As far as early jobs on the resume go, a job at Disneyland sounds like it’d be a pretty sweet one. Unless you're Will Ferrell, in which case you only last for a day. I just learned Will Ferrell once got hired to work at the Happiest Place on Earth, but he backed out of it pretty quickly. Hijinks definitely were involved.
Before Will Ferrell found his big break as a cast member on Saturday Night Live, the comedian and actor grew up in Orange County, California. One of his first jobs was technically at Disneyland, but the gig didn’t last very long. He recently revealed all this to Amy Poehler, including what lured him away.
So, I got a job, and you were paid for the orientation day to work at Disneyland. I thought I was going to be assigned to one of the really fun jobs like the Jungle Cruise operator, and I find out, no, those guys work there for eight years before they get [that]. So, they assign me to one of the front kiosks for selling tickets. At the same time, I had a rival offer to work at a friend’s surf shop… same pay. $5.50 an hour.
It’s true. Not every job title at Disneyland is as exciting as the place itself. While Josh Gad might get a celebrity pass to work rides, Mr. Ferrell was not the comedian we know today at that time. He genuinely seems unenthusiastic about ticket taking, and waiting, and I do get it. That’s not even inside the park!
Since he’d just been offered another job at a surf shop in Newport Beach his friend was managing, he decided to suddenly quit. Here’s where the story really gets good, and definitely highlights the environment Ferrell grew up in that led him to be so funny.
But, I was too embarrassed to call up Disneyland. So my friend John called on my behalf and said ‘I will be quitting after one day.’ And they asked, ‘OK, reason for leaving?’ And, he said ‘I have a tryout with the Dallas Cowboys’, and they went ‘Thank you very much.’
Will Ferrell oozes confidence these days, but his anecdote on Good Hang With Amy Poehler shows that he didn’t always have nerves of steel. What a way to quit Disneyland!
Somewhere there is a file at Disney corporate. It says, ‘Will Ferrell worked for one day. Reason for leaving: Tryout with the Dallas Cowboys football team.’
One can’t help but giggle at the story. Imagine being the person that was on the other side of the line (perhaps reading this), and realizing it was THE Will Ferrell! How funny.
Will Ferrell might have quit Disneyland before he even started, but fellow SNL alum Steve Martin definitely didn’t. The comedy icon worked at Disneyland at the age of 10 after biking over to the theme park and asking for work there. Someone allowed him to sell guidebooks there, and Martin continued to work for the Mouse for eight years. The actor started working at the park’s magic shop at 15, which gave him an avenue to perform before later heading to 30 Rock.
Ultimately Will Ferrell left his life in Orange County for Los Angeles to join the city’s local The Groundlings improv group. It was there where he was encouraged to try out for SNL producer Lorne Michaels. Ferrell was on the sketch show for seven years before launching a successful movie career. And to think, if he'd spent those seven years at Disneyland, he still probably wouldn't be manning The Jungle Cruise.
His latest project is a new series called The Hawk, which is dropping this week for those with a Netflix subscription.
