Christina Applegate is opening up about her experience filming Anchorman, including when Will Ferrell and Adam McKay gave her more money from their own salaries.
The actress, who has been on a press tour promoting her new memoir, You With the Sad Eyes, made a recent appearance on The View. During the conversation, she recalled when the studio behind the 2004 comedy initially offered to pay her well below her male co-stars for her role as Veronica Corningstone.
“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.”
However, McKay, who helmed the film, and Ferrell, who played Ron Burgundy, knew Applegate’s worth and decided to step up.
“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. “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.”
Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy, set in the 1970s, centered on anchorman Ron Burgundy, San Diego’s top-rated newsreader, and his clash with an ambitious new co-anchor, Veronica Corningstone. The film also starred Steve Carell, Paul Rudd, David Koechner, Fred Willard, Chris Parnell, Kathryn Hahn and Fred Armisen. Most of the cast also returned for 2013’s Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues.
When reflecting on the film, Applegate also recalled being “so scared every day of my life” while on set, because McKay would tell her, “‘Now, just do what you feel like doing.’” However, the Dead to Me actress would reply, “‘I want to say what you wrote. I don’t want to make stuff up.’” But now she understands why those improv moments work.
