‘Elf’ viral ’26 year old’ line almost got cut, says Mark Acheson

Mark Acheson, who played the Mailroom Guy in the holiday classic Elf, has revealed that the viral line from the film was almost removed.

Speaking with PEOPLE magazine, Mark said that the director Jon Favreau decided to let him improvise a bit with Will Ferrell, who played Buddy the Elf.

The actor said, “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.”

However, the exchange in the mailroom scene was improvised with Mark’s character telling Buddy that he is 26 years old and has “nothing to show for it.”

According to Mark, the producers wanted to cut the scene, feeling that audiences wouldn’t believe he was 26, considering Mark was 46 at the time. But, Jon fought to keep the line in, insisting it was funny and added to the charm of the scene.

Now, over 20 years later, the line has become a viral joke on social media.

One user joked, “The most unrealistic detail in all of Elf is that the dude on the left is 26 years old.” The line has become a viral meme for each holiday season.