Ferrell: A Test of His Will Power
Stranger Than Fiction
There are many actors out there that have been repeatedly selected to play a role featuring similar characteristics from past films. This term, “typecast” defines an actor who is continually casted into a specific type of role and is usually not considered for positions that stray away from their particular performances. One of those actors is Will Ferrell. As an opportunity to break away from his typical comedic style, he starred in the film, Stranger Than Fiction. Throughout the movie an unfamiliar glum Will Ferrell plays a distressed auditor whose ultimate goal is to prevent his imminent death. By casting an unsuspected actor for a featured role in a drama film it forces the audience to reevaluate their standard stereotype for a typecast. In this essay, I argue that there is a parallel between Will Ferrell’s professional career and the underlined theme that is Stranger Than Fiction. His performance demonstrates his versatility as an actor and his ability to successfully grasp the attention of his viewers in a more inspirational way than most are used to. This feel good moral tale was an eye-opening transition that captivated the meaning of realism within society from his role as Harold, but also from an actor’s standpoint as Ferrell.
From the beginning of the movie we are brought up to speed by an English author who narrates the very orderly life of Harold Crick. We are quick to find out that he has a methodical lifestyle and sticks to a strategically planned schedule that optimizes efficiency and productivity by a sequence of numbers and time, but it’s all controlled by his wristwatch. As an IRS agent, his most recent task given is to audit local bakery owner Ana Pascal for deliberately not paying her taxes. With her rebellious charm and wittiness, Crick is smitten and becomes infatuated with Ana, which is something he is not accustomed to. Crick lives a simple life, but on one...