{"id":1843,"date":"2026-06-20T06:04:56","date_gmt":"2026-06-20T06:04:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/charlotterelocationguide.com\/?p=1843"},"modified":"2026-06-20T06:04:56","modified_gmt":"2026-06-20T06:04:56","slug":"will-ferrell-held-an-event-in-nc-but-he-wouldnt-let-us-call-him-will-ferrell","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/charlotterelocationguide.com\/?p=1843","title":{"rendered":"Will Ferrell held an event in NC. But he wouldn\u2019t let us call him Will Ferrell."},"content":{"rendered":"

After entering the World Golf Hall of Fame<\/a>, a Netflix publicist reminded me of the ground rules that also had been outlined in the invitation to this ridiculous event earlier in the week.<\/p>\n

Read more \u2018Spy Kids\u2019 Star Daryl Sabara Mourns the Death of His Estranged Father<\/a><\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019s doing everything in character,\u201d regional press tour manager John Chau said.<\/p>\n

The \u201che\u201d in question was Will Ferrell<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Except, officially, it wasn\u2019t.<\/p>\n

On this particular Thursday in the middle of this charming, storybook village renowned as the \u201cHome of American Golf,\u201d<\/a> Ferrell was Lonnie Hawkins \u2014 a fictional, three-time major champion, washed-up golf legend and occasional public nuisance who serves as the central character in Netflix\u2019s upcoming comedy series \u201cThe Hawk.\u201d<\/a><\/p>\n

And somehow, I found myself among a roomful of journalists gathered to interview a golfer who doesn\u2019t exist.<\/p>\n

The event was held on the second floor of the World Golf Hall of Fame, and even before it started, the illusion required maintenance. At one point, L.A.-based marketing agency The Right Now\u2019s Diana Levy \u2014 the executive producer of the stunt \u2014 asked reporters to spread out in a way that would make the turnout appear as sparse (and therefore pathetic) as possible.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe want it to look kind of empty,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

Then just a few minutes later, \u201cHawkins\u201d (for those playing along) was introduced with a mock induction ceremony that quickly veered even further into absurdity.<\/p>\n

Presenter Steve Lovell informed the crowd that \u201cHawkins\u201d had once survived on a diet consisting primarily of Milky Ways and boxed Chardonnay. We learned he had briefly toured with N.W.A., invented Taco Bell\u2019s Gordita Crunch and once led Las Vegas police on a high-speed chase while trying to get to an Eagles concert.<\/p>\n

Lovell also clarified that \u201cHawkins\u201d was only being inducted into the Hall \u201cfor today only \u2014 no future title, benefits, or relationship is extended past close of business today.\u201d<\/p>\n

Then, he announced, \u201cPlease join me in celebrating Lonnie \u2018The Hawk\u2019 Hawkins, because that\u2019s how it\u2019s done.\u201d<\/p>\n

When he took the podium, \u201cHawkins\u201d thanked the Hall of Fame for finally recognizing his greatness and wondered aloud what had taken so long.<\/p>\n

He brushed off Lovell\u2019s insistence that the honor was good for one day only, saying, \u201cWe all know (it\u2019s) just semantics. \u2026 I really am a lifetime member now, and \u2014 which is great, and I get all the privileges that members of this fine institution get, which are a key to the secret upstairs lounge, unlimited supply of sweet tea, and as well as travel miles anywhere Piedmont Air flies.\u201d<\/p>\n

He thanked his caddie, whom he said he met in a Walmart parking lot and whose last name he still doesn\u2019t know.<\/p>\n

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He even offered a partial apology to anyone he had ever harassed or yelled at during a tournament. \u201cThere\u2019s no place for that in golf,\u201d he said. \u201cBut if I yelled at you, you probably deserved it. That\u2019s on you.\u201d<\/p>\n

Then came the part I couldn\u2019t stop thinking about: what happened when \u201cHawkins\u201d opened it up for questions.<\/p>\n

Like that \u2014 snaps fingers \u2014 the room settled into an unspoken agreement. For the next nine minutes, everyone played along. Nobody challenged the premise. Nobody seemed inclined to.<\/p>\n

A television reporter asked about endorsement opportunities. Another wanted advice for young golfers. Someone asked which Hall of Fame members \u201cHawkins\u201d would remove from the building. Someone else wanted nutrition tips. And when someone asked about his catchphrase, Hawkins explained that \u201cThat\u2019s how it\u2019s done\u201d (which I didn\u2019t know was the fake golfer\u2019s catchphrase when Lovell used it in his introduction) serves multiple purposes.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen I get a great shot, \u2018that\u2019s how it\u2019s done,\u2019 \u201d he said, before adding: \u201cIt\u2019s instructional as well. So it forces them to remember what I did, and it reinforces that\u2019s how it\u2019s done.\u201d<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, if you\u2019re wondering whether I asked a question, the answer is \u2026 I just couldn\u2019t.<\/p>\n

I had planned one in advance that I thought would work on multiple levels: \u201cIs this as awkward for you as it is for us?\u201d I wound up caving, though. Even though it worked, at least in my head, as a real question to ask a fake golfer who has made a cartoon of himself, I didn\u2019t want anyone to take it the wrong way. I decided not to ask. To not do anything that might break the spell.<\/p>\n

Which, in retrospect, means the spell was working.<\/p>\n

At the same time, I couldn\u2019t quite bring myself to invent a ridiculous question for the sake of the bit. That would\u2019ve felt out of character for me<\/i>.<\/p>\n

Yet after the \u201cpress conference\u201d ended, Ferrell \u2014 or Hawkins, depending on your willingness to participate in the bit \u2014 appeared in a parking lot outside to mingle with fans. And as I watched them grinning over selfies with a celebrity they weren\u2019t technically supposed to call by his real name, I found myself softening.<\/p>\n

The whole thing was undeniably silly. It was also harmless.<\/p>\n

In a season when the news cycle continuously reminds us of humanity\u2019s remarkable ability to make itself miserable, there was something oddly refreshing about watching a couple dozen journalists play pretend with one of America\u2019s most committed goofballs while a couple hundred golf and Will Ferrell fans enjoyed a celebrity encounter they\u2019ll never forget.<\/p>\n

Yes, Netflix was selling a television show. No, Lonnie Hawkins isn\u2019t real. But for a little while in Pinehurst, a room full of journalists and a parking lot full of golf fans agreed to pretend otherwise.<\/p>\n

Read more Can I feed or pet stray cats in Charlotte? What the law says<\/a><\/p>\n

And honestly?<\/p>\n

That\u2019s<\/i> how it\u2019s done.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Will Ferrell came to Hall of Fame in Pinehurst NC as fictional golfer Lonnie Hawkins for Netflix show. The surprising part wasn\u2019t that he stayed in character.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1842,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1843","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-read-todays-edition"],"yoast_head":"\nWill Ferrell held an event in NC. 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