One of the funniest improvised gags in “Elf” almost didn't make the final cut

Elf is a modern Christmas classic, but one of its most head-scratching yet hilarious moments almost ended up on the cutting room floor.

The bit comes in the mailroom scene, where Buddy the Elf (Will Ferrell) is sent by his father, Walter (James Caan), to prevent him from making any more of a mess in his office. While working there, Buddy meets a grizzled man credited only as "Mailroom Guy." The two hit it off, drinking "syrup" (it's actually whiskey) in coffee and drunkenly dancing atop the mail sorting table. But the role was originally intended as a one-line part.

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"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?’" Mark Acheson, who plays Mailroom Guy, told PEOPLE. "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."

Instead, the job turned into what Acheson called " "the weirdest day I could possibly imagine." Director Jon Favreau decided to have Acheson and Ferrell improvise on the day, and it became one of the movie's most memorable scenes. But there's one line that has recently taken the internet by storm.

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Buddy and his new pal lay on top of mailroom carts, intoxicated and exchanging banter — all of which was improvised. Acheson's character tells Buddy he's 26 years old and has "nothing to show for it." Buddy replies, "You're young, you're so young."

The joke is, of course, that Acheson, who is now 67, is clearly not 26. "The producers wanted to axe the whole scene because of that," Acheson revealed. "I think, ‘Who is gonna believe this guy is 26?’ I mean, seriously. I believe I was 46 at the time and an older 46 even at that. Because I never looked young in my life."

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But Favreau pushed back against cutting it. "Jon Favreau fought for it," Acheson added. "He said, 'That's the joke, that's the funny part, right?'" he continues. "He kept me in, but they, they didn't want me, but he did, and thank God for me because it changed my career quite a bit."

The line continues to delight fans, with the joke becoming something of a meme this year in particular. "Funniest part about Elf was the '26 yr old' 'mailroom guy,'" wrote one user on social media.

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"Now more than ever i relate to the elf mailroom guy who is inexplicably 26 years old," wrote another, while someone else said, "I can believe in an Elf from the North Pole. But no way in hell do I believe the guy on the left is 26. One of the biggest lies in movie history."

Elf is available to stream on Hulu and Max, as well as Disney+ and Amazon Prime for premium subscribers.

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