Filmmaker Chris Columbus allegedly walked away from one of the greatest Christmas movies of all time because of Chevy Chase.
Columbus, who directed 1990’s “Home Alone,” revealed Chase’s behavior before filming began caused him to halt work on the 1989 holiday classic “National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation.”
“I signed the contract… Then I met Chevy Chase, despite my circumstances at the time where I was in desperate need to make a movie. I realized that I couldn’t work with this guy,” the director said. Vanity Fair–
Christie Brinkley creates moments. Her “Girl in the Red Ferrari” from “National Lamphun Holiday”
Chevy Chase stars as Clark Griswold in “National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation.” (Warner Brothers)
Columbus recalls his first meeting with Chase and what “Weird” the actor said to him.
“It was just the two of us,” Columbus explained. “He must know that I’m directing a movie. We talked about how to watch this movie. How do you want to make a movie? He didn’t say anything. We talked for about half an hour. He did not speak a word. Then he stopped and said – and this does not make sense to any human being in this world. But I tell you, I may never tell this story.
“Forty minutes into the meeting, he said, ‘Wait a minute, are you the director?’ And I said, ‘Right… I’m directing this movie.’ And he said to me something surreal and strange. The strangest I still couldn’t understand anything. He said, ‘Oh, I thought you were a drummer.’ I said, ‘Uh, OK, let’s start talking about the film.’ After about 30 seconds, he said, ‘I I have to go.'”
Chevy Chase, Christie Brinkley and Beverly D’Angelo Enjoy ‘NATIONAL LAMPOON’S VACATION’ Reunion
Directors Chris Columbus (left) and John Hughes work together on the 1990 film Home Alone. (Ron Galella, Ltd./Ron Galella Collection via Getty Images)
Later, Chase approached “Christmas Vacation” writer John Hughes and asked the three of them to meet up, as Columbus had told him.
“Then we had dinner with John. Hugh is there too. And I basically had no identity at all,” Columbus admits. “That was Chevy and Hugh. And they talked about everything except ‘Christmas holiday’ we spent two hours together. And I thought ‘There was no way I could make a movie with this guy. First of all, he treated me like–I don’t want to work on this again.’
Chevy Chase stands at the head of the table in a scene from the 1989 film “National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation.” (Warner Bros./Getty Images)
Columbus remarked that he didn’t know why Chase did that.
“I guess that sense of humor was funny in the early 70s,” he told the outlet. “It was so surreal…who would say something like that to anyone? It doesn’t make any sense. The narrative hardly makes sense. But it really happened, I thought, are we working together like this? I was ‘going to make a scene but he wasn’t listening’.
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Columbus leaves But another chance with Hugh is just around the corner.
Macaulay Culkin plays 10-year-old Kevin McCallister and Donald Trump plays the owner of the Plaza Hotel in “Home Alone 2.” (Getty Images)
“I’m off ‘Christmas holiday’ next weekend. I got another role from John and it was ‘Home Alone,’” he recalls. “’Home Alone’ for me was more personal and a better role. And I think I can really do something about it. And I don’t have to deal with Chevy Chase. That’s it. John and I started. to work together And we feel the same way.”
Fox News Digital contacted Chase representatives.
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“National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation” directed by Jeremiah S. Chechik. (Warner Bros./Getty Images)
Chase and Beverly D’Angelo stars as Clark and Ellen. Griswold in the classic family movie series that begins with an innocent cross-country drive to Wally World amusement park in “National Lampoon’s Vacation.”
The 1983 film directed by Harold Ramis and written by John Hughes also starred. Anthony Michael HallDana Barron, Randy Quaid and John Candy Christie Brinkley as “The Girl in the Ferrari”
The Griswolds traveled overseas to film their second film. 1985’s “National Lampoon’s European Vacation” and return to Chicago for a special holiday tradition. “National Lamphun Christmas Holiday”
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Fox News Digital’s Tracy Wright contributed to this report.
