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Will Ferrell shared he once "briefly" met legendary actor Gene Hackman, who he described as "very intimidating."
The comedic actor opened up about his chance encounter with the two-time Academy Award winner while promoting his new Netflix show, "The Hawk," alongside co-star Luke Wilson. The pair played a round of "Was I In This Movie?" for GQ, where Wilson's performance in Wes Anderson's dramedy "The Royal Tenenbaums" was mentioned.
"I came to 'The Royal Tenenbaums' set because the same hair people on the 'Tenenbaums' were the 'Zoolander' hair people," Ferrell, who played Mugatu in the Ben Stiller-led comedy, recalled. "And I had to get my 'Zoolander' hair retouched up."
He continued: "And then I see Luke hitching up his pants, walking over to set. [He said], 'Yeah, I'm going to walk over to set. I'm not even working today. I just want to… Gene Hackman may leave the movie.' But he didn't!"
Wilson backed Ferrell's recollection of the set visit, adding, "He didn't, he was great. He would just sometimes … he, you know, had a bad temper at times. But great, probably my favorite actor."
Ferrell then admitted that he "briefly met" Hackman during his visit to the "Tenenbaums" set, sharing, "He asked me if I was in the picture. 'Are you doing something in the picture?' And I go, 'No, I'm not.' He was very intimidating."
Wilson agreed, noting, "Yeah, he was."
Hackman, 95, and his wife Betsy Arakawa, 65, were found dead in their Santa Fe, New Mexico home during a welfare check on Feb. 26, 2025. It was later ruled by the New Mexico Office of the Medical Investigator that Arakawa died from rodent-born hantavirus one week before Hackman ultimately died from cardiovascular disease and advanced Alzheimer's.
"It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of our father, Gene Hackman and his wife, Betsy," Hackman's daughters and granddaughter said in a statement at the time. "He was loved and admired by millions around the world for his brilliant acting career, but to us he was always just Dad and Grandpa. We will miss him sorely and are devastated by the loss."
The post Will Ferrell Recalls Chance Encounter With 'Very Intimidating' Gene Hackman on 'The Royal Tenenbaums' Set appeared first on TheWrap.
