BEECH GROVE, Ind. — We now know why comedic icon Will Ferrell made a stop last year at the Walmart in Beech Grove and attended a Pacers game in downtown Indy.
The answer? Ferrell was filming a road trip documentary with his friend Harper Steele for Netflix.
The streaming service dropped a trailer for the documentary - titled "Will and Harper" - on Thursday. The film follows Ferrell and Steele, a former head writer at "Saturday Night Live," as they embark on a cross-country road trip together after Steele comes out as transgender.
Back in March of 2023, Ferrell was spotted with a production crew filming content and smoking cigars in the parking lot of the Beech Grove Walmart. Many Hoosiers, including Mike Earnest, saw a friend’s post on Facebook about the comedian being in the area and went to meet him.
“I drove the short distance over to Walmart. As soon as I pulled in the parking lot, there was him and his crew filming a scene,” Earnest described. “I could tell which one Will was because he was so much taller than everyone else.”
Fans were shocked to see Ferrell at the Beech Grove Walmart - which has somewhat reached notoriety in the Indianapolis area for a fight that went viral in 2015. Production members told fans who came to see Ferrell that the stop was random.
Later that night, Ferrell sat courtside at Gainbridge Fieldhouse to watch the Indiana Pacers take on the Philadelphia 76ers.
The iconic actor even had the opportunity to rev up the Indy Car with 50 Cent before the game - a tradition where celebrities hype up the Pacers crowd prior to tipoff.
“I need everyone up! Let’s go, Pacers!” Ferrell said.
Before the game, Ferrell threw up a few shots. The Pacers posted a video on Twitter showing the star nailing one from deep.
The team posted another video of Ferrell in the locker room next to coach Rick Carlisle. He asked Pacers forward Aaron Nesmith if he wanted a beer.
“I’m good,” Nesmith said with a chuckle. “I appreciate the offer, though.”
While Ferrell's time at the Pacers game is not shown in the "Will and Harper" Netflix trailer - the legendary comedian is seen adorning a Pacers/Grateful Dead collaboration sweatshirt while watching midget car racing - possibly at a track in Indiana.
Ferrell's time spent at Walmart did make it into the trailer. While sitting in lawn chairs as the sun sets on Beech Grove, Ferrell and Steele can be seen discussing what it was like when the latter first came out.
"Were you a little worried about how to talk to me," Steele asks while standing in front of the Walmart sign.
"Yeah, probably a little nervous," Ferrell replies.
"Will and Harper" is set to release in select theaters this September and will be available to stream on Netflix on Sept. 27. To watch the full trailer, click here.