One of the greatest holiday movies of our time is ELF! The story of a very happy and joyful elf named Buddy. Now if you remember,  Buddy is not your ordinary elf, he is actually a very tall human who was raised as an elf with Santa in the North Pole. As the story goes, he leaves to go find his real father in New York City! Hilarity ensues and of course someone has to save Christmas!

The movie, which came out on 2003,  featured Will Ferrell as Buddy. Those are some pretty big shoes to fill and we caught up with the guy filling those shoes in the Broadway touring musical.

Daniel Patrick Smith plays Buddy in ELF! The Musical. Daniel has an extensive background in theater and is excited to perform in Atlanta and the gorgeous Fox Theatre.

We asked Daniel about his involvement in the arts and he told us this, “I grew up in Ocean City, NJ and I started acting in theater productions after seeing my sister perform. I just felt like it was what I was suppose to do. Thankfully I had very supportive parents that allowed me to go after my dreams.” He went on to tell us about growing up in a town that was very into sports and not so much into the Arts. As we discussed this, we both agreed that it is so important for children to be exposed to the Arts at an early age and it’s beyond comprehension that they are taking them out of schools for financial reasons. He said,”I couldn’t imagine growing up and not being able to perform. My high school actually reached out to me for input on creating a theatrical program and I was honored. I am so happy to know that they have that option now. It can be life changing for someone and I support that so much.”