Chris Columbus Quits Christmas Vacation: Chevy Chase Behavior & Home Alone Success

Chris Columbus Abandons National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation Due to Difficult Interactions With Chevy Chase Prior to Directorial Debut

Home Alone director Chris Columbus intended to direct the National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation however the project was quickly abandoned due to some awkward encounters with main character actor Chevy Chase. Columbus stated in a recent interview with Vanity Fair his interactions with Chase convinced him to quit and it was during a time that Columbus himself felt his career was dependent upon making a film quickly but working with Chevy was proving to be an unworkable situation.

Director's Initial Discomfort with Chase Emerged Following Two Odd Interactions With The Saturday Night Live Legend

Chris Columbus indicated in Vanity Fair interview after having two initial meetings with Chevy Chase it became immediately obvious his working situation was untenable with actor’s bizarre behavior during early meetings. Columbus started describing how during his first initial interaction after spending 40 minutes talking about the vision for film Chase turned and surprisingly asked Columbus if he was a drummer. He later told that during second meeting when John Hughes was present both did not discuss Christmas Vacation in any way. Chase was a Saturday Night Live legend that seemed to have problems in early productions with Columbus based upon statements in the Vanity Fair interview. John Hughes had passed along to Columbus a copy of script after his experience working on film classics like Gremlins and Goonies and directing Adventures in Babysitting.

Chevy Chase's Strange Communication Styles Forced Columbus To Seek Another Project with Writer John Hughes

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Columbus explained that Chevy Chase showed indifference after he explained how he saw his movie direction where he was told he seemed disinterested then abruptly leaving following this initial meeting. The two hour long meal involving Hughes and Chase had minimal discussions about the film and mostly discussions about unrelated subjects, Columbus claimed. Columbus then communicated to John Hughes he could not be involved and wanted to direct something else. Hughes luckily gave him the opportunity of a new script to produce which allowed his creativity to continue elsewhere and not be held up by issues with the film. Chris Columbus felt like that he should have just written and avoided interactions with difficult actors such as Chase who could potentially be challenging to work with despite being famous.

Hughes and Columbus Collaborate on 'Home Alone' After Abandoning 'Christmas Vacation'

Chris Columbus stated that Home Alone was an ideal film for him to work on due to a great story and less difficult lead actors as well. Columbus' next endeavor became Home Alone directed by Columbus after his exit from Christmas Vacation. The working relationship between John Hughes and Columbus allowed a freedom in production that Chase refused to allow leading to Home Alone’s eventual creation. Columbus would then go on to make Mrs. Doubtfire plus the first two Harry Potter movies creating a diverse set of classic film production over multiple years.

Chase's Past Behavior Highlighted Through Difficult Working Relationships in the Past

Chevy Chase did not respond immediately to calls for comment which could indicate his position in regard to the statements of his early behavior in movie productions. Chevy Chase also responded in past interviews about previous accusations of poor behavior. He did not seem phased by these allegations with his responses indicating an inability to comprehend their criticisms of him. The Community cast also have highlighted Chase’s difficult behavior through several comments across the years of working with him adding to negative stories of actors claiming they do not want to be on a project he is on due to poor interaction styles.

Jeremiah S. Chechik steps in as Director and Home Alone Release Quickly Followed Christmas Vacation

Jeremiah S. Chechik stepped up as director of Christmas Vacation, that made $73 million following its theatrical release in December 1989 in the box office. The success at box office did not come to pass in the next release as Home Alone that released in November the next year did make over 476 million dollars. Both of the two movies had enormous long lasting appeal that make these classics shown frequently during each Christmas holidays. The legacy of each film creates an impact that most film production companies attempt to follow.

Macaulay Culkin famous for Home Alone movie referenced well-known phrases from the movie as he received his Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame indicating long term impact. Home Alone is also remembered as the film that had Donald Trump in the New York City Plaza Hotel scene that most movie viewers also remember.

Recalling Early Movie Production With Specificity From the Late 70's and Early 80's Production Elements

Chris Columbus directed many iconic film releases before he was signed to work on National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation showcasing experience and insight into movie direction with films like The Goonies and Gremlins and then having experience directing movies such as Adventures in Babysitting. Chevy Chase also a popular figure starred as Clark Griswold in National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation following other National Lampoon films starring as Clark Griswold and has a well known history of appearing as funny characters through different productions. The character "The Girl in the Ferrari" Christie Brinkley appeared in National Lampoon movies a role that she would later recreate adding to her historical pop culture influence through film history. The original film which started the series was National Lampoon’s Vacation where the Griswolds drove across the United States to a theme park destination a project directed by Harold Ramis and was written by John Hughes.

Anthony Michael Hall and Dana Barron also starred in National Lampoon’s Vacation and actor Randy Quaid along with the iconic John Candy completed cast for this beloved American movie series which spanned across several sequels with cast changes over the years showing staying power of stories of the characters over multiple release periods with National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation finishing off their movie series together.