Elf, the classic holiday film starring Will Ferrell, has remained a fan favorite since its release in 2003, but that success wasn’t always a guarantee.
In his new book, Elf: Unwrapped, Andy Richter, with writer Aaron Karo, shares behind-the-scenes photos, anecdotes and interviews with Ferrell, as well as director Jon Favreau, actress Zooey Deschanel and others.
Richter talked to People magazine about what made the film, about a human (Ferrell) raised at the North Pole among Santa and his elves who travels to New York to meet his real father (James Caan), so special yet so uncertain.
“It was a risky movie, and nobody thinks about that because it’s now a classic, but at the time there was nobody that was aching to make a movie with Will Ferrell as the star or with Jon Favreau as the director, for that matter,” the actor told the magazine. “Will had never been number one on a movie at all, and Jon had directed one indie movie prior to that, that was well received, but wasn’t a runaway hit or anything.”
He added, “They were rolling the dice with this movie and it really paid off.”
While Ferrell is arguably now a household name, when Elf hit theaters, he was known primarily as a former cast member of Saturday Night Live, which he appeared on from 1995-2002. Favreau, who has since gone on to direct multiple films and TV series, had only a handful of directing credits, including the 2001 film Made, at the time.
Richter attributed the movie’s ultimate success to its combination of humor and heart.
“A lot of times you get one or the other, and I think that it’s really about as well-balanced a movie as you’re ever going to find,” the Late Night With Conan O’Brien writer said.
In addition to Ferrell, Deschanel, Caan, Richter and Favreau, Mary Steenburgen, Bob Newhart, Ed Asner and Peter Dinklage appeared in the film as well.
“We all have a very soft and warm spot in our hearts for this movie,” Richter shared.
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