Elf: Zooey Deschanel reveals story behind shower singing scene

Actor sang Ella Fitzgerald’s ‘Baby, It’s Cold Outside’

Elf star Zooey Deschanel has revealed that the scene where she sings in the shower was not in the original script of the film.

The 2003 Christmas movie starred Deschanel as department store employee Jovie, opposite Will Ferrell’s Buddy the Elf.

In the scene in question, Buddy walks into the women’s changing room at Jovie’s work and hears her singing Ella Fitzgerald’s “Baby, It’s Cold Outside”. He joins in, performing from the other side of the curtain rail and giving Jovie a fright.

This duet wasn't in the original script but was tailored to Deschanel's skill set.  

“I remember [director] Jon Favreau telling me that they were catering it to whoever played the part,” the actor told Entertainment Weekly. 

“One actress they were looking at was good at skateboarding. But I had a cabaret act at the time and I was performing a lot. They knew that I was a singer, so they put that in to be my special thing that Buddy could discover I was good at.”

Deschanel was surprised by Ferrell’s singing talent. “He said he wasn't a singer, so I wasn't expecting much,” she said. “But his dad [Roy Lee Ferrell Jr] is a great musician. I should've known he'd be secretly good!”

She added: “It's funny because obviously everyone knows it's not appropriate to walk in the girls' bathroom when someone's showering, but he's so believable as this guileless elf.  

“It's weird he's in there, but you totally buy that his intentions are pure and innocent.”

With Christmas just around the corner, The Independent’s Isobel Lewis ranked every Netflix Original Christmas romcom from least to most ridiculous, here.