Elf has become a firm family favourite at Christmas time, joining the likes of Love Actually and The Holiday in popularity.
The jolly film, which hit cinemas in 2003, follows the story of Will Ferrell as Buddy the Elf who leaves the North Pole in search for his biological father.
Despite the film being all about self acceptance and the power of love at Christmas time, it seems it was a different story behind the scenes.
A member of the crew lifted the lid on what actually happened on set, nearly twenty years later.
According to the crew member, there were rows between cast mates and doubts from the director – but luckily it all paid off.
Second choice
It was Will Ferrell's first film as the leading character but he wasn't the first choice for the role, according to one of the crew members.
Garth Pearce told The Sun that the role was actually originally given to Jim Carey, but he turned it down.
It would have been Jim's second Christmas film after he played the Grinch in How The Grinch Stole Christmas in 2000.
After Jim turned it down, Will nervously stepped up to wear the elf costume.
Tension on set
At the time of filming, Will was famous for the American TV comedy show Saturday Night Live, but he suffered an awkward encounter with one of his Elf co-stars.
James Caan, who died this year in July, bluntly told Will: "I don't find you funny."
The actor, who passed aged 82, was said to be fuming over sharing the spotlight with Will who was 35 at the time.
As well as having beef with his co-star, he also apparently hated the title of the film and would mockingly call it "Elk".
James, who won an Oscar nomination as Sonny Corleone in the 1972 film The Godfather, allegedly told Garth that Hollywood had washed its hands of him due to his "wild reputation".
He told Garth that there was a "huge difference between him wanting to work and having to work", and he said that he only took the role in Elf for financial gain.
James allegedly slated Will, calling him "the dullest person" he'd "ever met".
But Will didn't let James' crushing opinion get him down, he said that everyone is entitled to their own views of "who is funny and who isn't."
Zooey's hair troubles
Zooey Deschanel, who was aged 23 at the time of filming, was hoping the movie would be her big break. However, her hair colour was actually for a different role.
"What is funny is I had dyed my hair for a screen test for a movie that never happened," she told Variety in 2018.
She dyed her black hair blonde, but was terrified that the film wouldn't be the breakthrough she'd hoped for.
The New Girl actor said in 2003: "And it’s a nightmare dying my hair every week, because my true colour is actually black.she said. "It’s also a myth that men prefer blondes. They don’t!
"I am banking on the fact that other people love Christmas as much as I do. I even believed in Santa Claus until I was 13. But I haven’t a clue how things will work out," she added.
Director fears
The film was directed by Jon Favreau, who was trying to salvage his career after his previous film had crashed and burned.
Elf was the second film he had ever made and was desperate that it was going to work.
He was allegedly aware that he wasn't Will's choice of director, but there was tight budget restrictions on the Christmas hit.
Perhaps in an act of defiance, Will often ad-libbed his lines – which Jon let slide.
He told Garth that was just how things were in the film industry, and noted that the script had been re-written several times.
The director had confessed that they'd had "some problems" but that wasn't anything new in making films.
Will had apparently said that he was an unlikely director to be picked to make a Christmas film and was known more for his acting than leading a film.
A tight squeeze
Will, who towers at 6ft 3 inches tall, had to squeeze himself into the tiny chairs in the elf classroom in one of the early scenes.
Garth revealed that he actually had to perform the scene on his own, which he thought was hilarious – but the other crew members didn't.
He said that others on set were more concerned about the lighting and sound to find Will funny.
They filmed large portions of the film in a snowy Vancouver and used a former mental health hospital for parts of the set.
Garth said how this appeared to affect the mood.
Will's worries
Will apparently sat down in full costume to share his worries about the film.
He branded it a "departure for both him and the director", adding that he didn't think that either of them would be picked to be linked to a Christmas movie.
The Step Brothers star said that the film was less scary than his time on Saturday Night Live.
He said how his mind was opened after he was given the opportunity and he hoped it would open the door for other gigs.
Luckily for the cast, Elf was a huge success and scored rave reviews.
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It was expected to make just £26million in the box office, but instead it scooped £194million – proving many of them wrong, including the late James.
Will became an international star and went on to star in huge movies off the back of it.
And as for Jon Favreau, whose previous film Made had been a flop, he went on to direct two Iron Man films, The Jungle Book and The Lion King.
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