Adam McKay Reveals Near-Fatal Accidents On The Set Of 'Anchorman'
By MLC on December 10, 2021 at 3:15 AM EST
Hollywood producer and director, Adam McKay, is opening up about some terrifying moments that happened on the set of “Anchorman” and “Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues.”
McKay is known for comedies such as “Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby,” “Step Brothers,” “The Other Guys” and many more.
There were terrifying moments on the 'Anchorman' Set
In a recent profile about the director/producer done by The Hollywood Reporter, McKay was asked for his thoughts on the Alec Baldwin “Rust” set tragedy that claimed the life of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins.
Hutchins was accidentally shot by Alec Baldwin with a prop gun that ended up being fatal.
Baldwin maintains his innocence.
The “Step Brothers” director said an accident such as the one that happened on "Rust” is his “greatest single fear as a producer and a director.”
McKay's Biggest Fear is having a fatal accident on set
He then went on to detail a “really scary” accident that happened on the set of ‘Anchorman 2’ and involved Will Ferrell.
“It was a scene where Ron Burgundy was going to hang himself. It was a silly joke,” the filmmaker said. “For a half a second, the rig didn’t operate properly and there was actual tension on the rope, but then it gave way and Will was OK. Thank God no one was hurt. We were sick about it for two days. We said, ‘All right, let’s stop. Let’s have a meeting.'”
However, that wasn’t the only near-detrimental accident that plagued the ‘Anchorman’ franchise.
While filming the first movie of the series, McKay said they used a real bear in a scene.
The scene in question is when the Channel News 4 Team are in the Zoo on “Panda Watch.”
Christina Applegate’s character, Veronica Corningstone, is knocked into the bear enclosure by Vince Vaughn’s character, Wes Mantooth.
Ron Burgundy, played by Ferrell, goes into the bear enclosure to save Veronica, but finds himself just as stuck as she is with no way out.
“The bear did a hint of a bluff charge for a second,” McKay recalled. “From that moment on, I said, ‘I will never put a live animal in a shot with an actor ever again.’ So every time I do it, it’s a composite shot because it’s not worth it.
Had the bear actually charged, the outcome could’ve been fatal.
McKay will never put a live animal in a scene with an actor again
Sadly, McKay and Ferrell, who were once best friends, are no longer the tight-knit duo they once were.
The friends and business partners had a major falling out after McKay cast John C. Reilly in a role Ferrell felt was best suited for him.
McKay and Ferrell parted ways in 2019. They founded Funny or Die and Gary Sanchez Productions.
“The two of us will always work together creatively and always be friends. And we recognize we are lucky as hell to end this venture as such,” they said in a statement at the time of their split.
McKay added that he hasn’t spoken with the ‘SNL’ actor since the phone call when they decided to split.
