The film came out over 20 years ago (2003, would you believe it) and still, Elf is a family favourite in many households. In fact, in an ongoing survey by Newsround, Elf is currently the third most popular Christmas film in the UK, just behind Nativity and Home Alone, which has taken the top spot.
Along with Anchorman which came out in 2004, Elf is one of the films that comedian and actor Will Ferrell is known for. He plays Buddy with such whimiscal charm that it was one of his career-defining roles.
However, the actor wasn’t the first choice for the flick and was actually given it a decade after the original script was written.
The actor originally chosen to play Buddy the Elf
So, the script for Elf was written way back in 2003 by David Berenbaum and according to film website Screen Rant, the role was written with actor Jim Carrey in mind.
This may be surprising but this same year, the actor was filming Ace Ventura: Pet Detective and starring in In Living Color. He really was just about to become a comedy giant in Hollywood. Screen Rant also explain: “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.”
While I personally prefer Jim Carrey, it really is hard to imagine anybody but Will Ferrell playing the role and it turns out, the actor thought the exact same.
He and screenwriter Adam McKay took on the script after several years of stagnation and decide to make it themselves with director Jon Favreau. The film originally had a darker tone but this trio made it into the modern fairytale that we see on our screens every year now.
Elf is available to stream on Netflix UK.
