James Caan was not amused with Will Ferrell while making Elf.
Elf hit theaters back in 2003 and immediately entered the pantheon of classic Christmas movies. Will Ferrell’s performance as Buddy the Elf helped vault the Saturday Night Live alum into comedy superstardom, but one of his main co-stars in the film didn’t think he was actually funny when they were on set. The late James Caan played Buddy’s father, Walter, in Elf, and shared quite a few scenes with Ferrell throughout the film. According to Ferrell, Caan didn’t find his performance amusing.
During a recent episode of the MeSsy podcast, hosted by Christina Applegate and Jamie-Lynn Sigler, Ferrell revealed that Caan told him on multiple occasions that he wasn’t very funny.
“James Caan, may he rest in peace, we had such a good time working on that movie,” Ferrell said. “He would tease me. I like to do bits but I’m not like ‘on’ all the time. In between set ups, [Caan] would be like, ‘I don’t get you. You’re not funny.’ And I’m like, ‘I know. I’m not Robin Williams.’ And he was like, ‘People ask me: “Is he funny?” And I’m like, “No, he’s not funny.”‘ It was all with love but at the same time…”
Ferrell went on to say that Caan actually changed his tune when Elf was hitting theaters and he could watch the final product. The actor explained on the podcast that Caan approached him after the premiere screening and complimented his comedy.
“He was like, ‘I’ve got to 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,'” said Ferrell. “But I love that the whole time, he’s not acting. He’s truly annoyed with me. He’s like, ‘Can this guy shut the fuck up? Jesus.’ I literally drove him crazy in that movie, just acting like that kid. But that was the funniest thing, him walking out of the theater and shaking his head and going ‘it’s brilliant.'”
As Ferrell noted, Caan’s feelings with his comedy likely helped Elf in the long run. Walter spends much of the movie completely fed up with Buddy, never fully knowing what to do with him and never finding him amusing. With Caan actually feeling that way about Ferrell, it took the character to a new level.
Will Ferrell revealed during an interview on the “Messy” podcast (via IndieWire) that his late “Elf” co-star James Caan was not a fan of his performance as Buddy the Elf until he saw the final cut of the Christmas movie at the film’s premiere. Ferrell said that Caan told him at several points during production that he just wasn’t funny, although Ferrell admitted to driving Caan “crazy” on set while playing the overenthusiastic Buddy.
“James Caan, may he rest in peace, we had such a good time working on that movie,” Ferrell said. “He would tease me. I like to do bits but I’m not like ‘on’ all the time. In between set ups, [Caan] would be like, ‘I don’t get you. You’re not funny.’ And I’m like, ‘I know. I’m not Robin Williams.’ And he was like, ‘People ask me: “Is he funny?” And I’m like, “No, he’s not funny.”‘ It was all with love but at the same time…”
It wasn’t until Ferrell and Caan were walking out of the movie theater at the “Elf” premiere that Caan took him aside and gave him “the best compliment.”
“He was like, ‘I’ve got to 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,’” Ferrell remembered. “But I love that the whole time, he’s not acting. He’s truly annoyed with me. He’s like, ‘Can this guy shut the fuck up? Jesus.’ I literally drove him crazy in that movie, just acting like that kid. But that was the funniest thing, him walking out of the theater and shaking his head and going ‘it’s brilliant.’”
Caan starred in “Elf” as Buddy’s biological father. The movie, directed by Jon Favreau, endures as a Christmas classic a decade after its release, where it earned over $220 million at the worldwide box office. Ferrell previously revealed that he once turned down a $29 million offer to star in an “Elf” sequel.
“I would have had to promote the movie from an honest place, which would’ve been, like, ‘Oh no, it’s not good. I just couldn’t turn down that much money,’” Ferrell said about the simple decision to reject “Elf 2.” “And I thought, ‘Can I actually say those words? I don’t think I can, so I guess I can’t do the movie.’”
Listen to Ferrell’s full appearance on the “Messy” podcast here.
Will Ferrell revealed that the late James Caan would “tease” him by telling him he wasn’t funny while filming the iconic holiday comedy “Elf.” Ferrell — in a recent appearance on the “MeSsy” podcast with Christina Applegate and Jamie-Lynn Sigler — spoke of his concerns over whether “Elf” would “be disastrous” before recalling his time on set with Caan, who died in 2022.
“I like to do bits, but at the same time, I’m not like ‘on’ all the time. … In between setups, he’d be like, ‘I don’t get you. You’re not funny. You’re not funny,’” said Ferrell, who noted that Caan’s jabs were “with love.” “And I’m like, ‘I know, I’m not Robin Williams, I’m not like —,’ he’s like, ‘People ask me, like, is he funny?’ I’m like, ‘No, he’s not funny.’”
The “Saturday Night Live” alum later recalled walking out of the theater following the premiere of “Elf” when his co-star gave him “the best compliment.” ’He was like, ‘I’ve got to 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,’” said Ferrell, who played Buddy in the classic holiday movie.
He continued, “But I love that the whole time, like he’s not acting. He’s truly annoyed with me. He’s like, ‘Can this guy shut the fuck up? Jesus.’ So I literally drove him crazy in that movie, just acting like that kid. But that was so funny, he’s walking out, shaking his head and going like ‘great job, I thought you were way too over the top. But no it’s brilliant, it’s brilliant.’”
“Elf” director Jon Favreau, in a 2020 interview with Rolling Stone, revealed that Ferrell returned jabs at Caan on set, as well. “Will gave him, as a wrap gift — he wrote a note that said, ‘Great working with you. The first one is a little bit slow, but the second two are really good.’ And it was ‘The Godfather’ trilogy,” Favreau recalled.
Ferrell told the “MeSsy” podcast that it was “scripted a little more” that Caan would get more frustrated and “lose his temper” on him in the film. “And he didn’t want to do any of that,” Ferrell said. “He wanted to save it till that moment in the boardroom where he kicks me out and kicks me out of his life. ‘No, it’s gotta be a slow build,’ and he was totally right.”
Source: IndieWire, Rolling Stone
