Chris Columbuswho is best known for bringing us home alone, Mrs Doubtfireand the first two harry potter Films, the first director to prepare a classic holiday movie, national lampoon’s christmas vacation.
He’s friends with the movie writer John Hugheswho sent him the script, he was excited to join the project, but after a strange run-in with the movie’s star, Chevy Chasehe decided it wasn’t going to work out.
Columbus described the encounter in detail during a sit-down vanity fairin which he recounted contacting John Hughes, who was represented by the same agent at the time, after the release of a film called Total Disaster. Heartbreak Hotel. After a critical failure at the box office, breakfast club The director passed on the script Christmas holidays.
Columbus sprang into action and began filming the second installment in Chicago around Christmas. But then he met Chevy Chase:
“I signed…and Then I met Chevy Chase. Even given my situation, where I desperately needed to make a film, I realized I couldn’t work with this guy.
“I was one of the many people who couldn’t work with him. I called John and I said, ‘This is really hard for me, but I can’t do this movie with Chevy Chase.
this Gremlins Helmer held two meetings with Chase, during which saturday night live The alum didn’t say another word for half an hour, flatly rejecting his offer to direct the film.
“he have Knowing I was directing this movie,” Columbus explained. “I talked about how I saw the movie and how I wanted to make the movie. He didn’t say anything. I talked for about half an hour.
“He didn’t say anything. And then he stopped and said – this is going to make no sense to anybody on the planet, but I’m telling you. I’ve probably never told this story.
“Forty minutes into the meeting, he said, ‘Wait a minute. You’re the director?’ I said, ‘Yeah… I’m directing this movie. “He said the most surreal, weirdest thing to me. I still can’t make any sense of it.”
“He said, ‘Oh, I thought you were the drummer.’ I said, ‘Uh, okay. Let’s start talking about the movie again.’ About 30 seconds later, he said, ‘I gotta go.’
At a second meeting, also attended by Hughes, Mrs Doubtfire The director said he was “basically non-existent” and Hughes and Chase discussed everything but the film. It was then that the decision became firmer:
“First of all, he’s not engaged. He treats me like – I don’t need this. I’d rather not work anymore. I’d rather write. I’m like, is this how we work together? I’m going to go to the set, but he Don’t listen.
Although it’s unclear whether Chase was joking with Columbus or “bullying” him, Jeremiah S. Chechnik was named director of the 1989 film, his third in the 1980s holiday series.
Columbus said he called Hughes and explained that he couldn’t continue the project and that “he’s not going to make a good movie with this guy and I’m going to let you down,” to which Hughes took it in stride.
But all’s well that ends well: The following weekend, Hughes sent the script to home alone — and the rest is Christmas history.
I’ve now heard from multiple sources that Chevy Chase is a jerk and difficult to work with. It’s such a shame for me because he’s someone I’ve loved watching since I was a kid, but I won’t let it ruin the movies he made.
I just hope he’s nice to the people he works with.
By: Deadline
