Shake and bake, baby. The comedyTalladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobbypremiered in 2006 and quickly cultivated a fanbase that defies categorization. Hey, evenChristopher Nolan is a fan.
Played by comedy greatWill Ferrell(who co-wrote the film with director Adam McKay), Ricky Bobby is a NASCAR driver on top of the world. But a new rival from overseas, Jean Girard (Sacha Baron Cohen), pushes him to reckless levels. Ricky crashes out — literally and emotionally — derailing his career and life until he resolves to get it all back.
Talladega Nightsis loaded with heavy hitters, including John C. Reilly in the first of his successful pairings with Ferrell, as well as Jane Lynch, Amy Adams, and Gary Cole.
Two decades on, it’s time to brush up on the cast that helped Ricky Bobby andTalladega Nightsbecome the stuff of legends.
Will Ferrell (Ricky Bobby)
A fictional legend has justgottabe played by a real-life legend, and in Ricky Bobby’s case, that was Will Ferrell.
The egomaniacal NASCAR driver is one in a long line of Ferrell’s unforgettable creations sinceSaturday Night Livemade him a star in the back half of the ’90s. Robert Goulet, Harry Caray, Alex Trebek, President George W. Bush, cowbell extraordinaire Gene Frenkle... and lest we forget, he was one of the Butabi brothers, who leapt to the big screen inA Night at the Roxbury(1997).
That was Ferrell’s first big-screen starring role, but he became abonafide movie starwith his run ofOld School(2003),Elf(2003), andAnchorman(2004). AfterTalladega Nightsmade him a racing icon, he flexed his dramatic muscles inStranger Than Fiction(2006) and kept his comedy hot streak going withBlades of Glory(2007),Step Brothers(2008), andThe Other Guys(2010).
He's also found an accidental niche in big-budget toy comedies, namelyThe LEGO Movie(2014) andBarbie(2023).
The California native recently produced and costarred in the road-trip documentaryWill & Harper(2024), about his longtime friend Harper Steele coming out as a trans woman.
Ferrell and his wife Viveca Paulin have been married since 2000 and have three children.
John C. Reilly (Cal Naughton, Jr.)
John C. Reilly plays Cal,the other halfof our shake-and-bake duo who eventually strikes out on his own, plunging his old pal Ricky into an existential crisis.
Reilly came up through Hollywood as a character actor equally adept at comedy and drama. He was an early regular with Paul Thomas Anderson, co-leading his debutHard Eight(1996) before starring in the sprawling ensemble classicsBoogie Nights(1997) andMagnolia(1999).
The Chicago native landed his first Oscar nomination for, appropriately enough,Chicago(2002), in a year when he famously appeared in three of five Best Picture nominees, the others beingThe Hours(2002) and Martin Scorsese’sGangs of New York(2002).
But it wasTalladega Nightsthat made him a comedy star and led toStep Brothersand the cult-classic biopic parodyWalk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story(2007). He and Ferrell have reunited multiple times since, including forHolmes & Watson(2018).
The veteran actor has still found room for more niche work, landing key supporting roles in acclaimed films likeWe Need to Talk About Kevin(2011),The Lobster(2015), andThe Sisters Brothers(2018).
Kids, meanwhile, will recognize him as the voice of the eponymous underdog hero ofWreck-It Ralph(2012) andRalph Breaks the Internet(2018). Beyond the big screen, the actor garnered acclaim as Lakers owner Jerry Buss in HBO’sWinning Timeand landed a Tony nomination for a 2000 production of Sam Shepard'sTrue West.
Reilly married film producer Alison Dickey in 1992. They have two sons together.
Amy Adams (Susan)
Amy Adamsplayed Susan, Ricky’s assistant-turned-love interest, just as her career was starting to level up.
After stealing scenes inDrop Dead Gorgeous(1999) andCatch Me If You Can(2002), the actress caught fire with her Oscar-nominated performance in the indie dramedyJunebug(2005).
Her movie-star breakthrough came soon afterward thanks to her turn as an animated princess transported to a live-action reality inEnchanted(2007).
Adams has become one of the most acclaimed dramatic actors of her generation. She landed Oscar nominations forDoubt(2008),The Fighter(2010),The Master(2012),American Hustle(2013), andVice(2018).
Her performance in Denis Villeneuve’s modern sci-fi classicArrival(2016) remains one of her most popular — and she’s gotHer(2013) and Tim Burton’sBig Eyes(2014) under her belt, too. The latter earned her a second consecutive Golden Globe.
The actress landed an Emmy nomination for HBO’s sweaty murder mysterySharp Objects, and she returns to the small screen this year for a new take onCape Fear.
Adams has been with husband Darren Le Gallo since 2002. They married in 2015, and share a daughter who was born in 2010.
Sacha Baron Cohen (Jean Girard)
As French racing hotshot Jean Girard,Sacha Baron Cohenwas a thorn in Ricky Bobby’s side — which is familiar territory for the controversial comedian.
