Will Ferrell talks idea behind Buddy the Elf look at NHL game

Will Ferrell gave fans a Christmas surprise when he dressed up as Buddy the Elf from the beloved Christmas comedy Elf.

Now, the actor has revealed why he brought back the beloved elf for the NHL game.

On the latest episode of Jason and Travis Kelce’s New Heights podcast, Ferrell said: “Buddy the Elf got laid off, I think, from the North Pole. He’s having a pull from his beer. He’s smoking a cig,” he said, explaining the idea behind his look at the game.

“That was just — I get these weird ideas every now and then,” he noted.

The Daddy’s Home star also shared that he ran the idea by his wife Viveca Paulin first.

“I said, ‘Gosh, over the break, it’d be funny if I just got a Buddy the Elf costume and didn’t shave for like a week and I’m just sitting there with a candy cigarette — it’s just a candy cigarette! — and I’m just gonna sit there for a period and see how people react,’” he recalled. “And that was it.”

Ferrell, who’s a Kings superfan, never expected the look to get so much attention.

“The reaction was insane. They were like, ‘What is he doing? Is he promoting something?’” Will Ferrell said. “But occasionally I like to do weird things like that just to stir it up.”