Will Ferrell Reveals His ‘Elf’ Co-Star Said He Wasn’t ‘Funny’ On Set

Will Ferrell recently opened up about his experience working with the late James Caan on the beloved holiday comedy “Elf.” During an appearance on the “MeSsy” podcast with Christina Applegate and Jamie-Lynn Sigler, Ferrell shared some memories of filming and expressed his initial concerns about the movie’s potential success.

“I like to do bits but at the same time, I’m not like ‘on’ all the time,” Ferrell explained. He recounted how Caan would tease him on set by saying, “I don’t get you. You’re not funny. You’re not funny.” Ferrell understood that Caan’s jabs were delivered with affection. “And I’m like, ‘I know, I’m not Robin Williams, I’m not like –,’ he’s like, ’People ask me like, is he funny?’ I’m like, ‘No, he’s not funny.’”

The “Saturday Night Live” alum recalled a standout moment following the premiere of “Elf,” when Caan gave him a sincere compliment. “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 remembered. Ferrell played Buddy, the main character in the holiday classic.

Ferrell noted that throughout filming, Caan was genuinely annoyed with his antics. “But I love that the whole time, like he’s not acting. He’s truly annoyed with me. He’s like, ‘Can this guy shut the fuck up? Jesus.’ So I literally drove him crazy in that movie, just acting like that kid. But that was so funny, he’s walking out, shaking his head and going like ‘great job, I thought you were way too over the top. But no it’s brilliant, it’s brilliant.’”

Jon Favreau, the director of “Elf,” reflected on the dynamic between Ferrell and Caan on set in a 2020 interview with Rolling Stone. Favreau shared that Ferrell had a unique sense of humor, once gifting Caan with a copy of “The Godfather” trilogy as a wrap gift, along with a note that humorously critiqued Caan’s performance in the legendary films.

“Will gave him, as a wrap gift — he wrote a note that said, ‘Great working with you. The first one is a little bit slow, but the second two are really good.’ And it was ‘The Godfather’ trilogy,” Favreau recalled.

Ferrell mentioned on the “MeSsy” podcast that the script later incorporated more instances of Caan’s character getting increasingly frustrated and losing his temper. “And he didn’t want to do any of that,” Ferrell said. “He wanted to save it ’til that moment in the boardroom where he kicks me out and kicks me out of his life. No, it’s gotta be a slow build and he was totally right.”