation where he knows nothing about what he’s talking about.”
Ferrell continued, “I think in a weird way he represents authority and we’re kind of poking fun at those authority types and that’s always good to do.”
When the first Anchorman movie was released, in 2004, Ferrell had no expectation that he would make a sequel, in part because the original was, in his words, a “modest hit” that was “comedically divisive.”
However, as it gained in popularity after its debut on DVD, Ferrell notes, it turned into something that he and his comedy partner Adam McKay “couldn’t deny anymore, and also allowed ourselves to indulge making a sequel.”
Steve Carell is glad that Ferrell did pursue a sequel. Carell, who plays the dimwitted weatherman Brick Tamland, says “it was a little emotional” when he and his co-stars — Ferrell, Paul Rudd and David Koechner — reunited.
He recalls, “There [was] no ego involved with anyone. It was just all for fun and we knew we were going to have a great, great time.”
It was only fitting that the premiere for Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues was held in New York. In the film, which hits theaters on Wednesday, Burgundy and company leave San Diego for New York to join a cable news network.
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