In the new film Blades of Glory, Will Ferrell stars as one half of a male doubles skating team competing against the reigning team that features his tiny blonde nemesis, played by Saturday Night Live alum Amy Poehler.
North by Northwestern recently caught up with Poehler to ask what it’s like to work with the Wills, Ferrell and Arnett, and her dramatic inspirations and aspirations.
Working with Will Ferrell:
“Will Ferrell is a genius. Anything he touches will turn to gold.”
Working with her husband, Will Arnett:
“It was good to rehearse [all the skating moves] with someone I trusted.”
The inspiration behind her character, Fairchild Van Waldenberg:
When asked if she based Fairchild more on Nancy Kerrigan or Tanya Harding, Poehler chose neither. “I based my character on a great Bond villain,” she said.
Her favorite winter sport:
“Curling, because from what I can see you can smoke and also do it. I don’t know how to do it but it looks like a lot of fun.”
What she was like in high school and college:
“I was a loud mouth. I grew up in the ’80s in Massachusetts which means big hair and no fashion. [But when I started doing theater in college], I met all my cool gay friends and they did a makeover.”
Her life goals:
“I have big goals…world peace, stopping global warming, creating a robot…and building a rocket ship in my basement. Then back to the movies.”
How she picks her roles:
“I throw them all up in the air and pick one. I’d like to do more dramatic work and sometimes my comedy comes off as drama…which is troubling.” What could be next? Poehler joked, “A 45-year-old black janitor, that’s what I have to do next.”