Will Ferrell says a conversation with his dad before he fully pursued comedy helped him stop fearing failure. On the “IMO” podcast, he recalled that after he started classes at The Groundlings in Los Angeles, his father told him he had talent—but that luck and
Will Ferrell didn’t describe the breakthrough moment as a big, dramatic pep talk. He described it like pressure simply draining away.
On Wednesday. during an episode of the “IMO” podcast. Ferrell spoke with Michelle Obama and Craig Robinson about the period when he decided to give Hollywood a serious shot. At the time. he was taking classes at The Groundlings. an improvisational and sketch-comedy school in Los Angeles. and he said he’d begun to realize that the work “just feels right.”.
Before making the leap, though, he wanted his father’s perspective. Ferrell said his dad’s response became what he still considers “the best showbiz advice ever.”
“He was like, ‘If it was based on talent, I wouldn’t worry about you. I’m going to tell you you’ve got talent, but there’s so much luck,’” Ferrell recounted. Then came the part that stuck with him most: a permission slip to treat setbacks as part of trying, not proof of failure.
“Give it a shot, but don’t get discouraged if you get down the road and you’re like, this is just too hard. You didn’t fail. You tried, and you’re capable, just pivot and do something else,” Ferrell said.
Even if it wasn’t a “rah-rah speech,” the comedian said his father’s words “took the pressure off succeeding.” Ferrell explained his mindset after hearing it: “I thought, well, I’m not going to make it anyway. Let’s just have fun.”
That idea—calmly reframing risk and rejection—has echoed in other celebrity stories. Rashida Jones has said her father, Quincy Jones, told her to be practical about opportunities tied to their entertainment-industry connections. “My dad said to me. when I graduated from college: ‘You’re gonna go wait in line with 70. 000 other people for a job?. That doesn’t seem really that practical,’” Jones said. “And he was right, you know.”.
Selena Gomez, meanwhile, has credited her grandpa with teaching her a blunt lesson about time. “My papa used to say, ‘If you are on time, you’re already late,’” Gomez said.
Will Ferrell IMO podcast comedy The Groundlings Hollywood Michelle Obama Craig Robinson talent and luck entertainment industry Rashida Jones Quincy Jones Selena Gomez punctuality
So his dad just told him it’s luck? Cool story I guess.
Not gonna lie, this sounds like one of those “rah rah” stories but with fewer words. He was at Groundlings, of course it “felt right.”
I think people misunderstand this. Like Will Ferrell basically said “success is luck” so that means failure is also luck? idk. Also Michelle Obama on a comedy podcast is wild lol.
My dad used to say stuff too, but it wasn’t talent and luck, it was more like “don’t quit your day job” 😅. The part where he said “you tried, pivot” is true though. Funny how Rashida Jones and Selena Gomez got the same vibe from their dads/grandpas, like everyone’s just out here getting permission slips.