Home Alone director Chris Columbus claims he declined to work on National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation because of Chevy Chase

By Jeevika Malhotra

Modified Dec 25, 2024 22:17 GMT

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Chris Columbus, the acclaimed director of Home Alone, recently revealed that his involvement with another holiday classic, National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation, was cut short due to negative interactions with the film's lead actor, Chevy Chase.

Chris Columbus, who initially agreed to direct the 1989 comedy, disclosed that two unsettling meetings with Chase made him decide to exit the project before production began.

In a detailed conversation with Vanity Fair on December 25, Columbus shared that despite needing a directing opportunity at the time, his encounters with Chase left him convinced that working with the actor would be untenable.

"I was signed on…and then I met Chevy Chase. Even given my situation at the time, where I desperately needed to make a film, I realized I couldn’t work with the guy," he said.

Chris Columbus's troubled meetings with Chevy Chase

Chris Columbus recounted his first meeting with Chase, where he outlined his vision for the film, to be only met with an unexpected reaction. After about 40 minutes of discussion, Chase asked, "Wait a second. You’re the director?" Columbus confirmed, only to hear the bizarre response: "Oh, I thought you were a drummer."

Attempting to redirect the conversation back to the film, Columbus was interrupted again when Chase abruptly ended the meeting, saying, "I got to go." According to Vanity Fair, Chase's comment may have been a reference to a jazz drummer, Chris Columbus, but the director admitted he was perplexed. "Who says anything like that to anybody? It makes no sense," Columbus remarked.

The second meeting, arranged by writer-producer John Hughes, was no better. Columbus felt ignored during the dinner, as Hughes and Chase discussed unrelated topics. Reflecting on the experience, Columbus said,

"He’s treating me like s---. I don’t need this. I’d rather not work again. I’d rather write."

Ultimately, Chris Columbus called Hughes to inform him that he couldn’t proceed with the project.

"This is really hard for me, but I can't do this movie with Chevy Chase," he recalled telling Hughes, who understood the decision.

Jeremiah S. Chechik eventually took over as the director of Christmas Vacation, which was released in December 1989 and grossed $73 million at the box office. Meanwhile, Hughes offered Columbus another project—the script for Home Alone.

Chris Columbus immediately connected with the material, saying, "I thought, I can really do something with this, and I don’t have to deal with Chevy Chase." The decision paid off. Released in November 1990, Home Alone became a global phenomenon, earning over $476 million worldwide and solidifying its place as a holiday classic.

The director went on to helm its sequel, Home Alone 2: Lost in New York, as well as other iconic films like Mrs. Doubtfire and the first two Harry Potter movies. Currently, Columbus is a producer on the upcoming vampire film Nosferatu, a remake of the 1922 silent classic.

Chase, who played Clark Griswold in the National Lampoon’s Vacation series, has faced criticism for being difficult to work with over the years. Former co-stars on projects like Community have similarly labeled him as challenging. In response, Chase has been unapologetic, saying, during an interview with CBS' This Morning, as reported by Entertainment Weekly on February 15, 2022.