Andy Richter, who played Morris in Elf, helped cowrite the book "Elf Unwrapped: Behind the Scenes of a Modern Christmas Classic," released November 3. He described shooting interiors in a partly functioning mental hospital, casting disputes over Will Ferrell, and a reported sequel script.
Andy Richter played Morris in Elf and helped cowrite the book "Elf Unwrapped: Behind the Scenes of a Modern Christmas Classic," which was released on November 3.
Filming in a mental hospital
Richter says almost all the interiors of Elf were shot in a mental hospital that was still functioning a little bit, with a wing still housing patients. He said empty wings were used for the offices, the Hobbs' home and the mailroom. Studio and soundstage space was limited because a big vampire movie was filming at the same time.
Casting
New Line's Kent Alterman fought to get Will Ferrell the role of Buddy, while other people objected to casting Ferrell. Richter said Alterman was shown the Elf script and said he bet Ferrell would be great for it. Katie Holmes was originally offered the role of Jovie, and Selma Blair was considered for a version of the character who rode a skateboard. The part ultimately went to Zooey Deschanel.
Sequel talk
Scott Armstrong, an uncredited writer on the original film, had already written a follow-up. Producer Shauna Robertson said The Edge supposedly wrote an Elf 2 script. According to Richter, The Edge of U2 reportedly wrote an Elf sequel script, and Robertson was told he wanted to talk to her about it. The meeting never led to anything.
