Comedy actor Will Ferrell has spoken of his pride in his Irish roots and revealed that he would love to make a film in Ireland one day.
Four years ago, the Anchorman star discovered that his family changed their name to Ferrell from Farrell when they left County Longford and arrived in America. He visited the country with his father and brother to celebrate.
He is now so committed to his Irish heritage that he plans to start driving on the wrong side of the road.
He said: “I’m committed to my Irish roots. James Joyce spent a lot of his life living outside of Ireland; I too have spent a lot of time living outside of Ireland. But it doesn’t make me any less Irish. I’m so committed in fact that I will continue to drive on the left-hand side of the road.
“Will it be dangerous? Yes. Is it illegal? Highly. But that’s just how committed I am.”
While he was on his family holiday he took in the atmosphere of the Irish pub. He said: “I love the taste of Guinness on the back of your throat, when it repeats on you the next morning.
“I love sitting in a cosy pub talking with a local, whose accent is so thick it sounds like he’s gargling phlegm. It was just a fantastic trip.”
Ferrell hopes to make a movie in Ireland
Ferrell enjoyed it so much that he plans to return and make a movie in Ireland. He said: “Since my visit there I’ve been giving serious thought to making a movie in Ireland in the future. I would just love to. I spoke to Danny McBride after he made Your Highness in Northern Ireland and he had such a great time there.
“I’ve also talked to John C Reilly and we’d all love to do something in Ireland but I don’t know how we could get it to work cost-wise.”
Ferrell shot to fame in the 1990s on American show, Saturday Night Live. He has since starred in some of the top comedy films in the last 15 years, including, Anchorman, Old School, Starsky and Hutch, Step Brothers and Austin Powers
Last week he announced that he would be reprising his role as Ron Burgundy in an Anchorman sequel.
