Originally appeared on E! Online
The best way to spread Christmas cheer is by improvising a quote people will remember for decades.
Which is exactly what Will Ferrell and Mark Acheson did while making 2003's holiday classic "Elf." Although Acheson — who plays Mailroom Guy during a fan-favorite scene — admitted that his most famous line almost ended up on the cutting room floor.
"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,'" Acheson told People in an interview published Dec. 20. "I was only supposed to say ‘work release' and that was the end of it."
But during what he called "the weirdest day" imaginable on set, "Elf" director Jon Favreau requested that Acheson and Ferrell do a bit of improv for the scene where Ferrell's Buddy the Elf thinks he's drinking coffee and syrup when in reality he's getting drunk, leading the two to their existential discussion in the mailroom.
READ Will Ferrell Shares the Criticism He Got From Elf Costar James Caan
"I'm in the flow, that's what got me in here," Acheson's character confesses before his now famous line. "I'm 26-years-old, I got nothin' to show for it."
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But as Buddy tells him, "You're young, you're so young. My Papa, he didn't make Master Tinker until he was 490."
And while the joke about his age is now a favorite for fans of the movie, the scene almost got edited out.
"The producers wanted to axe the whole scene because of that," Acheson, 67, explained. "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."
But Favreau fought for the scene to remain, noting that's what makes the joke work.
"He kept me in but they, they didn't want me," Acheson recalled, "but he did and thank God for me because it changed my career quite a bit."
And while Acheson has appeared in numerous movies and TV series over the years — including appearances on shows like "The X-Files, Supernatural" and "Fargo" — his quip about being 26 has lived on in the minds of fans for over two decades.
"With every passing year I watch this movie (esp now at 27)," one fan posted to TikTok alongside a clip from the scene, "I find it more and more ridiculous this man is supposed to be a 26yo."
One user responded in the comments, "I watched it this year and gasped when he said 26."
Another added, "Idk this is how I feel at 27."
One person had a different take, noting, "I think it's like a child's perspective because when we were little we thought someone 26 looked old."
But as one TikToker noted, "That's the joke, I fear."
