Richard Curtis Says Will Ferrell Should've Received Oscar Nomination for Elf : It Makes Me 'Antsy'

Gregg DeGuire/FilmMagic; New Line/courtesy Everett Collection Richard Curtis (L); Will Ferrell in Elf (2003)

Richard Curtis is singing (loud, for all to hear) praises for Will Ferrell's portrayal of Buddy the Elf in the 2003 classic Christmas comedy Elf.

While attending the Oscar Wilde Awards in Los Angeles on Thursday evening, the British screenwriter and director, 65, told reporters that he believes Ferrell, 54, should have received an Oscar nomination for his work in the beloved holiday film.

"I always get very antsy about the fact that Will Ferrell didn't get nominated for Elf," Curtis said, according to BBC.

The filmmaker — who has worked on projects including Love Actually and Four Weddings and a Funeral — also explained he was disappointed that Peter Sellers didn't get a nomination for his role as Inspector Jacques Clouseau in The Pink Panther film series.

"But," he added, per BBC, "it's the price you pay, as it were. Comedies tend to make a bit of money, and then you don't get the prizes."

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New Line/courtesy Everett Collection Will Ferrell in Elf (2003)

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Elf was a box-office hit, grossing $223 million worldwide and becoming an instant Christmas classic.

The film follows Ferrell's Buddy the Elf as he travels to New York City to reunite with his biological father (James Caan), after having been raised in the North Pole by Santa's elves.

Last year, Ferrell appeared on the cover of The Hollywood Reporter, where he spoke about the success of the film, which was directed by Jon Favreau, and how he turned down the sequel due to it having a similar premise as the original movie. (According to THR, the comedian would have been paid $29 million for taking part in the sequel.)

"I would have had to promote the movie from an honest place, which would've been, like, 'Oh no, it's not good. I just couldn't turn down that much money,' " Ferrell told the publication. "And I thought, 'Can I actually say those words? I don't think I can, so I guess I can't do the movie.' "

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In September 2020, Caan, who played Buddy's father Walter Hobbs, said on The Fan in Cleveland that a sequel was never made due to a reported disagreement between Ferrell and Favreau, 55.

"We were gonna do it," Caan, 81, said of the sequel, "and I thought, 'Oh my God, I finally have a franchise movie. I can make some money, let my kids do what the hell they want to do.'"

However, "the director and Will didn't get along very well," Caan alleged on the radio show. "Will wanted to do it, and he didn't want the director, and [Favreau] had it in his contract. It was one of those things."

Although fans of Elf have been clamoring for a sequel since the original film's release, the Saturday Night Live alum has made it clear that he is not interested in participating.

In December 2013, Ferrell said there would "absolutely not" be a sequel. "It would look slightly pathetic if I tried to squeeze back into the Elf tights," he joked on Bravo's Watch What Happens Live.