Adam McKay recalls Will Ferrell's 'really scary' incident on 'Anchorman 2' set

Will Ferrell faced quite the scare on the set of “movies” target=”_blank”>Anchorman 2<.

The two collaborated on “genres” in 2013, following up on the film’s successful 2004 predecessor. The two flicks followed fictional and outrageous newscaster Ron Burgundy, played by the famed “saturday-night-live” target=”_blank”>Saturday Night Live< on Dec. 24, was asked about the recent shooting on the set of alec-baldwin” target=”_blank”>Alec Baldwin<,” prompting him to recall his own haunting story of an on-set incident involving Ferrell’s safety.

“It was involving Will, and it was really scary,” he shared. “It was a scene where Ron Burgundy was going to hang himself. It was a silly joke. 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.”

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Will Ferrell faced a "really scary" moment on the set of "Anchorman 2" when his character attempted to hang himself.

Will Ferrell faced a "really scary" moment on the set of "Anchorman 2" when his character attempted to hang himself.
(Photo by Cindy Ord/Getty Images)

The director added that after the scare, the production changed its outlook: “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.’”

The “Anchorman 2” incident wasn’t the first time that McKay, now 53, and Ferrell, now 54, had faced a safety issue while filming the franchise.

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During the production of the first film, the team was shooting a scene that involved a live bear.

Writer/director Adam McKay attends The 3rd Annual Lumiere Award and a special advance screening of his new movie VICE at Philadelphia Film Center on December 20, 2018 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.  ()

Writer/director Adam McKay attends The 3rd Annual Lumiere Award and a special advance screening of his new movie VICE at Philadelphia Film Center on December 20, 2018 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.  ()
(Photo by Gilbert Carrasquillo/Getty Images)

“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.’”

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The U.S. National Park Service describes a bluff charge as being “meant to scare or intimidate” and will see the animal “pull itself up to look bigger.”

Filmmaker Adam McKay (left) and Will Ferrell worked together a number of times and co-owned a production company together until a recent falling out saw them split up.

Filmmaker Adam McKay (left) and Will Ferrell worked together a number of times and co-owned a production company together until a recent falling out saw them split up.
(Getty Images)

Now, when an animal is involved, McKay uses a “composite shot,” he said, meaning they shoot the scenes involving humans and animals separately and mash them together in post-production.

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The filmmaker added that putting actors in front of live animals is “not worth it.”

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