News | Entertainment
8 Jan 2026 2:14
NZCity News
NZCity CalculatorReturn to NZCity

  • Start Page
  • Personalise
  • Sport
  • Weather
  • Finance
  • Shopping
  • Jobs
  • Horoscopes
  • Lotto Results
  • Photo Gallery
  • Site Gallery
  • TVNow
  • Dating
  • SearchNZ
  • NZSearch
  • Crime.co.nz
  • RugbyLeague
  • Make Home
  • About NZCity
  • Contact NZCity
  • Your Privacy
  • Advertising
  • Login
  • Join for Free

  •   Home > News > Entertainment

    Will Ferrell wanted a "real job" when he was growing up

    The 57-year-old actor and comedian has been one of the biggest stars in Hollywood for decades but because he had seen his father Roy - who played saxophone and keyboards for the Righteous Brothers - have a lack of security in his life, he decided to chase after a more conservative career for a period of time


    Speaking on 'Sunday Today with Willie Geist', he said: "It's just something I always wanted to do but I didn't give it any thought or any weight because I just saw how unpredictable my dad's life was as an entertainer.

    "So I thought 'I'm just not gonna do that, I want a real job' but I didn't know what that meant."

    The 'Barbie' star ended up becoming a bank employee for a period of time but was so nervous in his cashier role that he would try to deal with as few customers as possible and then realised he had to focus on entertainment after all.

    He said: "I was such a bad bank teller, I would make one transaction and then shut my window down. It was like one every fifteen minutes, then at the end of the day when you cash out, I'd be like $300 short. And the manager was like 'That's okay, so-and-so was $300 over, so maybe you guys just traded money. And I was like 'Yeah maybe we did!'

    "That was not the future!"

    The Emmy Award-winning star got his big break as a cast member on 'Saturday Night Live' in 1995 and stayed with the sketch show for seven seasons before deciding to leave but still thinks of it as his "dream job" and would have been happy to do it for life.

    He said: "If someone had said to me that I would only ever get to do 'Saturday Night Live', and that's all I'd ever get to do, I would have signed on the dotted line.

    "It's my dream job, but it was the right time to go in terms of the momentum I had."

    © 2026 Bang Showbiz, NZCity

     Other Entertainment News
     07 Jan: **** Stranger Things finale spoiler alert *****
     07 Jan: Kelsea Ballerini and Chase Stokes are back together again
     07 Jan: Will Smith is being sued by a violinist, who alleged he was fired for reporting sexual harassment
     07 Jan: Claire Foy says juggling acting and motherhood is a "s*** show"
     07 Jan: JoJo Siwa has changed her name
     07 Jan: Pink has undergone neck surgery
     07 Jan: Este Haim has got married
     Top Stories

    RUGBY RUGBY
    It's au revoir for AJ Lam after the upcoming Super Rugby season More...


    BUSINESS BUSINESS
    Dairy prices have risen for the first time in months More...



     Today's News

    Living & Travel:
    Three Lotto players from Auckland, Matamata and Timaru are in for a treat after sharing one million tonight 21:57

    Entertainment:
    **** Stranger Things finale spoiler alert ***** 21:53

    Entertainment:
    Kelsea Ballerini and Chase Stokes are back together again 21:23

    Cricket:
    Australia have snared the key wicket of England's Joe Root nearing tea on the fourth day of the fifth Ashes test in Sydney 21:17

    Entertainment:
    Will Smith is being sued by a violinist, who alleged he was fired for reporting sexual harassment 20:53

    Entertainment:
    Claire Foy says juggling acting and motherhood is a "s*** show" 20:23

    Environment:
    Severe thunderstorms have been detected near Lake Waikaremoana, south-west of Gisborne 20:17

    Entertainment:
    JoJo Siwa has changed her name 19:53

    Entertainment:
    Pink has undergone neck surgery 19:23

    Health & Safety:
    Some Nestlé baby formula products are being recalled over toxin fears 18:57


     News Search






    Power Search


    © 2026 New Zealand City Ltd