Will Ferrell on Dec. 29.Photo:Ronald Martinez/Getty

Will Ferrell attends a game between the Philadelphia Flyers and the xin the second period at Crypto.com Arena

Ronald Martinez/Getty

He’s an angry elf!

Will Ferrellwas in rare form at Los Angeles' Crypto.com Arena on Sunday, Dec. 29, as he was spotted in the stands during an NHL game between between the L.A. Kings and Philadelphia Flyers in full Buddy the Elf attire, revisiting his memorable starring role in the 2003 Christmas classicElf.

But this time, instead of being the happy-go-lucky Buddy fans know and love, the 57-year-old actor and comedian looked hilariously grumpy and pretended to smoke a cigarette as he took in the game with wifeViveca Paulinand their youngest sonAxel, 14.

The moment was extra poignant, as ina deleted scenefrom the movie, Buddy was shown to be quite the pro at ice hockey, beating a group of elves in the sport.

Will Ferrell on Dec. 29.Ronald Martinez/Getty

Will Ferrell attends a game between the Philadelphia Flyers and the Kings in Los Angeles

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Will Ferrell as Buddy inElf(2003).New Line/courtesy Everett Collection

Will Ferrell as Buddy in ‘Elf’ (2003).

New Line/courtesy Everett Collection

Speaking with PEOPLE amidthe movie’s 20th anniversarylast year,Mary Steenburgen, who played Walter’s wife Emily, said her “first day of work” was filming the scene where Buddy chugs an entire 2-liter of soda, douses his spaghetti in maple syrup and encourages his family to do the same.

“I had not seen even a design or anything about what Will was going to look like,” Steenburgen recalled ofFerrell’s now-iconic costume. “And then he comes in. … And I’m tall, but he towers over me, and he comes in in this elf outfit, and then I’m having to eat the spaghetti with maple syrup.”

“I just spent the whole day trying to get my lines out without laughing,” added theOscarwinner, 71.

According to Steenburgen, she, Caan and even Ferrell would sometimes “ruin a take a little bit from laughing,” because"the visual" of Ferrell in costume as Buddy"was constantly funny."

“You didn’t really get used to it,” she told PEOPLE. “I think we’re all used to it more now than any of us were then, because we’d never seen it on posters or on sides of buses or any of that. And so we did tend to just enjoy it so much.”

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Will Ferrell as Buddy inElf(2003).Alan Markfield/New Line Prods/Kobal/Shutterstock

Elf

Alan Markfield/New Line Prods/Kobal/Shutterstock

Despite turning down a sequel toElf, Ferrell willalways have a place in his heartfor the Christmas comedy, telling PEOPLE recently, “It’s really quite special.”

Noting that the film “really means so much to so many people,” Ferrell continued, “And not only during the holidays, but year-round. I have people come to me saying, ‘We watchElfonJuly 4th. We just love it.’ "

“So that’s what’s so great about what I get to do,” he added. “You never really have an idea of what’s going to land with people, and I love the fact that this movie continues to resonate in a way that’s pretty incredible.”

source: people.com