Will Ferrell has a surprising admission to make as he appeared on The One Show. The actor appeared on the BBC show's famous green sofa alongside actress Octavia Spencer to discuss their new festive film, Spirited, which they star in alongside Ryan Reynolds.
Spirited, which is released in UK cinemas on Friday (November 18), is a retelling of Charles Dickens' classic story A Christmas Carol, told through the eyes of the ghosts. Will takes on the role of Ghost of Christmas Present while Octavia plays Kimberly, the executive vice president at Clint Briggs' workplace, who is the businessman equivalent of Ebenezer Scrooge played by Ryan.
But after chatting about their new festive movie, hosts Jermain Jenas and Lauren Laverne couldn't help but ask Will about what is possibly his biggest-ever role - Buddy the Elf in the Christmas classic, Elf.
And the American movie star left the presenters surprised as he revealed how he feared that Elf would be "my last movie" while filming it almost 20 years ago. But the actor and comedian did say he believed the film had "stood the test of time" because it was "beautifully uncynical".
Asked why Elf continued to be so popular 19 years after its release, Will said: “I think because it’s beautifully uncynical. It’s a character that’s excited by everything that’s mundane to us in our normal lives, it’s a fish-out-of-water story. It’s just very sweet and hopeful, and turns out it was funny."
Speaking about filming the movie, he said: "At the time it was as I was running around New York City in my yellow tights I was thinking 'this could be my last movie'. Little did we know we were making a movie that would stand the test of time."
And Buddy is currently having a revival in Asda's 2022 Christmas advert. It sees Buddy try his hand at becoming an Asda employee. But in true Buddy style, it doesn't quite all go to plan.
The 90-second clip opens with a nod to the "street crossing" screen from the movie – except this time, Buddy almost gets knocked over by Asda shopping trolleys, instead of a New York City cab. The loveable character is on a trial shift at Asda, but ends up getting distracted by all the Christmas goodies in store.
He's also seen marvelling at mince pies, eating all the pigs in blankets samples, distracting colleagues and singing loudly on the store tannoy. But just when you think he has ruined his chances of a job, Buddy turns it all around by decking out the entire shop floor in fairy lights and festive decorations - securing him the role.
The clip uses original footage from Elf so it looks like Buddy is actually inside an Asda store and it's soundtracked by Santa Clause is Comin’ to Town. Fans will recognise lines from the Elf movie as they watch the ad, including: "It's not a costume. I'm an elf," and "the best way to spread Christmas cheer is singing loud for all to hear."
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