Will Ferrell discusses interracial romance theme in ‘Anchorman 2’; SNL diversity casting

theGRIO VIDEO - Will Ferrell talks to theGrio about 'Anchorman 2' and opens up about his on-screen romance with Meagan Good...

After nearly a decade, the highly anticipated follow-up to Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy is headed the theaters.

Will Ferrell reprises his role as Ron Burgundy, with returning stars Steve Carell, Christina Applegate, Paul Rudd, and David Koechner for Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues, which hits theaters nationwide Wednesday.

In an interview with theGrio, Ferrell talked about the pressure that he feels for Anchorman 2 to win over audiences, and also discussed the interracial romance theme in the film.

We just kept thinking of different scenarios,” Ferrell said. “One of the ideas was what if Ron has an African-American girlfriend? That would be interesting commentary, as well as funny.”

theGrio: Why hip-hop has lots of love for Ron Burgundy

Ron Burgundy does indeed have an affair with his on-screen boss (played by Meagan Good), and along with their relationship comes some often awkward dialogues about race.

Ferrell says he doesn’t think audiences will be offended by the racial humor in Anchorman 2.

“I think because Ron is just thinking he’s doing all the right things. He literally is so ignorant that he’s kinda just stepping in and approaching things in a way that he thinks is positive.”

Ferrell, who was a cast member on NBC’s Saturday Night Live for seven seasons, also weighed in on the show’s lack of an African-American female player.

During an interview with the New York Times December 12, SNL executive producer Lorne Michaels said that he had committed to adding a black, female cast member to the show by January 2014.

Ferrell said that he thinks that Oprah Winfrey or actress/comedian Aisha Tyler would be a good fit for SNL, but is confident that Michaels will be able to find an unknown talent.

“That’s the thing. Lorne’s specialty is discovering unknown,” Ferrell said.  “I’m sure he’ll pull it off.”

Follow Chris Witherspoon on Twitter for more Entertainment news at @WitherspoonC

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