Where Elf cast are now 21 years later - from Will Ferrell to Zooey Deschanel

Since it first landed on our screens way back in 2003, Elf has become a Christmas classic. The film follows Buddy, who as an orphan baby crawled into Santa's sack on Christmas Eve and ended up back in the North Pole. There, Santa's elves decide to take him in and raise him as one of their own.

Then, when he finds out that his real father, Walter Hobbs is on the naughty list, Buddy travels to New York to meet his real family and spread some Christmas spirit across the city. From Will Ferrell's hugely adorable Buddy the Elf to Zooey Deschanel's sweet but unenthusiastic Gimbels worker, Jovie, the film is brimming with loveable characters that have stood the test of time. But 21 years on, what are all the cast members up to now?

Will Ferrell

Will Ferrell is no doubt still one of the most famous actors around. After Elf, the 56 year old went on to appear in some of the biggest films of our time, from Anchorman, Step Brothers, The Lego Movie, Stranger Than Fiction, and of course, this year's hugely successful, Barbie. Will is also a hugely sought after producer, having worked on Succession, Dead to Me, and I'm Sorry, to name a few. For his production work, he's received four Primetime Emmy Awards.

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In his personal life, Will is happily married to fellow actor Viveca Paulin and the couple have three children together, Magnus, 19, Mattias, 16, and Axel, 13.

Zooey Deschanel

Again, Zooey Deschanel had already made a name for herself in the entertainment industry long before Elf. Her most notable role at this time was in the 2000 Cameron Crowe classic, Almost Famous, where she played Anita Miller, the older sister of William.

The 43 year old is known for plenty of other major films, including 500 Days of Summer, Bridge to Terabithia, All The Real Girls, and Winter Passing.

Zooey also played the lead role of Jess Day in the much loved Fox sitcom New Girl. This part earned her three Golden Globe Award nominations and one Primetime Emmy nomination.

Outside of acting, Zooey is one half of the indie pop duo, She & Him, alongside her friend and fellow musician M. Ward. The pair have released multiple albums together, with Zooey even receiving a Grammy nomination for her song 'So Long' that was featured on the Winnie the Pooh soundtrack.

Zooey is a mum to two children, Elsie Otter, seven, and son Charlie Wolf, five, who she welcomed with her ex husband, film producer Jacob Pechenik. She is now engaged to the Property Brothers star, Jonathan Scott.

Daniel Tay

Elf was Daniel's acting debut, where he starred as Michale Hobbs, Buddy's younger brother. Only 11 at the time, Daniel was cast in American Splendor as young Harvey Pekar the same year. His other acting credits include Brooklyn Rules and Artie Lange's Beer League.

The 31 year old has since left acting behind, but has landed voice actor jobs for video games like Grand Theft Auto IV.

After saying goodbye to the entertainment industry for good, he graduated from Yale University where he studied economics. These days, it's thought that he works as an instructor for the SAT.

Mary Steenburgen

Mary Steenburgen played Buddy's step mum, Emily Hobbs in Elf. The 70 year old is also a hugely successful actor, having already won a Golden Globe and Academy Award in 1980 for her role in the comedy drama Melvin and Howard. Following Elf, Mary landed plenty more major jobs, including a role alongside her co star Will Ferrell in Step Brothers. She's also starred in Four Christmases, The Proposal, You Hear About the Morgans?, The Help, and Happiest Season.

Mary has dabbled in TV too, having received BAFTA nominations for the 1985 miniseries Tender Is the Night and a Primetime Emmy Award for the 1988 television film The Attic: The Hiding of Anne Frank. She's also a talented musician, and has written and performed songs for numerous films, some of which she starred in.

Mary isn't the only creative in her family, though. She's also the mother of film director and screenwriter Charlie MacDowell, who she shares with her ex husband, actor Malcolm MacDowell. Mary's daughter in law is Lily Collins, actor and daughter of the musician Phil Collins. Mary's son Charlie married the star in 2021.

Bob Newhart

In July 2024, Bob Newhart, who played Papa Elf in the film, sadly passed away. The announcement of the Emmy Award-winning actor's passing was shared on Thursday, 18 July. His publicist Jerry Digney announced that he died "after a series of short illnesses".

The star had vast success prior to Elf and after. The 94 year old is the recipient of a slew of prestigious accolades, including three Grammy Awards, an Emmy Award and a Golden Globe. In 2002, one year before Elf came out, Bob received the Mark Twain Prize for American Humour.

His most notable credits include The Bob Newhart Show and Newhart, plus Horrible Bosses, Catch-22, and the documentary Richard Pryor: Omit the Logic. TV wise, Bob has appeared in shows like Desperate Housewives and The Big Bang Theory, where he played Professor Proton.

Bob was married to Virginia 'Ginnie' Quinn, the daughter of the character actor Bill Quinn from 1963 until her death in 2023. The pair had four children together.

James Caan

James Caan, who played Buddy's father Walter Hobbs in Elf was another hugely successful actor. Before sadly passing away in 2022 aged 82, James had racked up a string of major acting credits alongside Golden Globe, Academy Award and Primetime Emmy nominations.

His most famous roles include playing Sonny Corleone in The Godfather (for which he received the Academy Award and Golden Globe nominations), Misery, Funny Lady, The Gambler, Thief, and Honeymoon in Vegas, to name a few.

James had five children, including the actor Scott Caan who he welcomed with actor, model, and former girlfriend of Elvis Presley, Sheila Marie Ryan.