Will Ferrell Says Late James Caan Was 'Truly Annoyed' with Him While Filming “Elf”: 'I Drove Him Crazy'

While playing the annoyed father to Will Ferrell’s Buddy, James Caan was “not acting,” recalled the ‘Elf’ star

The late James Caan was not necessarily a fan of Will Ferrell while they filmed Elf.

“I literally drove him crazy in that movie,” Ferrell, 56, told Christina Applegate and Jamie-Lynn Sigler on the July 9 episode of their podcast, MeSsy.

The holiday classic featured Ferrell as the childlike Buddy, an adult human raised by elves on the North Pole. Caan played Buddy’s biological father Walter, who is so Scrooge-like, it turns out he’s on Santa’s dreaded naughty list.

“I love that the whole time, he’s not acting,” quipped Ferrell of his costar. “He’s truly annoyed with me. He’s like, ‘Can this guy shut the f--- up?’ ”

Related: 10 Fun Facts About Elf You Probably Didn't Know

Caan, who died in 2022 at age 82 due to heart problems, also used to tease Ferrell — “with love,” according to the Step Brothers star. “In between setups, he’d be like, ‘I don’t get you. You’re not funny.’ And I’m like, ‘I know. I’m not Robin Williams.’ ”

But when Elf was first screened in 2003, Caan reportedly admitted that his jabs were not totally in jest — and that he’d been wrong in judging the “bits” his costar was doing on and off camera, which Ferrell called “the best 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,’ ” remembered Ferrell. “That was so funny, he’s walking out, shaking his head and going, ‘Great job.’ ”

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Related: Scott Caan Recalls Final Conversations with Dad James Caan: 'I'm Lucky for That'

Elf, directed by Jon Favreau and written by David Berenbaum, was a box office hit and has since become a go-to holiday classic. It costarred Zooey Deschanel, Mary Steenburgen, Ed Asner, Daniel Tay and Bob Newhart.

Ferrell’s appearance on MeSsy also celebrated the 20th anniversary of Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy, in which he costarred with Applegate, 52. The podcast conversation covered the pair’s memories filming the Adam McKay classic, as well as Ferrell’s beginnings in comedy.

As both actor and producer, Ferrell has plenty of upcoming projects. Among them is the Reese Witherspoon-costarring You're Cordially Invited, scheduled for a Jan. 30, 2025 release.

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