Will Ferrell showed up at the Crypto.com arena in Los Angeles for Sunday’s hockey game between the Kings and the Flyers. He was accompanied by his wife Viveca Paulin, and son Alex as he stole the audience’s attention with his outfit from the holiday classic Elf. Although his character from the 2003 movie, Buddy, was full of festive cheer, Will Ferrell seemed downcast as he chugged on a beer with a fake cigarette in hand. Even his Buddy the Elf costume did not fit like it used to, but he managed to show up confidently in it regardless.
FanDuel Sports Network reporter Carrlyn Bathe had a conversation with the comedy star at the hockey game, and from their conversation, she deduced that he has been having a tough holiday season with his team, the Los Angeles Kings, and is rooting for them to win. His concerns about the hockey game aside, playing Buddy the Elf took Will Ferrell’s career to the next level and is arguably his most beloved character so far.
Will Ferrell spreads Christmas cheer to a hockey game dressed as Buddy the Elf, with a gritty modern twist
Will Ferrell dresses up as Buddy the Elf at a Dec.29 hockey game between the Kings and Flyers. pic.twitter.com/8bUrnxmqec
— non aesthetic things (@PicturesFoIder) December 30, 2024
Although his role as Buddy made him even more famous, Will Ferrell already had some acclaim as a comedian on Saturday Night Live in the ‘90s and early 2000s. He was known for his iconic impersonations of US President George W. Bush, Massachusetts Senator Ted Kennedy, United States Attorney General Janet Reno, game show host Alex Trebek, US Vice President Al Gore, Iraqi President Saddam Hussein, Cuban President Fidel Castro, and many more. He also did original characters, with his most memorable being office worker Dale McGrew, who made the audience go wild with laughter when he appeared in a thong at the start of the skit.
While doing Saturday Night Live shows, Will Ferrell was also on sets for productions like the Austin Powers series for International Man of Mystery and The Spy Who Shagged Me, which were two years apart. He also starred in Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back and Zoolander in 2001, after which he left Saturday Night Live to focus on his budding acting career. After he left the long-running comedy show, he landed the part of Frank “The Tank” Richard in 2003’s Old School. The Todd Phillips-directed production earned Will Ferrell an MTV Movie Awards nomination for Best Comedic Performance, and another followed for his part in Elf that same year.
‘Elf’ remains a holiday classic more than two decades later
Elf was an instant hit when it premiered in November 2003, grossing over $220 million as against its $33 million budget. So, today, Will Ferrell appearing as Buddy the Elf appearing at a hockey game is as relevant as ever. Ferrell himself took home a fat check of about $32 million on its opening weekend. The 57-year-old has acknowledged the impact of Elf in his Hollywood career, noting that he was instantly sold by the script and his character’s mix of comic relief and emotion. He was not really shocked at the movie’s performance upon release; however, the timelessness of Elf decades later is still a surprise to Will Ferrell, who recently co-starred in the Netflix documentary Will & Harper.
Aside from acting, which Will Ferrell has done in the past three decades, he co-founded Funny Or Die, a video streaming platform that allows users to upload and watch short comedy films for peer voting and reviews, with Adam McKay, the head writer on Saturday Night Live during his active years as a cast member. They also worked together on HBO’s Eastbound & Down and ran the production company Gary Sanchez until their split due to Adam overlooking Will for a role in Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty. He is a sports lover too— as evidenced by his latest appearance and having played baseball, ice hockey, and soccer in recent years.
