It’s everyone’s favourite Christmas movie, and it’s officially been 15 years since it hit our screens. But regardless of whether you’ve seen it once or 30 times, we bet these behind-the-scenes secrets will leave you flabbergasted.
1. Will Ferrell wasn’t picked to play Buddy
Before the film was made, the script was passed around Hollywood for almost a decade. During this period, Jim Carey was one of the biggest comedy stars and seemed like the perfect fit. However, having already starred in A Christmas Carol and The Grinch That Stole Christmas Carey passed on the offer and the lead role went to Ferrell!
2. Zooey Deschanel also wasn’t picked to play Jovie
Relatively new on the acting scene, funnily enough, Deschanel was not the producers’ first choice.
“I went in as a backup,” the actress admitted, explaining the original actress pulled out days before filming began. “The person they cast couldn’t do it. A lot of the parts I got early in my career, I was filling in for someone else who had dropped in last minute.”
She may have landed the role by de facto, but she absolutely nailed the role of Buddy’s love interest!
3. Sickness on set
Remember when Buddy mixed maple syrup, spaghetti, and smarties? While on screen it looked like it tasted delicious, the sugar overload left Ferrell with horrible headaches.
“I ingested a lot of sugar in this movie and I didn’t get a lot of sleep. I constantly stayed up. But anything for the movie, I’m there,” Ferrell said. “If it takes eating a lot of maple syrup, then I will — if that’s what the job calls for.”
4. Baby business
Babies are hard work at the best of times. So it’s little wonder the producers of Elf fired twin boys for constantly crying on set when they were supposed to be smiling. Oops. They were later replaced by triplets who kept the waterworks to a minimum.
5. No chance of a sequel
It’s no secret that the film recieved overwhelmingly positive reviews. So much so, many fans begged for a sequel. While others were on board, Ferrell refused even when he was offered $US29 million ($A39.8 million) to be part of Elf 2.
Why?
“I just think it would look slightly pathetic if I tried to squeeze back in the elf tights: Buddy the middle-aged elf,” he told USA Today.
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