Will Ferrell Films Anchorman II in Park Slope!

Posted by Will Yakowicz

A man walked on Third Street, who was dressed in a killer green leisure suit “so fine they made Sinatra look like a hobo” and with a “voice that could make a wolverine purr,” while over 50 people snapped pictures of him on their cellphones on Monday.

The man in the suit was Will Ferrell, playing his character Ron Burgundy while filming scenes of the movie “Anchorman: The Legend Continues,” which will be the sequel of the comedy hit, “Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy.”

The set took over Third Street, between Seventh and Eighth avenues, on Monday afternoon with tents, cameras, old classic cars and celebrities like Will Ferrell, Christina Applegate and Greg Kinnear.

But onlookers from all over Brooklyn and the city filled the sidewalk across Third Street from the set—tilting their heads and standing on their toes just to catch a glimpse of the funnyman.

"It's surreal, it's way too good to be true,” said 20-year-old Jake Cohen, who came down from Mill Basin to see Ferrell at work. “Every single take, every inch Ferrell moves is hilarious— I'm trying to hold it in, but I’m dying from laughter during each shot.”

The scene was short, just a shot of Burgundy walking up the street to a brownstone where he grabbed an apple off the tree, took a bite, tossed it to the ground and went up the stairs.

But, Ferrell made the onlookers laugh—without talking even—by skylarking down the sidewalk.

“Will Ferrell is so funny, he doesn't even have to do anything. He's just walking, and it’s hilarious. His facial expressions are incredible,” said Lauren Estacio, a Park Slope resident. “And they picked a beautiful block to shoot— so it's going to be awesome seeing Park Slope in the movie.”

When “Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy” came out in 2004, it was immediately regarded as a hilarious, epic film.

“It is literally one of the best movies of all time,” said Cohen while snapping pictures of Ferrell—or rather of Ron Burgundy—while standing across the street from the set. “I know the entire movie line by line. When I found out Anchorman II was being filmed, I had to come and see him.”

When the no parking signs went up last week, they stated “Teaching Manheim” was being filmed. But a quick Google search revealed that it was in fact “Anchorman: The Legend Continues.”

“We knew that ‘Teaching Manheim’ was ‘Anchorman II’ and me and my sister came out to see him,” Cohen explained. “We ended up here in Park Slope by a friend's tip. It's perfect-- he's my idol.”

Two other people who came to see Ferrell were also die-hard fans. One of which, Molly Wagman of Park Slope, named her burgundy Mitsubishi “Ron Burgundy.”

And when the actor came out of the brownstone across the street, someone said, “That’s Will Ferrell!” But, Wagman quickly corrected them, “No, that’s Ron Burgundy,” Wagman said. 

However, not all onlookers were on set due to plans. One man, Mark Eisenberg, just happened to step out of his dental office on Third Street and see on of his favorite actors.

"You don't get to see Will Ferrell everyday. I remember him from Saturday Night Life—so to see him outside of my office is amazing,” Eisenberg said, whose office is on the corner of Eighth Avenue. “It's just part of living in New York City, but it's still so amazing to see the process of making a movie right outside."