ElfProducers Wanted to Cut This Line. More Than 20 Years Later, It's Gone Viral (Exclusive)

Mar. 15, 2025

Mark Acheson and Will Ferrell in 2003’s ‘Elf’.Photo:New Line Cinema

New Line Cinema

This meme-able line inElfalmost didn’t happen.Mark Acheson, the actor who is aptly credited as “Mailroom Guy” in the 2003 holiday classic, exclusively tells PEOPLE about working on the movie — and the one line that fans can’t stop talking about.Acheson, 67, says that he was only supposed to have one line in the scene in which Buddy the Elf (Will Ferrell) is sent into the mailroom at his father’s job. The actor calls his day on theElfset “the weirdest day I could possibly imagine.““I called my agent and he said, ‘Listen, they would like you to come and do one line with Will Ferrell. Would you like to do it?’ And I said, yeah, I’d be happy to do that. I was only supposed to say ‘work release’ and that was the end of it,” Acheson says.Mark Acheson in 2003’s ‘Elf’.New Line CinemaDirectorJon Favreau, however, decided that Acheson was going to improvise with Ferrell, now 57. At one point in the mailroom scene, Acheson’s character tells Buddy that he’s 26 years old and he’s “got nothing to show for it.“Ferrell’s Buddy disagrees. “You’re young, you’re so young,” he responds.The banter while Acheson and Ferrell laid in mail carts was improvised — and almost got cut. Favreau, 58, ultimately made sure it stayed.Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer​​, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.“The producers wanted to axe the whole scene because of that. I think, ‘Who is gonna believe this guy is 26?’ I mean, seriously. I believe I was 46 at the time and an older, 46 even at that. Because I never looked young in my life,” Acheson says.However, “Jon Favreau fought for it. He said that the joke, that’s the funny part, right?” he continues. “He kept me in but they, they didn’t want me but he did and thank God for me because it changed my career quite a bit.“Amy Sedaris, James Caan and Will Ferrell in 2003’s ‘Elf’.AJ Pics / Alamy Stock PhotoThe line about the mailroom worker being 26 years old has been given new life with viral posts online and memes joking about the plot point, especially during the holiday season.“I can believe in an Elf from the North Pole. But no way in hell do I believe the guy on the left is 26. One of the biggest lies in movie history,“one person wrote online.The PEOPLE Puzzler crossword is here! How quickly can you solve it? Play now!“now more than ever i relate to the elf mailroom guy who is inexplicably 26 years old,” another saidon social media.Someone elsesaid that they “cackle” over Acheson’s character “being ‘supposedly 26 years old.’ ““The most unrealistic detail in all of ELF 🎄🎅 is that the dude on the left is 26 years old,“someone else chimed in.Elfis available to stream on Hulu and Max, along with Disney+ and Amazon Prime for premium subscribers.

This meme-able line inElfalmost didn’t happen.

Mark Acheson, the actor who is aptly credited as “Mailroom Guy” in the 2003 holiday classic, exclusively tells PEOPLE about working on the movie — and the one line that fans can’t stop talking about.

Acheson, 67, says that he was only supposed to have one line in the scene in which Buddy the Elf (Will Ferrell) is sent into the mailroom at his father’s job. The actor calls his day on theElfset “the weirdest day I could possibly imagine.”

“I called my agent and he said, ‘Listen, they would like you to come and do one line with Will Ferrell. Would you like to do it?’ And I said, yeah, I’d be happy to do that. I was only supposed to say ‘work release’ and that was the end of it,” Acheson says.

Mark Acheson in 2003’s ‘Elf’.New Line Cinema

DirectorJon Favreau, however, decided that Acheson was going to improvise with Ferrell, now 57. At one point in the mailroom scene, Acheson’s character tells Buddy that he’s 26 years old and he’s “got nothing to show for it.”

Ferrell’s Buddy disagrees. “You’re young, you’re so young,” he responds.

The banter while Acheson and Ferrell laid in mail carts was improvised — and almost got cut. Favreau, 58, ultimately made sure it stayed.

Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer​​, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

“The producers wanted to axe the whole scene because of that. I think, ‘Who is gonna believe this guy is 26?’ I mean, seriously. I believe I was 46 at the time and an older, 46 even at that. Because I never looked young in my life,” Acheson says.

However, “Jon Favreau fought for it. He said that the joke, that’s the funny part, right?” he continues. “He kept me in but they, they didn’t want me but he did and thank God for me because it changed my career quite a bit.”

Amy Sedaris, James Caan and Will Ferrell in 2003’s ‘Elf’.AJ Pics / Alamy Stock Photo

AJ Pics / Alamy Stock Photo

The line about the mailroom worker being 26 years old has been given new life with viral posts online and memes joking about the plot point, especially during the holiday season.

“I can believe in an Elf from the North Pole. But no way in hell do I believe the guy on the left is 26. One of the biggest lies in movie history,“one person wrote online.

The PEOPLE Puzzler crossword is here! How quickly can you solve it? Play now!

“now more than ever i relate to the elf mailroom guy who is inexplicably 26 years old,” another saidon social media.Someone elsesaid that they “cackle” over Acheson’s character “being ‘supposedly 26 years old.’ "

“The most unrealistic detail in all of ELF 🎄🎅 is that the dude on the left is 26 years old,“someone else chimed in.

Elfis available to stream on Hulu and Max, along with Disney+ and Amazon Prime for premium subscribers.

source: people.com