Daddy’s Home is a broad family comedy about the competitiveness between a biological dad and stepfather in one family. And although none of the three leads has a blended family of their own, they were all charmed by this step-parenting tale for different reasons. Here's what the movie’s stars – Will Ferrell, Mark Wahlberg and Linda Cardellini – who have eight kids between them (Wahlberg, four; Ferrell, three; and Cardellini, one) -- revealed about their own family experiences.
1. Why Will Ferrell is out to change the image of stepdads (sort of).
Cinema is not kind to stepparents, a positive portrayal outside of The Brady Bunch is hard to come by. Ferrell says he felt it was time to undo the concept of the evil stepfather, but ultimately, he made the film because it was funny.
“It was making me laugh, you know, the idea of getting to play this guy, who all he wants to do is be the world’s greatest dad, to the point where it’s a little bit makes you nauseous,” Ferrell says about his character, Brad, who is unable to have children of his own.
What makes Daddy’s Home a complete original is that it’s the only commercial release about a stepfather’s love for the children he married into from his point of view. That concept is not lost on Ferrell, thanks to a friend. “We went off during Labor Day weekend with three or four families down to La Jolla. And one of the dads kind of was like, ‘I saw a trailer for your movie. Oh, my God, I can’t wait to see it. But I almost started crying during the trailer, ‘cause I’m the step – I (*sob*) - that’s me…finally, my story is being told!”
2. Why Mark Wahlberg doesn’t need to teach his son self-defense.
A scene in Daddy’s Home has the two dads working together to teach their son to defend himself against a bully. Both Wahlberg and Ferrell said their own kids haven’t been in a situation like that, and it doesn’t look like Wahlberg will ever have to with his 7-year-old son, who once accidentally had an altercation with Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson on a movie set. “My youngest son, he was very frisky,” says Wahlberg. “He was punching people in the private areas, but big people, like - the Rock.”
As Wahlberg recalled: “Brandon goes to give him a high five, and he went ‘boom’, and punched him in the (groin). And (the Rock), went down.”
As far as school yard brawls, though, that’s something Wahlberg’s kids haven’t picked up from the old man. “They haven’t gotten in any conflicts at school, which is good,” Wahlberg said, “I remember first grade, I wasn’t in school three days and I got into a fight with two dudes, and I got my whole head split open. I had stitches, had to go to the hospital…”
“In the first grade?” Ferrell says.
“Yeah, first grade,” Walhberg says. “Dude, I was getting stitches in the back of my head, fighting two kids, who ended up being my good friends after a few years.”
3. Why Marky Mark is retired.
During a school daddy-daughter dance, moviegoers get to remember Wahlberg’s funky fresh dance movies from the ‘90s when he was a musical hit-maker with “Good Vibrations.” He’s still got the moves, just don’t ask him to show you.
“On film, I hate dancing. And singing. Those are my least favorite things to do. I get a little self-conscious when it comes to that,” says Wahlberg. “But Will made me feel very comfortable. He just dives right in, you know. He’s got no shame whatsoever.”
4. Movie stars, they’re just like us.
It’s easy to envision movie stars being the ultimate parents, but the Daddy’s Home crew says they have their share of parenting mishaps. “ I’m a first-time mother,” says Cardellini. “You’re scared you’re making some kind of misstep. But I do, and (my daughter) corrects me, and it’s fine. She’s three and a half and she already knows better than I do.”
This common theme all parents share is at the heart of the movie.
“I think that’s what the movie is pointing out and celebrating, is the fact that as parents, you really don’t know what you’re doing, and you’re just making it up as you go along,” says Ferrell.
“Some nights you lie in bed going, ‘Today was a good day. There were really some great teachable moments, and these are moments our children are gonna remember.’ And then other days, you’re like, ‘Oh, I totally blew it. I totally - that was not good. Yeah. I have no idea.’ So I think floundering in that, and the fact that these three characters learn to kind of work together and kind of figure it out, is kind of the message of the movie: it doesn’t matter what method you use, as long as you approach the rearing of children with love, and respect, and everything like that, it’s all gonna work out.”
