If you haven’t already seen the snap of Will Ferrell dressed up as a rundown Buddy the Elf then you’re in luck.
The comedian went viral last month as he decided to attend a hockey game between Los Angeles Kings and Philadelphia Flyers on December 29, which ended in a 5-4 win for LA, while donning a replica of the famed costume he wore more than two decades ago shooting the Christmas epic Elf.
He spoke to FanDuel Sports Network broadcaster Carrlyn Bathe during the night, with the 57-year-old telling the reporter ‘it was a tough holiday season’ and that ‘he’s looking for a Kings win’.
Immediately, there was speculation that we could be about to witness a sequel to Elf, but unfortunately, that was never on the cards.
The esteemed actor set the record straight while appearing as a guest on NFL stars, and brothers, Jason and Travis Kelce‘s New Heights podcast.
Ferrell dressed up as Buddy as he watched hockey (Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)
When asked what was going on, Ferrell replied: “Buddy the Elf got laid off, I think, from the North Pole.
“He’s having a pull from his beer, smoking a cig. That was just… I get these weird ideas every now and then. We’re season ticket holders for the LA Kings. We have seats right on the glass.
“I told my wife, ‘Over the break, it would be funny if I just got a Buddy the Elf costume and didn’t shave for a week, and I’m just sitting there with a candy cigarette and I’m just gonna sit there for a period and see how people react.'”
He continued: “The reaction was insane!
“Like, what is he doing? Is he promoting something? But occasionally I just like to do weird things like that just to stir it up.'”
Buddy has had a rough festive period (Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)
Ferrell’s high energy performance as Buddy in Elf helped carry the film, although paired with his late co-star James Caan, who played Buddy’s dad, a perfect combo was reached.
Caan passed away in 2022, while Bob Newhart, who played Papa Elf, also died in July last year.
Earlier this year, Ferrell revealed that Caan didn’t find him very funny, as he claimed that Caan, who played Sonny Corleone in The Godfather, had told him he didn’t ‘get’ the actor during an appearance on the MeSsy podcast with Christina Applegate and Jamie-Lynn Sigler.
“James Caan – may he rest in peace, and we had such a good time working on that movie – he would tease me,” Ferrell said, as he spoke fondly of his co-star.
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But while the Zoolander star is undoubtedly at the heart of the movie, there’s one aspect which takes it to another level.
If the history of comedy has taught us anything, it’s that any great clown needs a straight-man to act as a foil to their ridiculousness.
In the case of Elf, this was provided by his co-star James Caan, who played Buddy’s dad.
And in a moment of life imitating art, Ferrell revealed that Caan, who passed away in 2022, didn’t have to try very hard to balance out Ferrell’s performance, as he actually didn’t find him very funny.
Will Ferrell and James Caan in Elf (New Line Cinema)
Ferrell revealed that Caan had told him he didn’t ‘get’ Ferrell in an appearance on the MeSsy podcast with Christina Applegate and Jamie-Lynn Sigler.
He said: “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.”
And this impacted how the characters interplayed in the movie as well, which, of course, Ferrell played into.
The SNL star said: “I love that the whole time, he’s not acting. He’s truly annoyed with me.
Will Ferrell in Elf. (New Line Cinema)
“Like, ‘Will this guy shut the f**k up? Jesus!’ So I literally drove him crazy in that movie, just acting like that kid.”
The actor went on to say that there had been different plans for Caan’s character, with Buddy’s stressed dad losing his temper far earlier.
Ferrell explained that Caan had changed this, saying: “He wanted to save it til that moment in the boardroom where he kicks me out and kicks me out of this life, like, ‘No, it’s gotta be this slow build.’
“And he was totally right.”
When he saw the finished movie, Caan changed his mind about Ferrell’s performance, with the Anchorman star recalling: “He’s like, ‘I gotta tell you, I thought everything you were doing while we were filming was way too over-the-top.
“Now that I see it in the movie, it’s brilliant.’”
Featured Image Credit: YouTube/Warner Bros. Entertainment/Getty Images/Bob Riha Jr/WireImage
Topics: News, US News, Film and TV, Will Ferrell
Will Ferrell admits he had ‘zero knowledge’ about the trans community before best friend of 30 years came out
Will Ferrell learned about transitioning and the LGBTQ+ community after having ‘no prior knowledge’
Will Ferrell said he had ‘no idea about the trans community’ before his best friend of 30 years came out as transgender in 2022.
Will Ferrell has recently premiered his new documentary, Will & Harper, which follows the Step Brothers actor and his best friend, Harper Steele, as they take a road trip together.
The duo met back when Harper was a writer on Saturday Night Live from 1995 to 2008. The pair gelled on set and have been friends ever since.
Ferrell has said his first reaction to learning of Steele’s gender transition was simply ‘how can we help you? What do you need us to do?’
“It was three summers ago in which Harper emailed a lot of her close friends with the headline: ‘Here’s a Weird One’,” Ferrell said at the Variety Studio presented by Audible.
Photo by Katie Jones/Variety via Getty Images
“She went on to explain she was going to transition and we were all, of course, excited to hear the news and surprised to hear the news.
“All of us were extremely supportive and expressed love…but that sort of opened the questions like, ‘how can we help you? What do you need us to do?’”
