Adam McKay Shares On-Set Accident That Endangered Will Ferrell

Adam McKay addressed the fatal shooting on the Rust set in a new interview with The Hollywood Reporter. The director called it his “greatest single fear as a producer and a director.”

McKay also shared two close calls while working on the Anchorman movies.

During the filming of a sequel, Will Ferrell was put in danger when a rig malfunctioned. According to McKay, “It was a scene where Ron Burgundy was going to hang himself. It was a silly joke. For a half a second, the rig didn’t operate properly and there was actual tension on the rope, but then it gave way and Will was OK. Thank God no one was hurt. We were sick about it for two days.”

He also had a close call while filming a scene with a live bear during the original film. He explained, “The bear did a hint of a bluff charge for a second. From that moment on, I said, ‘I will never put a live animal in a shot with an actor ever again.’ So every time I do it, it’s a composite shot because it’s not worth it.”