Will Ferrell (left) and former Chicago Bears head coach Mike Ditka in the Universal Pictures film "Kicking and Screaming". Courtesy of Universal Pictures

Sports Illustrated associate editor Richard Deitsch interviewed actor Will Ferrell, 37, for a Q&A that appears in this week's issue. Ferrell's latest film, Kicking and Screaming, opens May 13. Here are excerpts from the conversation:

SI: If your streaking scene in Old School is any indication, you always undergo intense physical training to prepare for a role. Did you do anything for this movie?
Ferrell: Luckily, there is really no regimen other than to just stand there and do multiple takes of getting hit by soccer balls. I guess I had to build up some toughness in that regard. I also developed whistle skills.

SI: How many actors did you screen for the part of Mike Ditka before you opted for Mike Ditka himself?
Ferrell: Well, there was a day and time we were talking to John McEnroe. And then for some reason we went to figure skating and it was Brian Boitano. Then we realized it takes place in Chicago -- and who symbolizes Chicago more than Ditka?

SI: Are soccer dads good for sports?
Ferrell: Well, I guess I would say so. But any problems in youth sports probably point back to the quote, unquote "soccer dad." Maybe they should have an area where the soccer dads have to stay 30 yards away from the field.

SI: Robert Duvall plays your dad in the film, as well as an opposing coach. How many times did you watch the Great Santini to prepare for this film?
Ferrell: I really only watched it once because I hadn't seen it and it's a film you should see. When I watched it I just remember thinking: Gosh, Duvall is intense. But he is nothing like the character he plays. He's extremely sweet, and a good guy.

SI: Why are sports films so appealing?
Ferrell: Because there is a comfort there. In sports there are winners and losers and there's usually a villain and I think everyone loves watching the underdog come through in the end. And that's what these movies have. Even though we kind of dress them up differently, that's still what's at its core.

SI: Do you have a favorite soccer team?
Ferrell: I kind of just follow [the sport] generally. But I love the World Cup. I don't know if I have a favorite team. When I was growing up I was a big California Surf fan.

SI: You told Premiere Magazine that your biggest mistake in sports was not playing soccer at University High in Irvine, Calif. after playing the sport as a youth. Instead, you switched to basketball. Why?
Ferrell: I was 6-foot-1 1/2 as a freshman so of course I had the varsity basketball coach drooling over me. And I was MVP of the freshman basketball team. In fact, my freshman year might have been the height of my sporting prowess because I was co-MVP of the football team and MVP of the basketball team. I quickly became a kicker on the football team because I wasn't very good at tackling. And because of soccer, I went to all these kicking camps. I was trying to get a scholarship as a placekicker but when your team is 1-8-1 your senior year, you don't have a lot of scouts looking at you.

SI: Did you ever kick a game-winning field goal?
Ferrell: I kicked a game-tying extra point.

SI: What position did you play in basketball?
Ferrell: I was a center as a freshman and I grew to 6-3 so I ended up as a forward.

SI: You're a USC graduate and an active supporter of the football team. Did you personally pressure Matt Leinart to stay in school?
Ferrell: I threatened him. I called him every week and I told him, "Look, don't be stupid." One day we actually had lunch together. He was nice enough to invite me and my friend Mike. [Leinart] he told me that Carson Palmer had said: "Just enjoy college. This is the most fun you will ever have." So when he decided to stay it didn't surprise me.

SI: You actually suited up for a USC practice two years ago and caught some passes. Did anybody take a pop at you?
Ferrell: Coach [Pete] Carroll was afraid that one of the defensive backs was going to try to lay me out. And they would have. I would have been completely knocked out. But they were nice enough to leave me alone even though there was a look on their face when I came out to practice like, "Who is this guy? He does not look like an athlete at all.?

SI: Do you plan on any marathons in the near future?
Ferrell: I'm still keeping up with four mile runs, every other day. But there are no big events on the horizon.

SI: You did the Boston Marathon in 3:56.12. Where does this rank in terms of your athletic accomplishments?
Ferrell: That might be [No. 1]. That race is just technically really hard. I'm, dare I say, very proud of [finishing] it.

SI: You're currently filming Talladega Nights, in which you play a Nascar driver. What kind of driver is your character, Ricky Bobby?
Ferrell: Ricky Bobby is kind of "the guy" on the circuit, but he's a little reckless. He doesn't buy into the whole points championship, where other drivers will lay back and be happy with a top 5 or top 10 finish because they get points. Ricky will go for broke every time and go for the win even if it means a foolish move that knocks his car out. But the fans respond to that. That's his MO. His father instilled him with the belief that if you ain't first, you are last. But later in life, when when he asks his father, "Do you remember when you told me that when I was little?" his Dad replies, "I don't remember. I must have been drunk." He's a guy who suffers from way too much hubris and kind of recognizes his faults at the end.

SI: Will this film make people forget Days of Thunder?
Ferrell: It will probably make people forget Days of Thunder but remind them of Top Gun. It's still going to bring them back to Tom Cruise no matter how you slice it.