Jon Favreau, director of Elf

Featured interview by Thomas Chau, UGO Contributing Editor

You best know him opposite Vince Vaughn in the classic "guy" films, Made and Swingers, but Jon Favreau can pull off directing a family comedy for all ages. Favreau directs New Line Cinema's Elf, a comedy starring Will Ferrell, Zooey Deschanel, James Caan, Bob Newhart, and Ed Asner, about a 30-year-old man who is brought up as one of Santa's elves. When he learns the truth about his human parents, he journeys to New York City, where he tries to enrich the lives of the people around him through Christmas spirit.

Jon was in New York City recently to talk about directing Elf and also his television show on the IFC Channel, Dinner of Five.

QUESTION: Were you a natural choice to direct this movie?

JON FAVREAU (JF): This one? I don't think I was an obvious choice for them but Will came to me with it. He wanted to work with me for a while and I think a big fear for everybody was that this not turn into one long sketch. I think in hiring me, they knew that my sensibility was a little more story oriented and not so much gag oriented. It was constantly walking the line of making it a very funny, broad Will Ferrell movie and also keeping the emotional story paying the proper amount of emotion to it because it's a Christmas movie. We wanted to do something that makes you feel like you should in a Christmas movie. Also, in hiring a cast of not comedians, but actors, to support him. I cast this like I would an independent movie. All these people in this movie popped up in Sundance Film Festival: Zooey, Peter Dinklage, who was in The Station Agent, and Daniel Tay, [who] was in American Splendor. So, I still cast it and made it with the sensibilities that I have for my other work but only as far as to ground Will, and to allow him to be as crazy as he needed to be, but in grounding the story in reality as much as possible.

QUESTION: Most movies nowadays use digital technology but you avoided that. Would things have been easier or harder had you gone the digital route?

JF: It would've been easier to do, in a sense, but I think it wouldn't serve the movie as well. I think a lot of what makes the film feel familiar and appealing to people my age is sort of the nostalgic casting and depiction of the North Pole. Buddy feels like he just walked out of a Christmas special. The music - I wanted to score it the way you would in a 1960s Christmas special. The animation - I used two-frame animation which is a very, sort of jumpy style where if you had the budget, you wouldn't do it that way. You do one per single frame animation but I wanted it to feel just like the old shows. And then in putting Peter Billinglsey in there; he did a cameo as one of the elves. He was Ralphie in A Christmas Story" and also my producing partner on Dinner of Five. And then also dressing Ed Asner like in the old Coca-Cola ads. I just wanted to use any cultural reference that would make people feel like they've seen this place and this movie before. That familiarity would springboard Will into this present day New York and really make him stand out.

QUESTION: So what are your all-time favorite Christmas movies?

JF: It's a Wonderful Life, A Christmas Story, Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer. Those are the big three but those are the ones you see year after year and that's our big goal with this. I'll know if this movie works based on not what it makes at the box-office but [whether] it makes it into the lineup on television. 

QUESTION: What are the challenges of making New York City such a standout character in this movie?

JF: A lot of it is getting permission to shoot at these places at a very sensitive time in New York's history where they don't necessarily want a film crew in like, the Lincoln Tunnel or on the 59th Street Bridge, or the Empire State Building at Christmas time. I'm from here and I didn't want to shoot any of the New York streets in Canada. I didn't want to shoot Christmas in February where I [would have] some art department guy hanging some lights up on a telephone pole. I wanted the real lights and I wanted the real look. We had to shoot before Christmas in December. The city does not stop for anybody and so we had to work around the schedule of the city. There was almost a transit strike and the blizzard was hitting. It worked out all well but it certainly did not make for an easy shoot.

QUESTION: What kind of reaction did you get from people when Will Ferrell walks down the street in an elf costume?

JF: New Yorkers will refuse to make eye contact because either they're a weirdo or they want attention and you're giving it to them. Those people you see walking down the street when he's first walking down in that Tootsie shot that we have there - those are real people, those aren't actors. We shot him [Ferrell] in the city. We just hid our camera and let him loose. The people were reacting the way they really would.

