Will Ferrell smokes a cigarette while dressed as Elf’s Buddy at the NHL game

On By Littum

Will Ferrell smokes a cigarette while dressed as an elf character at the NHL game
Ronald Martinez/Getty Images

Buddy the Elf’s appearance at an NHL game was a far cry from the jovial personality fans know and love.

While watching the LA Kings vs. Philadelphia Flyers game at Los Angeles’ Crypto.com Arena on Sunday, December 29, Will Ferrell was seen less than thrilled as he sat next to his wife, Viveca Paulinand their youngest son, 14-year-old Axel. (The couple also share sons Magnus, 20, and Mattias, 18).

“If you’ve been to Crypto.com arena over the past few seasons, you know Buddy the Elf is a huge Kings fan,” FanDuel Sports Network reporter Carrlyn Bathe said during the game, per social media. “But we’ve never, ever seen him like that.”

The camera turned to Ferrell, 57, who sat watching the game in his Elf costume with a matching green hat. The actor was holding a cup of beer while a cigarette dangled from his mouth.

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Will Ferrell captivated viewers as the iconic Buddy the Elf in 2003’s Elf, and fans still can’t get enough of the silly holiday flick more than two decades later. In the Christmas movie, Buddy goes to New York City in hopes of finding his biological father, Walter Hobbs (James Caan), after learning that he (…)

“He’s got a cigarette lane, he’s got a 5 o’clock shadow,” she continued. “Looks a little unhappy. Said it was a tough holiday season, you guys.”

Bathe noted that the actor is “looking for a Kings win.” She added: “Right now, with this score, it’s a little uneven. I don’t think he’s happy with the way things are going personally and on the ice.

Will Ferrell smokes a cigarette while dressed as an elf character at the NHL game
Ronald Martinez/Getty Images

Elf centered around Buddy discovering that he is human and heading to New York City to reconnect with his biological father, Walter Hobbs (James Caan).

During an interview in 2021 with The Hollywood Reporterrecalled Ferrell filming Elf in the Big Apple and running around in his costume thinking, “Boy, this could be the end.”

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Bruce Glikas/WireImage From Waitress to The Notebook and even Mean Girls — whose screen-to-stage adaptation was then adapted into a movie musical earlier this year — Broadway is no stranger to drawing on iconic films for stage productions. Elf: The Musical is the latest in this long line of silver screen-to-Broadway adaptations. While the show (…)

Before the premiere, there were a series of test screenings, after which Ferrell’s manager would update him on audience reactions.

“He was like, ‘Well, the family was going great, but we could really be removed in this next one. I’m looking at a lot of what looks like USC frat boys walking in,'” Ferrell recalled of his alma mater. “Then later I hear, no, that group actually liked it too.”

Will Ferrell smokes a cigarette while dressed as an elf character at the NHL game
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While fans of the holiday film have been hoping for more, Ferrell revealed that a sequel isn’t happening anytime soon.

Ferrell shared that he was not a fan of the story pitched for the second film, and ultimately claimed to have turned down a $29 million offer to return.

“I would have had to promote the film from an honest place, which would have been, like, ‘Oh no, it’s not good. I just couldn’t turn down that much money,'” he said. “And I thought, ‘Can I actually say those words? I don’t think I can, so I guess I can’t make the movie.’