Will Ferrell reveals he is ‘embarrassed’ about his legal name during chat with Christina Applegate

Will Ferrell has revealed his real name and why he kept it secret for so long. Photo / Getty Images

You know him as Will Ferrell, but the A-lister’s real name is something entirely different.

The actor - who starred in Daddy’s Home, Step Brothers, Elf, and other top-grossing films - has made a name for himself as Will, but he recently revealed that his real name is one that he felt “embarrassed” about as a kid.

While appearing on Christina Applegate and Jamie-Lynn Sigler’s MeSsy podcast earlier this week to celebrate the 20th anniversary of his and Applegate’s film Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy, he said he would get embarrassed when people called him by his legal name, John.

Will Ferrell as Ron Burgundy and Christina Applegate as Veronica Corningstone in Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy. Photo / Getty Images

“This is a minor thing in terms of - it’s not really even trauma - but I remember feeling so embarrassed because my real name is John, John William Ferrell, so first day of school, I’d be John. The teacher would be like ‘John Ferrell?’ and it was so embarrassing to me to have to say ‘Here, but I go by Will, I don’t go by John.’”

When asked why he didn’t like the name, he told the actresses, “It wasn’t my choice.” Adding, “My parents named [me] John but they called me Will. I grew up as Will, but on a rule sheet, my legal name is John Ferrell.”

“I don’t know why that was so embarrassing to me to have to explain ‘I’m actually Will,’” he said.

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Ferrell joked that his confession was probably “the lamest thing ever”, while Applegate added, “We just lost anyone named John.”

Also in the episode, Ferrell praised Applegate for her role in the hit 2004 film, stating she “checked all the boxes” needed for her character of Veronica in Anchorman.

“We needed Veronica to stand up to these doofuses, and she was the smartest person in the room.”

It comes after Ferrell revealed why he said no to an Elf sequel and the US$24 million ($40m) paycheque that would have come with it.

The 2003 Christmas film Elf follows Buddy the Elf (played by Ferrell) as he leaves the North Pole in an attempt to find his biological father in New York City. The film has cemented itself as a well-loved holiday classic.

Bob Newhart and Will Ferrell in Elf.

And despite grossing over $291 million at the box office at the time and even showcasing as a Broadway musical, a sequel never came about.

Ferrell told The Hollywood Reporter, “I would have had to promote the movie from an honest place, which would’ve been, like, “Oh no, it’s not good. I just couldn’t turn down that much money,’” Ferrell said.

“I remember asking myself … Could I withstand the criticism when it’s bad and they say, ‘He did the sequel for the money?’ I decided I wouldn’t be able to. I didn’t want to wander into an area that could erase all the good work I’ve done – but you watch, I’ll do some sequel in the future that’s crap.”