QUESTION: Can you talk about why Zooey was a good person to fit with Will?

JF: I thought Zooey was certainly really a good choice because she's attractive in a very nostalgic [way]. She looks to me, in some of these lighting setups, like some of the old silent movie stars. She has those big dole eyes and alabaster skin. And her voice - she sings like Doris Day. In one sense, she feels very classic but she's very quirky and an independent film actress. She's not the obvious choice for the studio. But I felt, in some way, because of her quirkiness and how much she and Will got on in their own quirky ways in real life, that you bought some of the chemistry in the movie. It's a tough buy that somebody would end up being close enough to this character. That was tricky. I also wanted to use her because the singing was such an important part. I actually added the second number after I heard her sing, and I really wanted to feature that. I felt that that little duet helped bring that storyline along. 

QUESTION: Did you have to fight the studio for her?

JF: It certainly wasn't the obvious choice that popped up on the list first. They want the most obvious people who are the most famous for every role, not just that role. Anytime you go for sort of a unique, different, eclectic choice in casting, they're going to challenge you on it and it becomes a little bit like horse trading. We ultimately ended up with a cast that I was very, very happy with. I didn't feel compromised at all. 

QUESTION: Is directing a more natural fit for you than acting?

JF: I like it because I'm a bit obsessive. In working with the script, casting the movie, picking locations, and coming up with that kind of stuff, it allows me to make a million little decisions everyday that you're shooting. Even in post-production, when you get to play with stuff like the animation, music, and the scoring of the orchestra. You get to make a million little choices that ultimately a tone and frame of reference and a feeling for a movie. So in that sense, I think I am well cut out for it because I am pretty decisive.

QUESTION: James Caan has said that he has trouble getting work because a lot of directors are afraid to work with him. What was your experience like?

JF: From the day Jimmy walked on the street, he said, "I don't want to be called Jimmy Caan. I want to be called 'The Dream.' That's my new nickname. I'm 'The Dream.' They called me 'The Dream' on this last movie I worked on with Benecio Del Toro." So I said, "O.K." We got him a chair that said "The Dream." He was "The Dream." The thing with him is that he's so experienced, and he's usually right by the way. To my credit, I know when to get out of the way of somebody who knows more than I do. In a lot of cases, Will understood comedy better than I did and Jimmy Caan understood his character better than I did. If I'm going to cast them and they inspire me and they have a good reason for doing what they're doing, I'll let them do it. 

QUESTION: You have Bob Newhart and Ed Asner in the film, two of the greatest TV icons of all-time. What was it like working with them?

JF: Part of the reason why I cast them was the minute they appear in your movie, you inherit everything they've come to represent. Although, they were not obvious pieces of casting either. It's so strange because with people who don't understand, sometimes they accuse you of making choices that are stale when in fact, I think in casting people like that, makes the movie more fresh and a little bit more hip because you're not just casting actors, but you're casting their whole memory and everything they've come to represent. That's inherited by your movie. So when you see Papa Elf, you inherit his whole sense of humor, his sensibility, his dry delivery. There's an edginess to both of these guys who are still at the top of their game. There's an edginess that really fits into the movie and makes the movie cool. So when you see Papa Elf as Bob, and he's narrating the movie, it immediately makes everybody my age and older, understand that this is type of movie that they're going to see, and they get it right away. Same thing with Asner. He's not just the avuncular Santa Claus. He's cuddly. But when you're an elf, he's the boss. You're scared of him. He's come to represent the father figure in the movie. Just as much as [Buddy] is seeking the approval of James Caan, he wants Santa's approval too, just like Rudolph. And so in casting these two guys, it immediately makes the film feel familiar. 

QUESTION: What do you cut out of Dinner of Five and will we see an unedited version of the chats you guys have?

