Trivia: Will Ferrell’s ‘Elf’ Almost Starred Jim Carrey Instead
By Angie Han/Dec. 12, 2016 3:00 pm EST
This particular bit of trivia isn’t a new one, but I don’t think it’s one we’ve ever featured before on /Film. And with the holiday season in full swing, it’s making the rounds again.
In some ways, it’s easy to see how Carrey once looked right for the part. Buddy’s goofy personality and sugar-high energy would play well to Carrey’s strengths as a performer. But I think Ferrell was ultimately the better choice — Carrey’s got an edge of menace to him that Ferrell doesn’t. Then again, I suppose that’s easy enough to say now since we’ve only ever seen Ferrell in the part. Either way, I think it’s pretty clear that Carrey’s casting would have made for a very different film.
Even though Carrey passed on Elf, he’s still part of the holiday movie lineup that seems to flood our TVs each December. That’s because while Elf was kicking around, Carrey made a different holiday movie, 2000’s How the Grinch Stole Christmas. And he made another one in 2009, A Christmas Carol.
[H/T Geek Tyrant]
