New Line Cinema/Netflix
There’s no arguing that Elf is one of the greatest Christmas movies ever, but did you know one of its most iconic scenes happened completely by accident?
In the scenes where Buddy the Elf (played by Will Ferrell) first explores New York City, the moment where he mistakes an old man in a red jogging suit for Santa wasn’t scripted—and that man wasn’t even an actor!
Cinematographer Greg Gardiner shared the story behind the scene:
“I was walking around trying to figure out how to shoot these streets. How do we capture the energy of New York City without it feeling fake? The best way not to have it fake is to have it real. So, we just put him [Will Ferrell] out there on the streets. Those are real people, not actors. The guy in the red jogging suit? He was just there.”
This spontaneous approach gave us one of the funniest sequences in the film. Buddy’s wide-eyed innocence, paired with Ferrell’s towering presence and interactions with authentic (and unpredictable) New Yorkers, is pure comedy gold. And the fact that the “Santa” in question wasn’t even trying to look like Santa? That’s the cherry on top of an already hilarious scene.
See the moment when Buddy met “Santa” below! 🎅✨
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