Will Ferrell appeared on “The Late Late Show With James Corden” earlier this week and ended up dropping a bombshell on unsuspecting fans ― and the host himself.
The two were talking about nicknames and full names when Corden asked if Will was ever called William at one point.
“My parents tried to call me Willy, but they said I was too distinguished,” the “Anchorman” actor said with a straight face as Corden let out a laugh. “So I just became a ‘Will.’”
Willy Ferrell doesn’t have quite the same ring as Will Ferrell. Then again, neither does the actor’s real name.
When Corden asked, about a minute into the segment, if Ferrell’s real name was ‘William Ferrell’ on his passport, the entertainer responded with a surprise that he predicted would go viral.
“OK, here it comes. Get ready. Viral moment, right here,” Ferrell said as Corden prepared himself.
“John William Farrell. That’s what’s on the passport,” the actor said as Corden let out a gasp and said “Johnny Boy!”
“Johnny Boy. Yeah,” the actor said. “So my dad, on occasion, will call me JW.”
Corden said that he WILL use that name when Ferrell comes back on the show.
“I think officially, only on ‘The Late Late Show,’ you will be JDubs,” the host said.
Ferrell is one of many celebrities not to use their real name. Meghan Markle’s real full name is Rachel Meghan Markle, Prince Harry’s real name is Henry Charles Albert David, Rihanna’s moniker is Robyn Rihanna Fenty, Jonah Hill is Jonah Hill Feldstein (his sister, Beanie Feldstein, uses their last name) and Brad Pitt is actually William Bradley Pitt.
The more you know!