Will Ferrell on Harper Steele’s Influence and Why Sam Is the Heart of ‘The Hawk’ (Exclusive)

At first glance, The Hawk looks like a sports comedy about a washed-up golf legend chasing one last shot at greatness. But according to star and executive producer Will Ferrell, the new Netflix series is really about challenging expectations, embracing unlikely friendships, and finding connection in unexpected places.

Premiering July 16, the 10-episode comedy follows Lonnie Hawkins (Ferrell), the world’s No. 1 golfer in 2004, as he attempts an unlikely comeback after years of decline. While everyone around him believes his career is over, Lonnie is convinced he’s just one swing away from completing golf’s Grand Slam.

Along the way, he meets Sam, an openly queer caddy played by Fortune Feimster, whose friendship ultimately changes the course of his life. The Hawk – Season 1. (L to R) Fortune Feimster as Sam, Will Ferrell as Lonnie in Episode 110 of The Hawk. Cr. Netflix © 2026 Will Ferrell Says Harper Steele Helped Shape the Show’s Inclusive Heart

While The Hawk centers on an underdog sports comeback, Ferrell says the series is just as much about breaking stereotypes.

Rather than creating characters who fit neatly into familiar archetypes, Ferrell said the creative team wanted audiences to constantly rethink their assumptions about who these people really are.

“I think the whole goal of the show and the characters were to try to set up a dynamic where you think they might be a certain way or think a certain, and then they zig the other way,” Ferrell told Gayety.

That approach is evident in Lonnie Hawkins himself. Although the former golf star can be stubborn, loud, and rough around the edges, one of the first glimpses audiences get of his softer side comes during a phone call with his son. When Lonnie casually acknowledges that his son could have a boyfriend, he responds simply: “Love is love. I don’t care. Whatever.”

For Ferrell, that moment wasn’t included to make a statement. Instead, it reinforces the idea that people are often more complex than they initially appear. He also credited executive producer and writer Harper Steele, whose longtime friendship with Ferrell was documented in Will & Harper, for helping shape that perspective throughout the series.

“And I think that’s a lot too of Harper Steele’s influence with some of the scripts,” Ferrell said, crediting the writer and executive producer with helping shape the show’s perspective. The Hawk – Season 1. (L to R) Will Ferrell as Lonnie in Episode 103 of The Hawk. Cr. Colleen E Hayes/Netflix © 2026 Fortune Feimster’s Queer Character Becomes the Heart of the Story

That same philosophy carries into Lonnie’s relationship with Sam.

Played by out comedian Fortune Feimster, Sam is a character who knows almost nothing about golf when she first crosses paths with Lonnie. Still, he sees something special in her.

“He meets Sam in a Walmart parking lot and he’s just open to the fact of like, ‘You know what? You don’t know anything about golf, but I like you and might as well. I need to change something up here,'” Ferrell explained.

“And she does. She changes his game and his life and it’s all because of who she is.”

Feimster said getting to play Sam was especially meaningful because it meant spending nearly all of her time on screen opposite one of her comedy heroes.

“I was pretty pumped just to get to be Will’s sort of right-hand woman,” she recalled.

“He’s such a comedy hero of mine that… a caddy’s always with their guy. And so I was excited knowing that most of my scenes would just be backing him up. It was incredible.” The Hawk – Season 1. (L to R) Fortune Feimster as Sam, Will Ferrell as Lonnie in Episode 101 of The Hawk. Cr. Colleen E Hayes/Netflix © 2026 Molly Shannon and Will Ferrell Reflect on Their Own Comeback Stories

The show’s theme of believing you’re always one opportunity away from changing your life also resonated with the cast personally.

Molly Shannon recalled the difficult years before landing on Saturday Night Live, remembering one casting director telling her she simply needed a break.

“I remember wondering if I really had it in me to keep going,” Shannon said. “I definitely felt that way right before I got my big break on SNL.”

Ferrell shared that even after getting cast on the legendary sketch series, success didn’t come overnight.

“After my first show on Saturday Night Live with our cast… they hated me,” he recalled. “I was singled out as obnoxious newcomer.”

Instead of changing who he was, Ferrell trusted his instincts.

“I don’t really have a choice but to keep plowing ahead and kind of stick to my core beliefs in terms of my work ethic and what I think is funny and see what happens.” The Hawk – Season 1. (L to R) Molly Shannon as Stacy, Will Ferrell as Lonnie in Episode 108 of The Hawk. Cr. Colleen E Hayes/Netflix © 2026 When Does ‘The Hawk’ Premiere?

The Hawk premieres July 16 on Netflix.

The 10-episode comedy stars Will Ferrell, Molly Shannon, Jimmy Tatro, Fortune Feimster, Chris Parnell, Katelyn Tarver, David Hornsby, and Luke Wilson.

The series is executive produced by Will Ferrell, Jessica Elbaum, and Alix Taylor for Gloria Sanchez Productions, alongside Rian Johnson, Ram Bergman, Nena Rodrigue, Chris Henchy, Harper Steele, David Gordon Green, and Andrew Guest.

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