JF: We're actually releasing a DVD of the first season and I'm going to go back into the old footage because most of the episodes have three hours of raw footage. Not all of it's good or entertaining. A lot of it is people picking their teeth but we are pulling some segments in and stuff that didn't make the cut for people who really like it, and [also] for people who can't get the show, because they can't get IFC, so NetFlix is distributing it. You can get it from their website or there will be ways to order it.

QUESTION: Is there anybody that hasn't appeared on the show that you would like to have?

JF: A lot of people. It's obvious who I'd want. I'd love to have Woody Allen, [Martin] Scorsese…people you'd want to hang out with. I just worked with [Jack] Nicholson. I'd love to have the nerve to ask him. He doesn't do any press so like he's going to do an IFC thing?

QUESTION: Did you ever have anybody on your show that surprised you?

JF: [Rod] Steiger was good. I have the upmost respect for him. I think he's a warm human being and wonderful performer. I was honored to have him on. It was one of his last appearances but it was interesting.




Will Ferrell, star of Elf

Featured interview by Thomas Chau, UGO Contributing Editor

Whether it's George W. Bush, one of the Roxbury brothers, Craig the misfit cheerleader, or James Lipton, many associate Will Ferrell with the many hilarious characters he portrayed on Saturday Night Live. But this Christmas, Ferrell proves he has the star power to headline his own movie in Elf, a family comedy for the holiday season. Ferrell plays Buddy, a man brought up by Santa's elves, who embarks on a mission to New York City to find his real human father (played by James Caan).

Ferrell, acting incredibly funny and at ease, sat down in New York City for an interview to talk about the movie.

QUESTION: What drew you to this film? What caught your attention when you read the script?

WILL FERRELL (WF): You know what? It actually had a bit of a winding journey through the whole thing. But initially, the thing that kind of appealed to me was [that] if we could do it in a right way to have the opportunity to be in a family comedy. The comedies that I've done have probably viewed by a very specific audience. We felt like if we could make this funny enough, it would be an opportunity to be seen by hopefully by a wider audience.

QUESTION: This is no A Night at the Roxbury…

WF: (Defiantly) It is not. But that is a classic, so be careful…(Laughter)

QUESTION: So how you handle the transition of doing a comedy that is more broad than an SNL -sketch?

WF: Yes, it's a good question that I don't have an answer for. I don't really know. All you have in comedy, in general, is just going with your instincts and you can only hope that other people will think what you think is funny. I don't really have an answer. I just try to plow straight ahead. 

QUESTION: But a lot of people who have left Saturday Night Live have dropped off the face of the earth, but you're at the height of your career. Why do you think that is?

WF: So far, I'm still on this earth. I don't know, I make sure I eat a good breakfast every morning? (Laughter) People love to ask that question. I think they love to try analyzing that. The only answer I have is that if you're able to get into the development of some of the projects and if you're able to write for yourself a little bit - possibly that increases your odds of being more successful. Even then, it's still all a crapshoot. I just never expected even to be on Saturday Night Live. 

QUESTION: Were the tights intimidating at all for you?

WF: No, they were invigorating. (Laughter) I never felt more like a man.

QUESTION: They were made especially to be comforting for you though?

WF: Specially made by the engineers at NASA. They actually cost $40,000 dollars. No? You don't believe me? No, they were just basic fleece. It was actually very comfortable in New York because if you recall, it was a cold winter. I think when we were shooting the scene on the 59th Street Bridge, I believe it was 20 degrees with a windchill of minus two.

QUESTION: How was walking down the streets of New York in the elf costume?

WF: It was a lot of fun. I used to do that growing up. 

QUESTION: Wear an elf suit?

WF: No, I wish. If I had an elf suit, I would have. (Laughter) I kind of used to do that in college and high school and just wear crazy outfits for the day to see if anybody noticed. That was just par for the course for me. But I was amazed at how New Yorkers would just walk by me or refuse to make eye contact, which would provoke me to want to give them a hug. People became really uncomfortable or would yell things like, "Nice tights!" The first day of filming was literally in the Lincoln Tunnel at 7 in the morning, in that outfit. I didn't get to warm up to the character.

