Ferrell’s funny romance

It took Will Ferrell a long time to find love, said Holly Millea in Elle. As a student at the University of Southern California, he struggled to find a girlfriend. “The funny guy doesn’t get the girl until later in life,” the comedian says. “In high school, college, everyone still wants the brooding, dangerous guy you shouldn’t have.” After graduating, Ferrell moved home to Irvine, Calif., where he met a blond and brainy Swede named Viveca Paulin. They briefly dated, stayed friendly, and then Ferrell moved to New York to join the cast of Saturday Night Live. “Viv and I would talk as friends for two hours and it would feel like five minutes. For me, Viv was the one that got away.” But she didn’t. When Ferrell visited Los Angeles, Paulin invited him over for a drink. “She drank her beer in two sips—just pounded it. And then she said, ‘I think I still like you.’ I didn’t play it cool at all. I went, ‘I just told my uncle that I’m going to marry you one day!’” The couple wed in 2000 and now have three sons. “What I love most about Viv is simple. She totally got my sense of humor. I sent her flowers every day for a week with a card like, ‘You’re the fifth prettiest woman in the office.’ She loved it.”

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up