Summary
Will Ferrell reveals the extent to which he irritated his co-star James Caan on the set ofElf.The beloved 2003 Christmas comedy revolved around a man named Buddy who, after inadvertently ending up in Santa’s sleigh, was raised by elves in the North Pole. Now an adult and having outgrown his North Pole companions, Buddy travels to New York City to find his biological father and help redeem him from his naughty list status. Alongside Ferrell as the lead, Buddy,theElfcastincluded Caan as his father, as well as Bob Newhart, Zooey Deschanel, Edward Asner, and Mary Steenburgen.
Speaking on the podcastMeSsy(viaEntertainment Weekly), Ferrell speaks about his hilarious interactions with Caan on theElfset. Ferrell recounted that the late Caan used to call hisco-star “not funny” while on set, building a rapport between the pair that was based on derision. According to Ferrell,Caan was “truly annoyed with [him]” on the set of the movie, making it such that Caan is “not acting” but rather is wondering when he will get a moment of respite from Ferrell’s incessant (if enthusiastic) babble. Check out the full quote from Ferrell below:
James Caan — may he rest in peace, and we had such a good time working on that movie — he would tease me. We’d be in between setups, he was like, ‘I don’t get you. You’re not funny. You’re not funny.’ And I’m like, “I know! I’m not Robin Williams.” He’s like, “People ask me, ‘Is he funny?’ And I’m like, ‘No, he’s not funny!'” It was all with love.
I love that the whole time, he’s not acting. He’s truly annoyed with me. Like, “Will this guy shut the f— up? Jesus!” So I literally drove him crazy in that movie, just acting like that kid.
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With his final statement, Ferrell is essentially arguingthat the fact that he pestered Caan made the movie better.After all, the character of Walter Hobbs is characteristically perturbed and fed up. Until towards the end ofElf, Walter does not even have the slightest inkling of wanting Buddy in his life and often wishes the misguided elf-man would be quiet or make less of a scene. So too did Caan, in good humor, wish that Ferrell himself would quiet down, making for an authentic performance.
Caan’s annoyance also probably helped Ferrell ham it up, as egging Caan on seemed to be part of the bit. This did wonders for the Christmas movie as well, asFerrell’s over-the-top acting is essential toElf.Buddy’s ostentatious energy makes him larger-than-life, but it is also what gives him the charm that keeps the 2003 Christmas classicgoing over 20 years later. Without Buddy’s wonderment of the world and intense experience of emotions,Elfwould not be the way it is.
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There are very few actors who could pull off what Ferrell did inElf,but the actor does so flawlessly. It is the balance between humor and heart that maintains the movieas one of the best performances from Ferrell to date.Ferrell has had many iconic roles,including inStep Brothers, theAnchormanmovies, andBlades of Glory, but nothing has quite matched the effusive power of the 2003 Christmas comedy. Whether Caan considered Ferrell to be funny or not, his comedic styling certainly worked for audiences, asElfhas held up today.
Elf
Cast
Elf follows Buddy, a human raised as an elf at the North Pole. As an adult, he journeys to Manhattan to find his biological father, a work-driven businessman. The film explores Buddy’s comedic attempts to navigate human society and his quest to bring holiday spirit to his family.