QUESTION: But what is your basic take on elves? Are they like Santa's helpers or Kathy Lee Gifford's sweatshop slaves?

WF: Wow. That is a good question. Does Kathy Lee Gifford still have her line of clothing? Elves are just benevolent, hard-working folks who get a lot of downtime. They don't have to do anything come December 26th. They're really quite lazy, actually.

QUESTION: Did you find the inner elf in you?

WF: Yeah, I don't know what that means. I saw that campaign and I was like, "What?" 

QUESTION: Well, it's all about Christmas. Was Christmas big in your house growing up?

WF: Yeah, we didn't have parades or anything. We enjoyed celebrating it and it was definitely a fun time of the year.

QUESTION: Did you have a favorite toy you got for Christmas?

WF: I enjoyed Legos a lot. I had a Tonka Truck that was my favorite toy. (Looking at me) I can see you're not impressed. (Laughter) 

QUESTION: Did you actually eat that spaghetti, M&M, Oreo, mixture?

WF: Yeah, I did. I loved it. I ate it and it was very rich.

QUESTION: How much fun did you have working with Bob Newhart and Ed Asner?

WF: It was great. It was obviously fun working with them but it was also just great fun listening to them in between takes, talking about their past experiences. I just tried to listen and not get in the way too much.

QUESTION: What about Jon Favreau? What made him such a good director for this movie?

WF: I think Jon really had a plan of attack, in terms of wanting to make sure we had a story that was heartfelt and he really wanted to show off New York in a way that was kind of back to more of a romantic sense. In addition to kind of the special touches we designed the North Pole in the style of the old Rudolph specials, and things like that. We just tried to increase our chances that adults would like it, and kids would like it, and teenagers would like it. 

QUESTION: How does SNL prepare you for an acting career?

WF: Saturday Night Live was such a comedy boot camp, in a way. Obviously, you get to work with so many different people who come to host the show. You also get thrown into so many situations and have to kind of think on your feet. Filmmaking seems slow but in a good way. It doesn't feel like you're all of a sudden thrown into some high-speed game. I think it allows you to be nimble in such a way where when you're working in a movie, if you have to adjust to [something], you're O.K. with it. You've come from a background where it's all about the adjustments. 

QUESTION: How do you react when people say you're going to be the next Jim Carrey or the next big star?

WF: I contend that it's all hogwash. I'm actually retiring. (Laughter) 

QUESTION: You're getting ready to do a drama, Winter Passing, so what made you decide to do that right now?

WF: Once again, it was more of a case where Adam Rapp, who is the writer and director of this film, just had me in mind. It was his choice to talk to me. It wasn't something where I read the script and thought, "Someone should give me a chance. I can do this." He and I are at the same agency and he just wanted to see if I would be interested in doing something like this. I just kind of feel fortunate that he would think of me in that way, so we'll see. We'll see if it's something I can pull off.

QUESTION: How excited are you about Anchorman opening next year?

WF: We're extremely happy. The thing is so much fun is that will be as different as Elf was from Old School. Anchorman will be different from both of those.

QUESTION: Is there any SNL character you wish you could do just one more time?

WF: I really missed doing the Chicago Cubs announcer, Harry Carrey. He was definitely one of my favorites. And there was a [notion] of "I wish I was still playing the President" when he landed on the aircraft. I thought that if I was still on the show, I would just do every sketch where you see Bush in the flight suit.




Zooey Deschanel, star of Elf

Featured interview by Thomas Chau, UGO Contributing Editor

Having won acclaim at such a young age playing several different and unique characters, Zooey Deschanel is one of Hollywood's finest buried treasures. She makes the jump, however, in New Line Cinema's Elf, in what could be called her most mainstream role yet. Zooey plays the beautiful Jovie, a cynical but spirited girl working at a New York City department store for the Christmas holiday. She befriends an unusual man named Buddy (Will Ferrell) who claims to be a real elf from the North Pole. Whether she believes him or not, Jovie begins to develop a romance with him as he helps bring Christmas cheer to her.

