Bob Newhart has nothing but fond memories and high praise for the film Elf and his character Papa Elf, on what’s the 20th anniversary of the Christmas comedy film.
‘Without question, the part of Papa Elf outranks, by far, any role I may have ever played,’ Newhart, 94, declared in a new email interview with CNN.
That’s a bold statement coming from a man who’s considered a television icon after scoring two big hit sitcoms playing Robert Hartley on The Bob Newhart Show (1972-1978) and Dick Loudon in Newhart (1982-1990).
It turns out it didn’t take long into the read of the script for Newhart to feel it would join the list of Christmas holiday classics.
‘My agent sent me the script and I fell in love with it,’ the Oak Park, Illinois native revealed, before telling his wife, Virginia Quinn, that it was ‘going to be another Miracle on 34th Street, where people watch it every year.’
Top role: Bob Newhart, 94, revealed his role as Papa Elf in the now holiday classic Elf ‘outranks, by far, any role I may have ever played,’ in a new email interview with CNN
Newhart ended up being spot on in his prediction of Elf joining the ranks on the short list of timeless and beloved holiday classics.
Directed by Jon Favreau from a screenplay by David Berenbaum, Will Ferrell plays the lead role of Buddy The Elf, who was raised by Newhart’s Papa Elf in the North Pole, who travels to New York to meet his biological father, a curmudgeonly business executive played by the late James Caan.
Newhart, who began his entertainment career as a comedian in the late 1950s, went on to share how he and Ferrell had a great time shooting Elf, and how they ‘would always break each other up.’
The on-screen father-son duo actually ‘very seldom made eye contact’ during the shoot due to the filming techniques Favreau and the filmmakers used to make the pair look different in size.
The so-called Darby O’Gill technique, or forced perspective, had been used in other films such as The Lord of the Rings trilogy.
It involves placing actors far apart to make one look smaller or bigger, but angled in front of the camera to make them look closer together.
‘For example, in the scene where Will and I were riding the tricycle, Will sat in the front, while I sat 10 feet behind him,’ Newhart recalled. ‘They had an actor directly behind Will who was hidden, but his hands on Will’s shoulders. This made it look like I was Elf sized.’
CGI usage was kept to a minimum due to Favreau’s own preference, which was something that he would later note he ‘had to fight very hard’ for.
He predicted success: Newhart recalled telling his wife, Virginia Quinn, that Elf was ‘going to be another Miracle on 34th Street, where people watch it every year’
Bonafide classic: It turns out the television icon was write in his prediction of Elf’s success and the film becoming a Christmas holiday classic
Along with Ferrell, Newhart and Caan, the cast also included Zooey Deschanel, Mary Steenburgen, Ed Asner, Daniel Tay, Faizon Love, Peter Dinklage, Amy Sedaris, Michael Lerner, Andy Richter, Kyle Gass, Artie Lange, Jon Favreau, Matt Walsh, Peter Billingsley, Mark Acheson, Claire Lautier and David Paul Grove.
Following its release in November 2003, Elf opened at number two at the box office in the U.S., finishing only behind The Matrix Revolutions.
But it would go on to become number one in its second week of release, and end up grossing $225.1 million at the worldwide box office against a $33 million budget.
For Newhart, Elf now sits among the great classics that will forever be watched during the holidays.
‘In my opinion, there has not been anything like it in the interim,’ he said before explaining some of the film’s charm.
‘People wanted to believe in it. … People need that charming, wonderful thing about the Christmas spirit and its way of powering the sleigh,’ he added.
