Why Chris Columbus Quit 'Christmas Vacation' Over Chevy Chase's Bad Behavior
Chris Columbus, the renowned director behind beloved films like Home Alone and Mrs. Doubtfire , revealed in a recent interview that he quit directing National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation due to Chevy Chase’s difficult behavior. Columbus was initially hired to direct the 1989 holiday comedy but walked away from the project after a series of unsettling encounters with the movie’s star, Chevy Chase.
Columbus recounted his experience in a conversation with Vanity Fair , admitting that despite his desperate need for a film to work on at the time, he found it impossible to collaborate with Chase. During their first meeting, Columbus shared his vision for the film, but Chase remained unresponsive. After a long period of silence, Chase unexpectedly asked, “Wait a second. You’re the director?” To make matters more bizarre, Chase followed up by saying he thought Columbus was a drummer, which Columbus found utterly confusing. After a few more moments of awkwardness, Chase abruptly ended the meeting, leaving Columbus bewildered.
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Things didn’t improve in their second meeting, which was a dinner with Christmas Vacation writer and producer John Hughes. Columbus described feeling completely sidelined as Chase and Hughes discussed matters unrelated to the film. The director explained that despite spending two hours together, he was left feeling as though there was no way he could work with Chase on the movie. “He’s treating me like s—t. I don’t need this,” Columbus said. “I’d rather not work again.”
Columbus, disillusioned with the situation, called John Hughes to inform him of his decision to quit. In a twist of fate, just days later, Hughes sent Columbus the script for Home Alone , a project that Columbus found more personal and exciting. With Home Alone , Columbus felt he could create something special without the added stress of working with an uncooperative star like Chevy Chase.
In the end, Christmas Vacation was directed by Jeremiah S. Chechik, and it went on to become a holiday classic. However, Columbus’s story sheds light on the difficulties of working with Chevy Chase, who has reportedly been a difficult figure on various sets, including his time on the sitcom Community . Though Chase’s behavior has raised eyebrows throughout his career, Columbus’s decision to walk away from Christmas Vacation stands as one of the more notable instances of an acclaimed director choosing his mental well-being over a high-profile project.
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