Will Ferrell is making a comedy film about Eurovision and fans are nervous
Actor Will Ferrell (John Phillips/Getty)
Eurovision fans have reacted with trepidation to the news that Will Ferrell is making a film about the contest.
The Elf star had raised eyebrows in May this year when he made a mysterious appearance in the crowd at the 2018 Eurovision Song Contest in Portugal.
But it turns out the actor – believed to be a long-time fan of the ultra-camp European TV music contest – was actually working on a secret project.
Will Ferrell (Scott Barbour/Getty)
This week it was reported that Ferrell is actually set to star in a new film based on Eurovision for Netflix.
Deadline reports that Ferrell is writing alongside frequent collaborator Andrew Steele.
the film, titled Eurovision, will attempt to tap into the magic of the contest.
Little is known about the plot of the film, but the outlet hints that Ferrell has previously demonstrated his musical prowess in critically-panned comedy Step Brothers.
Eurovision fans were largely not overwhelmingly thrilled by the news, questioning whether a heterosexual American was the best person to take on the uniquely European celebration of diversity.
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Ferrell has previously spoken about watching the contest with his Swedish wife, who introduced him to the TV spectacle in 1999.
It is unclear whether the film has the blessing of the European Broadcasting Union, which operates the contest – but the reported title of the film may suggest a deal has been reached.
The actor previously defended his poorly-reviewed 2015 comedy Get Hard after critics lambasted its “gay-panic humour”.
The film, which featured Ferrell as a white collar criminal about to go to jail, features a sequence where his character attempts to ‘prepare’ for prison by going a gay bar and trying to perform a sex act on a man in a toilet, before breaking down in tears.
Will Ferrell (Vince Caligiuri/Getty)
Ferrell has brushed off criticism about the scene, claiming the film’s stereotypes are a natural part of comedy.
He said: “Any time you’re going to do an R-rated comedy, you’re going to offend someone… but that’s kind of what we do.
“We provoke. We prod. We also show a mirror to what’s already existing out there.
“We’re playing fictitious characters who are articulating some of the attitudes and misconceptions that already exist.”
Will Ferrell (Scott Barbour/Getty)
Ferrell said: “We are making fun of a bunch of different things.
“In terms of reading the script, there’s that feeling, that world in which the movie is established, is so heightened and over the top.
“I guess there’s some controversy. To me, I don’t feel like it was over egregious.”
