Son of a nutcracker!<\/p>\n
Andy Richter revealed that parts of the beloved Christmas movie \u201cElf\u201d were filmed inside a functioning psychiatric hospital.<\/p>\n
Richter, who played Morris, a children\u2019s book writer working for the late James Caan\u2019s<\/a> Walter Hobbs, told Us Weekly<\/a> in an interview published Tuesday that scenes in the 2003 holiday classic were filmed in \u201ca couple empty wings\u201d of an \u201cold mental hospital.\u201d<\/p>\n Andy Richter (pictured above competing on \u201cCelebrity Jeopardy!\u201d in April) revealed that parts of \u201cElf\u201d were filmed in \u201ca couple empty wings\u201d inside an \u201cold mental hospital.\u201d Disney via Getty Images<\/p>\n Richter played Morris, a children\u2019s book writer working for the late James Caan\u2019s character, Walter Hobbs. (Caan is seen above with Amy Sedaris and Will Ferrell in \u201cElf.\u201d) \u00c2\u00a9New Line Cinema\/Courtesy Everett Collection<\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2019s where the offices are, the Hobbs\u2019 home, the mailroom; almost all the interiors of the movie are in a mental hospital that was still functioning a little bit,\u201d the comedian, 60, told the outlet. <\/p>\n \u201cThere was still a wing of the hospital that had patients in it,\u201d he said, revealing that the hospital was Riverview Hospital in Coquitlam, British Columbia, near Vancouver.<\/p>\n Richter explained that the production turned to the facility because studio space was limited at the time, thanks in part to a \u201cbig vampire movie\u201d that was also filming there.<\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2019s where the offices are, the Hobbs\u2019 home, the mailroom; almost all the interiors of the movie are in a mental hospital that was still functioning a little bit,\u201d Richter said. (He is pictured above in Hollywood in June 2024.) Getty Images for A24<\/p>\n Richter (seen above in Beverly Hills in 2021) said there was a separate wing of the hospital that still \u201chad patients in it.\u201d Getty Images<\/p>\n The \u201cMadagascar\u201d actor also clarified that he \u201cwasn\u2019t wandering around\u201d the hospital while filming, explaining that he kept to himself between scenes.<\/p>\n \u201cI went to the set. I went to the trailer. I got in the van. I went back to the hotel,\u201d he recalled.<\/p>\n Richter couldn\u2019t say the same for the film\u2019s lead actor, Will Ferrell, who starred as Buddy the Elf and was hard to miss in his signature bright green coat, yellow tights and curly elf shoes.<\/p>\n Richter (pictured above in Kansas City in May) also clarified that he \u201cwasn\u2019t wondering around\u201d the hospital while filming, adding, \u201cI went to the set. I went to the trailer. I got in the van. I went back to the hotel.\u201d Getty Images<\/p>\n Richter wondered what the patients thought of Ferrell, who starred as Buddy the Elf and was hard to miss in his signature bright green coat, yellow tights and curly elf shoes (as seen above). \u00c2\u00a9New Line Cinema\/Courtesy Everett Collection<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t\t\tWant more celebrity and pop culture news?\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n \n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tStart your day with Page Six Daily.\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t\tThanks for signing up!\n\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n \u201cWill was all over that place for a month or two, like what were people thinking? Patients were looking out the window and seeing this guy in February wandering around in an elf costume and maybe recognizing, \u2018Hey, isn\u2019t that Will Ferrell?’\u201d Richter recalled.<\/p>\n Elsewhere in the interview, the \u201cConan\u201d alum also revealed that his co-star Zooey Deschanel, whom he said he\u2019s known \u201csince she was a teenager,\u201d nearly didn\u2019t land the role of Jovie.<\/p>\n \u201cI found out from Zooey that they talked about Selma Blair doing it before she was on board,\u201d Richter said. <\/p>\n \u201cZooey told us that apparently, at that time, Selma Blair was, like, a big skateboarder, and so they were going to maybe have Jovie skateboard around Manhattan, which would have been interesting in December in Manhattan, somebody skateboarding around.\u201d<\/p>\n Richter also revealed that his co-star Zooey Deschanel nearly didn\u2019t land the role of Jovie, as producers had discussed having Selma Blair step into the part. (Deschanel is pictured above as Jovie in \u201cElf.\u201d) \u00c2\u00a9New Line Cinema\/Courtesy Everett Collection<\/p>\n Meanwhile, Deschanel revealed on \u201cCall Her Daddy\u201d last December that Katie Holmes was also among those considered for the part. (Deschanel is seen above as Jovie alongside Ferrell as Buddy the Elf in \u201cElf.\u201d) \u00c2\u00a9New Line Cinema\/Courtesy Everett Collection<\/p>\n