The London native has long been known for his abrasive original characters, including Ali G, who debuted in a sketch onThe 11 O’Clock Show. By 2000, the character had his own full-hour sketch show, the BAFTA-winningDa Ali G Show.
Most famously, there’s his endearingly naive Kazakh journalist Borat, subject of the global smashBorat! Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan(2006). He won a Golden Globe for the performance — and repeated the feat for the sequel,Borat Subsequent Moviefilm(2020).
Advertisement
Baron Cohen also brought the flamboyant fashion reporter Brüno Gehard to the big screen inBrüno(2009), and invented a tyrannical new character forThe Dictator(2012).
Meanwhile, the British actor broadened his horizons with standout supporting roles in the musicalsSweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street(2007) andLes Miserables(2012), as well as Martin Scorsese’sHugo(2011).
He later earned an Oscar nomination for playing Abbie Hoffman in Aaron Sorkin’sThe Trial of the Chicago 7(2020). In recent years he took on meaty TV roles withSpyand Alfonso Cuarón’sDisclaimer, opposite Cate Blanchett.
Baron Cohen has three children withhis ex-wife, actress Isla Fisher.
Gary Cole (Reese Bobby)
Gary Cole plays Ricky Bobby’s absentee father — the man who imparted the wisdom “If you ain’t first, your last.”
The NASCAR circuit is just one of the many stops Cole has made during his expansive career. The Chicago native joined the Steppenwolf Theater before moving on to off-Broadway productions in New York.
He landed his own TV series withMidnight Callerbut got noticed in an even bigger way as Mike Brady inThe Brady Bunch Movie(1995) and as a sinister, late-arriving antagonist in Sam Raimi’sA Simple Plan(1998).
Of course, he became immortalized as the world’s worst boss, Bill Lumbergh, inthe cult classicOffice Space(1999). In the decades since, he's bounced effortlessly between comedy (Dodgeball,Pineapple Express) and drama (One Hour Photo,Breach).
You may also know him from his years as the Vice President onThe West Wingor his years consulting Vice President Selina Meyer onVeep, a performance that landed him an Emmy nomination.
In addition to recurring roles onSuits,The Good Wife,and its spinoffThe Good Fight, the veteran actor has been a regular onNCISsince 2021.
Cole married Michelle Knapp in 2021. He has one daughter from his first marriage.
Leslie Bibb (Carley Bobby)
Leslie Bibb was Ricky’s wife Carley — until she ditched him for Cal.
Bibb got her start as a model during the 1990s, then caught her onscreen break on Ryan Murphy’s first series,Popular. It ran for just two seasons but has developed a cult following.
She went on to book supporting roles inThe Skulls(1999),Confessions of a Shopaholic(2009), and the first twoIron Manfilms, in which she features as reporter Christine Everhart.
Prestige television has been particularly good to her in recent years. She earned critical praise for her performance (and her bob) in the third season ofThe White Lotus, and more acclaim for her work on the pulpy, twisty period piecePalm Royale, with Kristen Wiig, Allison Janney, Laura Dern, and Carol Burnett.
Bibb has been withher partner, actor Sam Rockwell, since 2007.
Jane Lynch (Lucy Bobby)
It’s hard to steal scenes from Will Ferrell, but that's exactly what Jane Lynch does as Ricky’s mother.
It shouldn’t be much of a surprise, really — the theater and comedy vet has been honing her skills since the 1980s, when she spent time in the prestigious Steppenwolf Theater Company and joined the Second City improv troupe before jumping to film and TV.
Her turns in Christopher Guest films have become iconic, especiallyBest in Show(2000). Her mainstream breakthrough came as diabolicalcheerleading coach Sue Sylvester on the hit seriesGlee. She played the role for its entire six-season run, earning an Emmy and a Golden Globe. She later scored another acting Emmy forThe Marvelous Mrs. Maisel.
She was also a beloved regular onParty Downand regularly brought the house down in raunchy comedies likeThe 40-Year-Old Virgin(2005) andRole Models(2008).
Lynch has been married to Jennifer Cheyne, her second wife, since 2021.
Michael Clarke Duncan (Lucius Washington)
Michael Clarke Duncan appears as Lucius, Ricky’s close friend and crew chief.
Most people will know Duncan for his Oscar-nominated performance as the tragic, supernaturally touched John Coffey inThe Green Mile(1999).
Having previously been in the ensemble ofArmageddon(1998), Duncan found his comfort zone in big-budget studio work, playing imposing characters in films likeThe Scorpion King(2002),Sin City(2005), andDaredevil(2003).
Aside fromTalladega Nights, the Chicago native found plenty of opportunities to showcase his comic chops, specifically in the comediesSchool for Scoundrels(2006) andThe Slammin’ Salmon(2009).
Duncan died of respiratory failure in 2012 following a heart attack. He was 54 years old.
Get your daily dose of entertainment news, celebrity updates, and what to watch with ourEW Dispatch newsletter.
Read the original article onEntertainment Weekly