Will Ferrell has revealed James Caan wasn’t simply performing after they had been filming Elf — he was “really irritated” with him and did not discover his “excessive” efficiency humorous.
During a latest episode of the MeSsy podcast, hosted by Christina Applegate and Jamie-Lynn Sigler, Ferrell revealed that his late Elf co-star Caan, who performed his organic father, Walter Hobbs, within the movie, was not initially a fan of his efficiency as Buddy the Elf, which meant he did not must exaggerate his frustrations.
“James Caan, could he relaxation in peace, we had such an excellent time engaged on that film,” Ferrell stated. “He would tease me. I love to do bits, however I’m not like ‘on’ on a regular basis. In between setups, [Caan] could be like, ‘I do not get you. You’re not humorous.’ And I’m like, ‘I do know. I’m not Robin Williams.’ And he was like, ‘People ask me: “Is he humorous?” And I’m like, “No, he isn’t humorous.”‘ It was all with love however on the identical time…”
Throughout the movie, Hobbs finds himself on the receiving finish of shouty serenades, tickle fights, and a present (for somebody particular). The straight-talking, critical businessman is outwardly irritated by these acts. It seems it wasn’t a lot of an act, and it was solely after seeing the film that Caan appreciated the hilarity of it.
“He was like, ‘I’ve bought to inform you: I assumed every little thing you had been doing whereas we had been filming was approach too excessive. Now that I see it within the film, it is sensible,'” Ferrell recalled. “But I like that the entire time, he isn’t performing. He’s really irritated with me. He’s like, ‘Can this man shut the f**ok up? Jesus.’ I actually drove him loopy in that film, simply performing like that child. But that was the funniest factor, him strolling out of the theater and shaking his head and going, ‘It’s sensible.'”
Elf earned over $220 million on the worldwide field workplace and cemented itself as a contemporary Christmas traditional. Ferrell, nevertheless, beforehand revealed that he turned down a $29 million supply to star in a sequel to the 2003 Christmas comedy.
“I might have needed to promote the film from an sincere place, which might’ve been, like, ‘Oh no, it is not good. I justcouldn’t flip down that a lot cash,'” Ferrell informed The Hollywood Reporter in 2021. “And I assumed, ‘Can I truly say these phrases? I do not suppose I can, so I assume I can not do the film.'”
Sequel or no sequel, Elf actually is the present that retains on giving — and one which options on IGN’s must-watch record for the vacation season.
Adele Ankers-Range is a contract leisure author for IGN. You can observe her on X/Twitter here.
