Home Alone Director Recalls ‘Bizarre’ Chevy Chase Remark That Made Him Quit Christmas Holiday Movie

On By Littum

Alone at home director Chris Columbus has recalled “the most surreal, bizarre” encounter with Chevy Chase that left him unable to work with the actor.

The filmmaker, who also directed the first two Harry Potter films, almost added the 1989 film National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation to his credit list — but stepped away after a left-wing comment from Chase.

Breakfast Club director John Hughes hired Columbus to direct the film, after which he met with the controversial Chase, who starred as Clark Griswold.

He told Vanity Fair: “I was enrolled … and so I met Chevy Chase. Even given my situation at the time, when I desperately needed to make a film, I realized I couldn’t work with the guy.

Columbus added, “I was one of the many who couldn’t work with him. And I called John and I said, ‘This is really hard for me, but I can’t do this movie with Chevy Chase.’ ‘

The reason for Columbus’ point of view was a rather odd interaction with Chase where the pair were supposed to be discussing the film. But instead of responding to Columbus’ vision, Chase simply said nothing for 40 minutes.

“I talked about how I saw the film, how I wanted to make the film. He didn’t say anything. I talked for about half an hour. He didn’t say a word. And then he stops and he says – and this makes no sense to any human being on the planet, but I’m telling you. I probably never told this story.

Chris Columbus quit as director of 'National Lampoon Christmas Vacation' after a meeting with Chevy Chase

Chris Columbus quit as director of ‘National Lampoon Christmas Vacation’ after a meeting with Chevy Chase (Getty Images)

“Forty minutes into the meeting, he says, ‘Wait a minute. Are you the director?’ And I said, ‘Yes … I’m directing the movie.’ And he said to me the most surreal, bizarre thing. I still couldn’t make sense of it. He said, ‘Oh, I thought you were a drummer.’ I said, ‘Um, okay. Let’s start talking about the movie again.’ After about 30 seconds he said, ‘I’m going.’

After a similar experience the second time they met, Columbus called Hughes to tell him that he “wasn’t going to make a good movie with this guy,” which the latter understood.

The film was eventually directed by Jeremiah S Chechnik and Columbus directed Alone at home instead,

Chase’s time on the hit sitcom Community was mired in controversy after creator Dan Harmon claimed the actor would try to disrupt co-star Donald Glover’s scenes and “create racial rifts between takes” because he was “jealous” of his co-star’s talent.

“I remember apologizing to Donald after a particularly rough night with Chevy’s non-PC language and Donald saying, ‘I don’t even care about that,'” Harmon said at the time.

“I was one of the many who couldn’t work with him,” Columbus said of Chase (Warner Bros)

Glover added that he saw Chase as “fight time.” Chase responded to the claim, saying he was “sorry to hear that Anders perceived me in that light”.

In 2012, a source told The Hollywood Reporter that Chase had “immediately apologized” after he used the N-word on set. The slur was not directed at Glover or his black co-star Yvette Nicole Brown, but used when Chase questioned the dialogue in a scene with their characters, the source said.