Pretending to know a celebrity in an effort to look cool for a friend will almost always backfire, but it didn’t for Kristen Bell — because Will Ferrell just went with it.
Both actors were guests on “Late Night With Seth Meyers” on Tuesday night and, to kick off her interview, Bell noted that Ferrell is and has always been “the nicest man on the planet,” even when they first met back in 2001 at an “SNL” afterparty.
According to Bell, her best friend from college is Meyers’ sister-in-law, who had an “SNL” internship at the time. Together, the women would sneak into “SNL” shows and afterparties, and at one afterparty, Bell brought her best friend from home, who really hoped to meet Ferrell.
“I didn’t know Will Ferrell, but I was like, ‘I’ll introduce you to Will Ferrell. No problem,’” Bell recalled with a laugh. “Born with moxie. So I went up to Will, and I just acted the part. I was like, ‘Will, this is my best friend from high school, Bob.’”
“And Will goes ‘Bob! So nice to meet you. And this one, oh you.’ And he did not throw me under the bus and say, ‘I have no idea who you are, child,’” she continued. “He just went with it. He was the most gracious. I remember it to this day.”
Of course, Meyers wasn’t at all surprised by this story, having met Ferrell around the same time that year.
“He’s the nicest person! He’s a really special guy,” Bell affirmed.
You can watch Seth Meyers’ full interview with Kristen Bell in the video above.