The comedian explained that although he had met trans people before, he admits that he had ‘no knowledge’ about the trans community, and praised his friend for opening up and allowing him to ‘learn and ask questions’.
“I had met trans people, but I didn’t have anyone personally in my life,” Ferrell said. “So this was all new territory for me, which is why I think this film is so exciting for us to kind of put out there in the world.
Photo by Axelle/Bauer-Griffin/FilmMagic
“It’s a chance all of us in the cis community to be able to ask questions and also just to listen and be there as a friend to discuss this journey.”
“It tells the story of a cis friend of a trans person who has to transition himself,” Steele added of the movie.
The documentary is currently seeking distribution via The Sundance Festival, as the synopsis describes the trip as ‘Will Ferrell finds out his close friend of 30 years is coming out as a trans woman, the two decide to embark on a cross-country road trip to process this new stage of their relationship in an intimate portrait of friendship, transition, and America.”
Featured Image Credit: Katie Jones/Variety via Getty Images
Topics: Celebrity, Will Ferrell, LGBTQ
Will Ferrell has shared why he and Harper Steele were adamant that their new documentary was released before election day.
On Friday (September 27), Will & Harper dropped on Netflix – a documentary about the Anchorman actor learning about his close friend’s transition into a woman.
To mark the occasion, Ferrell and Steele go on a 17-day road trip across the United States.
It’s on the show that Steele and Ferrell became friends.
With their decades-long friendship in mind, the pair used the documentary as a way for Ferrell to ask Steele any questions he had about her transition (which she began in 2022).
The documentary has so far achieved critical acclaim and boasts a near-perfect score on Rotten Tomatoes.
But the timing of Will & Harper’s release wasn’t coincidental – the pair pushed for it to be released before this year’s election.
Harper Steele and Will Ferrell have been friends for decades (Michael Buckner/Variety via Getty Images)
“When we sat down with Netflix we made it clear that we wanted this out before the election,” Ferrell told Variety.
Explaining why, he continued: “We wanted it to have enough runway for people to get to see it and hopefully start having important discussions in their living rooms.”
Election Day is set to take place in just a few weeks time on Tuesday, November 5.
Following its premiere at Sundance Film Festival at the start of the year, both Ferrell and Steele have heard from fans who were excited to see it for themselves.
The Elf star shared: “We’ve heard from people who say they can’t wait to see this with friends and family who maybe don’t share the same viewpoint and they’re looking forward to watching it all together.
“Hopefully it could slowly chip away at some of that.”
Former SNL writer Harper Steele started her transition in 2022 (Netflix)
Before Steele’s transition, Ferrell admitted that he knew very little about the trans community.
“I had met trans people, but I didn’t have anyone personally in my life,” he admitted at Variety’s Sundance Studio.
“So this was all new territory for me, which is why I think this film is so exciting for us to kind of put out there in the world.”
Ferrell added: “It’s a chance all of us in the cis community to be able to ask questions and also just to listen and be there as a friend to discuss this journey.”
Will & Harper is now streaming on Netflix.
Will Ferrell has revealed the acting job he believes was the ‘hardest’ — and his answer may surprise you.
The beloved actor, 57, has an impressive resume; we’re talking about Buddy the elf, sex addict and figure skater Chazz Michael Michaels, and San Diego anchorman Ron Burgundy. He’s done a lot in his film and TV career.
But pretending to be a whimsical elf or learning how to skate on ice were not the toughest jobs for Ferrell, believe it or not.
Despite all of his hilarious film roles, the acting job that he describes as being a mix of fun and hard work is starring on Saturday Night Live.
During his stint on the long-running NBC series, Ferrell took part in a huge number of well-known and often quoted sketches, including ‘More Cowbell’, ‘Spartan Cheerleaders at Tryouts’, ‘Dr. Beaman’s Office: Test Results’, and a 2002 ‘Weekend Update’ skit with Britney Spears.
He also cracked people up with his impressions of George W. Bush, Dr. Phil, and Alex Trebek.
Will Ferrell and Britney Spears on SNL in 2002 (NBC/YouTube)
Between 1995 to 2002, Ferrell was a main member on the iconic sketch comedy show. Now that the show is celebrating its historic 50th season, Ferrell is feeling nostalgic.
“I had a wonderful seven seasons on that show, where I made lifelong friends,” he told People.
“I knew in that moment it would be the hardest but most fun job I would ever get to do, and I still look back on it that way.
“It’s really an amazing thing that you have this live television show that still continues to put its finger on the pulse of what we’re all thinking about, and it’s a real credit to [creator] Lorne [Michaels] or having thought of it in the first place.”
He added: “It was the one thing I always dreamed about being a part of. “It’s kind of enormous to think about in a way, 50 years of what has really defined American comedy.”
With Christmas fast approaching, the time has come to re-watch Elf. Let’s face it, regardless of how many times you watch Buddy search for his dad in New York city, it never gets old.
Will Ferrell as George W. Bush on SNL in 2001 (NBC/YouTube)
Ferrell has shared details from behind the scenes of the 2003 festive comedy, including the time he made his on-screen dad, the late James Caan, a little mad.
The Barbie actor revealed that Caan, who passed away in 2022, didn’t have to try very hard to balance out Ferrell’s performance, as he actually didn’t find him very funny.
He said: “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.’ 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.”
