6. Will Ferrell
Will Ferrell’s knack for delivering iconic and endlessly quotable comedies has made him one of the most recognizable and beloved movie stars of a generation, and that isn’t something that anyone should be arguing against. His most high-profile successes have come in films like Step Brothers, Elf, and Anchorman, but he’s also delivered many beloved and less-talked-about films (Talladega Nights, Semi-Pro, and The Other Guys, to name but a few). His regular collaborations with Adam McKay and John C. Reilly were especially fruitful, and he’s becoming something of a living comedy legend.
Though Ferrell has made himself an overwhelming success, he’s always playing characters that fall into specific categories. He’s always either a somewhat quiet and repressed man with a hidden strangeness or a loud, arrogant, screaming narcissist who still manages to be lovable in some way. Almost every role he has ever played has been a variation (or combination) of these two archetypes, and it shows that Ferrell’s talents are far more limited than they seem.
That isn’t to say that Will Ferrell doesn’t have an outstanding head for comedy. His knack for making audiences laugh has led to his well-deserved success, but that success is disproportionate to his actual acting ability. Though Will Ferrell is somewhat overrated as an actor, it’s only because he has a limited range, and not because he’s lacking in overall talent.