Will Ferrell and Adam McKay gave Christina Applegate money from their own salaries when they worked together on Anchorman: The Legend Of Ron Burgundy, the actress has revealed.
Applegate was speaking on the US talk show The View when she recalled being given an offer much less than her male co-stars for her role as Veronica Corningstone in the 2004 movie.
“When they came in with the initial offer, it was, you know, a little offensive,” Applegate said. “And I said I can’t. I know my worth, and I can’t do that.”
Director McKay and Ferrell, who played Burgundy, had to intervene. “They wanted me bad enough, and they said, ‘Well, we’re gonna chip in.’ Thank God they did because it was one of the best experiences of my entire life,” Applegate said of the pair, who also co-wrote the movie.
“It was such a lesson. I had never done improv before. Learning from that group of dudes… that is the masterclass that people pay for. Steve Carell, like, taught it. Adam McKay developed an entire new way of doing it with his group. To get in there and have that happen was absolutely magic and it’s been invaluable to me and my career.”
Applegate also looked back on how she felt “so scared every day of my life” while filming the movie, because McKay would encourage her, “‘Now, just do what you feel like doing.’” The actress would respond, “‘I want to say what you wrote. I don’t want to make stuff up.’”
Anchorman: The Legend Of Ron Burgundy was set in 1975 and focused on Burgundy, a newsreader in San Diego, and his clash with new reporter Corningstone. Alongside Ferrell, Applegate and Carell, the movie also starred the likes of Paul Rudd, David Koechner, Fred Willard, Chris Parnell, Kathryn Hahn and Fred Armisen.
Most of the main cast, including Ferrell and Applegate, returned for Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues in 2013. In the years since, there’s been occasional discussion about a potential sequel – McKay suggesting sending Burgundy to war in 2018 – but Applegate has stepped away from the screen since being diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in 2021.
She’s currently promoting her memoir, You With The Sad Eyes, which was released on March 3.