Unwrap This Mind-Blowing ‘Elf’ Surprise That Will Brighten Your Holidays!

There is no question: Buddy the Elf ranks among the most cherished Christmas film characters ever. A significant aspect of his appeal lies in his sheer silliness, and how his joyful, innocent personality takes non-elf adults by surprise. Well, consider this: Many of the New Yorkers Buddy met in the film truly were taken aback by his cheerful spirit. The reason? They weren’t performers.

“I was wandering around figuring out how to film these streets,” cinematographer Greg Gardiner disclosed. “How can we capture the essence of New York City? How do we achieve this without it appearing artificial? The optimal way to avoid inauthenticity is to keep it real, so we placed him [Will Ferrell] out there among the crowds. Those are genuine people; they aren’t performers. The gentleman in the red jogging outfit, he was just there.”

Greg is, naturally, alluding to the bearded individual Buddy confused for Santa.

Before the festive season, The Hook shared this interesting detail with its million-plus followers and, to say the least, Elf enthusiasts and Christmas aficionados couldn’t hide their excitement about the revelation. “Wow!! I admire this even more now,” one user remarked on Instagram. “I absolutely love this,” another enthusiast added. “Best film ever,” a third person commented.

While numerous fans applauded the authenticity of the filming, others couldn’t help but speculate how many scenes were improvisational. “So does this imply he just dashed out in front of taxis, spontaneously also,” one user questioned. “Was the gum genuine,” another person queried.

Elf isn’t the sole holiday film to include unscripted scenes. The Holiday, Miracle on 34th Street, It’s a Wonderful Life, A Christmas Story, Love Actually, and Home Alone do as well.