Some of Buddy's most iconic lines—"You smell like beef and cheese!" and "You sit on a throne of lies!"—were improvised by Ferrell in the moment. 16. The big fight scene between Buddy and the fake Santa, played by comedian Artie Lange, was filmed in one take because it took the art department weeks to decorate Gimbels.

Was the New York scene in Elf scripted?

Back when the script was first being shopped around in the 90s, producers wanted Jim Carrey to play the goofy lead. – The outdoor scenes shot in New York City feature real people so many of the reactions you see are genuine!

How much of Blades of Glory was improvised?

Actors Jon Heder and Will Ferrell both learned how to ice skate for this movie. They trained extensively with Michelle Kwan's coach, Sarah Kawahara. The writers claimed that "88.773 percent of Will Ferrell's dialogue is improvised or changed in some way to suit his persona."

Who are the famous cameos in Elf?

Favreau makes a cameo appearance as Walter's family doctor. At the North Pole, David Paul Grove plays Pom Pom, Michael Roberds portrays a cobbler, and Richard Side plays a teacher. Producer Peter Billingsley is uncredited as head elf Ming Ming.

How did they make Buddy look so big in Elf?

Forced Perspective Was Used To Make Buddy Look Like A Giant

Elf utilized the technique of forced perspective in order to create this optical illusion. As Jon Favreau explained: "One set is raised and closer and smaller, and one is bigger and further away.

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What was improvised in Elf?

Some of Buddy's most iconic lines—"You smell like beef and cheese!" and "You sit on a throne of lies!"—were improvised by Ferrell in the moment. 16. The big fight scene between Buddy and the fake Santa, played by comedian Artie Lange, was filmed in one take because it took the art department weeks to decorate Gimbels.

Who was originally supposed to play Elf?

The original script for the movie in the early 1990s had comedian Jim Carrey chosen to star in the role of Buddy the Elf. Turns out, Carrey ended up playing a very different Christmas character in the 2000 film How the Grinch Stole Christmas.

What actor turned down the role of Elf?

Jim Carrey as Buddy the Elf in Elf. The script for Elf was first written in 1993, and at the time, Carrey was attached to star in it. However, the movie did not immediately go into production, and by the time it did in 2003, Carrey was no longer interested in the role.

Who was supposed to play Wanda in Elf?

According to the "Elf" episode of Netflix's "The Holiday Movies That Made Us," producer Jon Berg said that they originally wanted Wanda Sykes to play the role, but she dropped out at the last minute. It was Love's decision to wear the "Wanda" name tag — which they preemptively made for Sykes — in the film.

Who was the first choice actor for Elf?

Jim Carrey was reportedly the first choice to play Buddy

Though it's hard to imagine anyone else in the role of Buddy, Ferrell wasn't the first choice for the titular character. When the script for the movie first emerged in 1993, Jim Carrey was attached to star, per Vulture.

How much of Elf was ad libbed?

The interaction between Will Ferrell as Buddy the Elf and Artie Lange, as the department store Santa who “smells like beef and cheese,” was mostly improvised over several takes, Favreau said. But he said the actual fight between the characters had to be done in one take.

Did Will Ferrell learn ice skating?

Ferrell had never been ice skates before. He and Heder, who starred in "Napoleon Dynamite," underwent training before production began, enabling Ferrell to perform some of his own falls and on-ice scenes.

Does Will Ferrell write his own lines?

#6: Most of the Film

Given a wide template to work with, the performer brought many of his own ideas to the dialogue as a vast majority of it was entirely made up by him. His ad-libs enhance both the on-ice routines and many funny scenes between comedic actors like Jon Heder and Jenna Fischer.

Did James Caan really play the piano in Elf?

James Caan was a true delight. My favorite memory of him was shooting part of a montage for the end of Elf and he started playing piano — he played beautifully — I sang and he played and I was just astonished by his talent!

Did Will Ferrell chew real gum in Elf?

Was the sidewalk gum pre-cleaned for you? WF: No, we didn't have a big enough budget, so I actually had to eat old New York City gum. But it wasn't as bad as you would think, still relatively favorable. Good to know if you ever have to eat any gum off the streets.

Is Gimbels from Elf a real store?

Fun fact: Producers wanted to feature the famous Macy's 34th street location, the largest store in the world, but Macy's refused to have their name used. So they settled on Gimbels, a now defunct NY department store–the exterior was shot at 5th Avenue and E 30th St and decorated with CGI.

How much did Will Ferrell get paid for Elf?

Elf was Will Ferrell's second box office hit. He reportedly received a whopping salary of $17 million for that film alone, more on par with what his talents would dictate in the mid-2000s. He was allegedly offered $29 million to act in an Elf sequel, but couldn't get his heart into it, so he turned it down.

What happened to Buddy the Elf's mom?

Papa Elf reveals that Buddy was born to Walter Hobbs (James Caan) and Susan Wells and given up for adoption and that Walter never knew of his existence. He explains how Susan later died and that Walter now works at a children's book company in New York City.

Who was supposed to be the lead in Elf?

The original script for Elf was written with Jim Carrey in mind for the lead role, but it sat in production limbo for a decade before eventually being picked up by Ferrell.

Who almost got cast in Elf?

Berenbaum finished the first draft of Elf in 1993 with In Living Color alum, Jim Carrey in mind for the lead role, with a much darker undertone of the film — but Carey wasn't meant to be in the role.

Was the guy in the elevator in Elf an actor?

Elf (2003) - John Murray as Man in Elevator - IMDb.

Who is the picture of Susan Wells in Elf?

Jane Bradbury: Susan Welles.

Who turned down the role of Buddy the Elf?

The script for Elf was first created in 1993, and Jim Carrey was reportedly ready to play the role of Buddy. But by the time the film came together a decade later, Carrey turned it down for other projects, reportedly also hesitant to book the role after playing the Grinch.

How old was Zooey Deschanel in Elf?

I was only 21 when I made that movie. I remember sitting—I was at my parents' house because I basically just dropped out of college to be an actor—and I remember sitting at my parents' house reading that script and laughing out loud. Since then, I've seen that that's a good sign." Deschanel said.

Why didn't they use Macy's in Elf?

As Favreau revealed to ABC News, the Elf team asked Macy's if they could use the store for the movie, but Macy's declined. He told the publication: "Because we're using a Santa, of course, everybody thinks Macy's. "But Macy's didn't like the idea that there was a fake Santa working there.