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Will Ferrell's dead Oscar bid

Sep 27, 2006, 14:57 GMT

Will Ferrell considered using reports he was dead to try and win a posthumous Oscar.

Earlier this year, an internet hoaxer claimed the 'Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby' had lost his life in a bizarre hang gliding accident.

Will quickly set the record straight that he was alive and well but admits he did think about using the mix-up to his advantage.

He told BANG Showbiz: "All my friends thought it was hilarious. They thought it was me who had started the rumours and I was just fooling around. I got a call from my publicist and I quickly called my family and let them know I was still alive.

"Even though I'm not afraid of humour it was the one time in my life where it was not funny at all to me."

Will added: "If I was smart I would have hung back and not set the record straight. Maybe I could have got a posthumous Oscar."

Meanwhile, Will recently joked that every time he takes his trousers off on screen some money goes to charity.

He quipped: "I actually have that written into scripts now because it's tied in with UNICEF. I actually have it put in to my contract.

"Every time I strip down to my underwear some money goes to the charity so it's kind of my way of helping, making a contribution."

(C) BANG Media International