Ferrell finds unlikely co-star in Mel Gibson | Daily News

Ferrell finds unlikely co-star in Mel Gibson

This family reunion comes with a dose of holiday hijinks — and some extra baggage.

Will Ferrell’s new comedy, “Daddy’s Home 2,” centers around his overly earnest character Brad Whitaker co-existing with his wife’s rough-and-tough ex-husband Dusty Mayron (played by Mark Wahlberg), until drama ensues when their respective fathers come to town for Christmas.

The film features a controversial cast addition in Mel Gibson, who stars in his first family comedy in over a decade after his infamous 2006 drunk-driving arrest and anti-Semitic rant, followed by audio of hateful tirades against an ex-girlfriend that was released four years later.

Gibson, who plays Dusty’s bad-boy father Kurt in the new film, has slowly returned to Hollywood after a lengthy hiatus from mainstream moviemaking, notably starring in the 2014 thriller “The Expendables 3” and directing the Oscar-nominated war drama “Hacksaw Ridge” last year. Ferrell believes viewers will embrace seeing Gibson, 61, in a different type of role.

“He’s going to open audiences’ eyes with how great he is in comedy,” Ferrell told the Daily News.

“I think this was kind of a fun thing for him to step outside, be on camera after having an absence for a while, and also (doing) a family, PG-13 comedy was something he hasn’t really done,” he said. “I think if he chooses to do more of that, he’s going to be more than back.”

Daily News Entertainment

‘Daddy’s Home 2’ is screening at Majestic Cineplex, Empire Arcade, Regal - Gampaha, Liberty Lite and other film halls islandwide. It is a CEL release


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