Zooey was in New York City recently to talk about her latest project.

QUESTION: You must be really happy to be a in a project like this. Does it fulfill a fantasy?

ZOOEY DESCHANEL (ZD): Well, I didn't fantasize about it! (Laughs) 

QUESTION: But it must've been great to do a project where you could sing?

ZD: That was the thing that I always wanted to do - a musical. I started out doing a lot of musicals so it was cool that I got to sing in a movie. I loved Christmas movies and I loved the idea of a movie that could come back year after year, where people would watch again and hopefully get them in the Christmas spirit.

QUESTION: What are your favorite Christmas movies?

ZD: I'm going to name three. I have them all in my head cause I've been asked this question before: It's a Wonderful Life, Miracle on 34th Street, and I'm going to say A Christmas Story. Everybody's really excited when I say A Christmas Story because they say nobody wants to admit it. I don't know why, I think it's a great film! 

QUESTION: How do you keep a straight face around Will when he's acting goofy?

ZD: I don't really remember. People keep asking me this and I think I keep making up answers. So I'm going to make up another one. (In a low voice) I just took a lot of drugs. (Laughs) No, I don't ever do any drugs. That's the truth, just so you all know…but I think I bit my cheeks seriously. But I just kept trying to be in the reality of the moment where I think he's a crazy man. But a lot of the stuff where he's really crazy is mostly [when he's] single so that I can be far away in the other room. 

QUESTION: Did you grow up believing in Santa Claus?

ZD: Yeah! I mean, I had lunch with him. (Laughs) 

QUESTION: Did you have a favorite Christmas toy?

ZD: Yeah, there was a little dog named Wrinkles who talked that I loved. My grandparents gave him to me when I was six and he was like, "Wah wah wah, I want a bone." Then there was this squishy, soft bone that you would put in his mouth and he would talk and it was just so cute! 

QUESTION: Are you naturally brunette or blonde?

ZD: This is my hair, all grown out, haven't dyed it since February. (Zooey takes off her hat and proceeds to shake her brunette hair.) I'm never going to be blonde again!

QUESTION: Why? Don't blondes have more fun?

ZD: No! I have more fun as a brunette. It's all lies. 

QUESTION: Would you consider this your most mainstream role?

ZD: I guess, in some ways.

QUESTION: Well, you've played a lot of unique characters in several independent films. What do you look for in a character when you're flipping through scripts nowadays?

ZD: God, I just don't want to be bored. It's like the worst thing when I read a script and I'm like, "Oh God, it's another really boring girlfriend part." Or it's sometimes (in a perky voice,)"Oh, it's someone's best friend who talks like this!" I try to do things that are different and interesting to me, and that's important. I don't want to work if I'm not interested or challenged. I don't want to go to work and it have not something that's exciting about it. 

QUESTION: Since The Good Girl" and All the Real Girls, you've been getting a lot of attention and great critical acclaim. Are you taking that stuff to heart?

ZD: Well, it's not good to take that to heart. I'm very flattered. Anything nice that's said about me, I blush and grin. But then again, I don't want to be like, "O.K., my work here is done. I got a good review." It's a constant struggle and you want to continue to be accepted. You never want to stop being accepted in a way. For me, I'm always trying to do good work and get better. Not a lot of jobs are like this where you have to keep reinventing yourself. 

QUESTION: What's your dream project?

ZD: I don't know. I don't really have one. You never know until [a project's] done. It's hard to think of it because that's like knowing no bounds. I don't know if I assembled it, if [I would think,] "It can be this person, and then me, and then this story…" I don't know if it would end up being a good movie, you know? All of the things that are the best usually happen by accident. I'm a fan of happy accidents, I think.

QUESTION: So did you get to keep your costume from Elf?

ZD: No, they only let, like, J-Lo keep her costume. (Laughs)