Will Ferrell ‘couldn’t’ do follow-up to huge movie after effect character had on co-stars
Will Ferrell said he won't ever play one of his most beloved characters again, which caused a rift between himself and another co-star.
The American actor has been a comedic fixture in films since the 2000s, and if you don't follow his work, you'll at least know him as Brennan (with the angelic voice) in Step Brothers, or as Ron Burgundy in Anchorman.
However, even though he routinely has people running back to watch his films again and again, there's one he won't ever be reprising.
Considering the movie made a whopping $220 million off a budget of just $33 million, it's safe to say it could rake in a lot of money if a second film was ever put into production.
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What film am I talking about?
It's the actor's Christmas movie, Elf.
It's one of the most beloved Christmas films ever made, and you'll never get another like it.
Literally - because he refuses to take the role of Buddy again.
He even turned down a significant amount of cash, which was in some part driven by how much his co-star James Caan hated it.
Ferrell played Buddy Hobbs in the film, an overly-excited human brought up by Santa's elves, while Caan played his biological father, Walter.
If you remember correctly, Buddy was an eccentric, loud, Christmas lover, while his on-screen dad wasn't. As Ferrell explained on the Messy podcast, Caan actually didn't like the character off-camera either, telling him that he wasn't funny.
Admitting that he drove Caan 'crazy' on set, the actor explained: “James Caan, may he rest in peace, we had such a good time working on that movie,
“He would tease me. I like to do bits but I’m not like ‘on’ all the time. In between setups, [Caan] would be like, ‘I don’t get you. You’re not funny.’ And I’m like, ‘I know. I’m not Robin Williams'."
Ferrell went on: “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…”
But it turns out that the late actor would come around, making an admission after watching the film's premiere.
“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 recalled.
“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 f*** 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 theatre and shaking his head and going ‘it’s brilliant’,” the actor fondly remembered.
The Jon Favreau-directed title is viewed as a holiday classic, but it turns out that Ferrell once turned down a chance to do Elf 2.
He was offered up a handsome $29 million (£23.2 million) to be in a sequel of the film, but explained: “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.’”
Obviously, he admitted that he just wouldn't be allowed to say those words, so he couldn't do the movie.
Oh, what could have been.
Topics: Elf, Christmas, Will Ferrell
Britt Jones