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.

What notable scene in Elf was unscripted?

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!

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.

Did they cut the burp out of Elf?

No, Will Ferrell wasn't belching on-screen for an impressively long time in the film. Instead, the long burp was recorded by Maurice LaMarche.

How They Made Elf | The Holiday Movies That Made Us

What replaced Gimbels in NYC?

The mall replaced the former flagship store of the Gimbels department store chain, which operated from 1910 to 1986. It opened in 1989 as a shopping center called A&S Plaza and was rebranded Manhattan Mall in 1995.

Who else auditioned for Elf?

David Berenbaum initially wrote the script in 1993, with Chris Farley and Jim Carrey being early candidates to play Buddy. Berenbaum's screenplay underwent uncredited rewrites by Scot Armstrong, Chris Henchy, and the writing team of Adam McKay and Will Ferrell.

Were any scenes in Elf improvised?

“Elf” (2003) The Christmas classic “Elf” gave Will Ferrell ample opportunity to explore his character, inside and out. In the scene where Buddy explores New York City, the bulk of his onscreen antics were improvised.

What are the 3 rules in the movie Elf?

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.

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!

Who was the first choice for Elf?

The Original Elf Script Was Written For Jim Carrey

Given his wild and zany characters on In Living Color, Carrey was seen as a natural for the goofiness and playfulness needed to play Buddy the Elf. That casting was not meant to be, however, as Berenbaum's version of the movie never got made.

How old was Will Ferrell when he filmed Elf?

This actually makes Buddy a fair amount younger than Will Ferrell himself, who was 35 years old at the time of Elf's filming, and 36 when the movie was released to theaters.

Was the guy in the elevator in Elf an actor?

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

Was there CGI in Elf?

There isn't much CGI in the film

Keeping with the Rankin/Bass aesthetic, Favreau told Rolling Stone he didn't want to make the film “a big CGI extravaganza," preferring instead to use practical sets and manual animation. In fact, he said the only CGI in the film is “some snowing.”

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.

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.

Was Elf actually filmed in New York?

Buddy at the North Pole scene in Elf

Interestingly, while the movie is set in New York City and the North Pole, many interior shots were filmed in an abandoned mental hospital in Vancouver, British Columbia. The Riverview Hospital, located in Coquitlam, east of Vancouver, served as the backdrop for these scenes.

Who turned down the role of 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.

Who turned down the role of Buddy the Elf?

Jim Carrey was originally considered for the role of Buddy the Elf, but Will Ferrell ultimately brought the iconic character to life. The original script for Elf was much darker, but director Jon Favreau rewrote it to make it more family-friendly and PG-rated.

Why is Zooey Deschanel's hair blonde in Elf?

“I had to dye my hair blonde for a screen test for a movie that never happened before I did Elf,” Deschanel told Stylecaster in a March 2019 interview. “I went in for the meeting for Elf, and then I asked them, 'Could I dye my hair back to my natural color?

Does the Gimbels store still exist?

Gimbel Brothers (known simply as Gimbels) was an American department store corporation that operated for over a century, from 1842 until 1987.

Why did Gimbels fail?

By 1986, Batus Inc the company that had bought Gimbels couldn't find a buyer. The only value Gimbels had was it's real estate. Department stores are a brutal business to be. In an earlier era, it made sense to go to a store that sold everything.

Does Gimbels Dept store still exist?

Gimbels was acquired in 1972 and its remaining stores shuttered in 1986, with the Herald Square flagship sold and later converted into what's now the Manhattan Mall.