© New Line Cinema/Courtesy of the Everett Collection
Will Ferrell Revealed during an interview “Messy” Podcast (via IndieWire) is the latefairy” Co-star James Caan Ferrell wasn’t a fan of Kahn’s portrayal of Buddy the elf until he saw the final cut at the Christmas movie’s premiere. He said Kahn repeatedly told him “you’re not funny” during production, but Ferrell did admit that he “drew” Kahn on set by playing an overzealous Buddy.
“James Caan, rest in peace. We had a lot of fun making that movie,” Ferrell said. “He used to tease me, I like to do a little bit of work, but I’m not always ‘on.’ In between set-ups, [Caan] “He’d say, ‘I don’t know what you’re talking about. You’re not funny.’ And I’d say, ‘I know, I’m not Robin Williams.’ And he’d say, ‘People ask me, ‘Is he funny?’ And I’d say, ‘No, he’s not funny.’ It was all out of love, but at the same time…”
It wasn’t until Ferrell and Caan were coming out of a movie theater at the “Elf” premiere that Caan took him aside and gave him “the ultimate compliment.”
“He said, ‘I’ll be honest with you, everything you did on the set I thought was over the top, but in the movie it’s amazing,'” Ferrell recalled. “But the good thing was that he wasn’t acting the whole time. He was really annoyed with me. He was like, ‘How can this guy shut up? Really?’ I literally drove him crazy in that movie just by acting like this kid. But the funniest thing was when he came out of the theater and he was shaking his head and saying, ‘Awesome.'”
Caan played Buddy’s biological father in “Elf,” a film directed by Jon Favreau that remains a beloved Christmas classic 10 years after its release and has grossed more than $220 million worldwide. Previously revealed He reportedly once turned down a $29 million offer to star in the Elf sequel.
“Honestly, I would have had to promote the movie, so I would have been like, ‘Oh, this is not good. I can’t turn down that much money,'” Ferrell said of his simple decision to turn down Elf 2. “And I was like, ‘Can I really say that line? I don’t think I can say it, so I’m not in the movie.'”
Listen to Ferrell’s full performance here Listen to the “Messy” podcast here.
