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The list of lead roles Chevy Chase has turned down over the years is really something

SwampBastard

SwampBastard

The Fallen
Nov 1, 2017
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Dude is a prick so I don't feel bad for him, and I don't think he would have been a better choice than any of the dudes who eventually got the parts, but this was very surprising to me. Movies for which he turned down the lead role:
  • American Beauty
  • Animal House
  • American Gigolo
  • Splash
  • Forrest Gump
  • The Santa Clause
  • Toy Story (Buzz Lightyear)
Put these in your back pocket for your next trivia night.
 
Layell

Layell

One Winged Slayer
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Apr 16, 2018
2,055
He had the perfect opportunity for a career comeback with his role on Community and even managed to mess that one up. So any of these aren't surprising.
 
NosgothNihilist

NosgothNihilist

Banned
Jan 7, 2021
594
I read for decades he was notoriously difficult to work with. Id imagine most of these projects went smoother without him.

Though I would have liked to see his take on the Santa Clause. Maybe because of Christmas Vacation.
 
CopyOfACopy

CopyOfACopy

Member
Oct 27, 2017
2,149
I know he was in Community but i cant think of anything of note that he has been in since the 80s. Will always be the National Lampoons / Caddyshack / Funny Farm guy to me.
 
Flavius

Flavius

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Oct 28, 2017
2,623
Orlando, FL
This list just reads like execs willing to consider anyone with any sort of pull, regardless of their skill or how suitable they were for the role.

That said, I could see vintage Chevy doing a bang up job as Santa Claus...but that's probably just my love for Christmas Vacation peeking through.
 
HStallion

HStallion

Member
Oct 25, 2017
64,808
Chevy Chase as Forest Gump actually sounds incredible in a so bad its good again way. Just imagining Chevy playing a man with a disability sounds like the kind of cringe humor wouldn't be ready for.
 
Khanimus

Khanimus

Avenger
Oct 25, 2017
42,212
Greater Vancouver
ameleco

ameleco

The Fallen
Nov 2, 2017
1,007
Wild to me he turned so many roles. At this point unless he wants to play an old man role, he will probably never star in anything else again. I don't know if I'd mind the swiss family Griswold idea... As bad as it would be haha
 
Realyst

Realyst

Member
Oct 27, 2017
1,188
I can't possibly see him working in American Gigolo. Like, it just doesn't match him.

Forrest Gump I can kiiiiinda see, but Tom Hanks was perfect for that role.
 
Hollywood Duo

Hollywood Duo

Member
Oct 25, 2017
46,164
Flavius said:
This list just reads like execs willing to consider anyone with any sort of pull, regardless of their skill or how suitable they were for the role.

That said, I could see vintage Chevy doing a bang up job as Santa Claus...but that's probably just my love for Christmas Vacation peeking through.
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Execs are idiots, every movie it's like let's get the biggest name for every role. Like Sean Connery as Gandalf.
 
TheJollyCorner

TheJollyCorner

AVALANCHE
The Fallen
Nov 7, 2017
9,816
NosgothNihilist said:
I read for decades he was notoriously difficult to work with. Id imagine most of these projects went smoother without him.

Though I would have liked to see his take on the Santa Clause. Maybe because of Christmas Vacation.
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John Carpenter has been very vocal about how much he hated working with Chase on Memoirs of an Invisible Man.
Described the entire thing as an absolutely miserable experience and even almost came to physical blows with the guy.
 
beelzebozo

beelzebozo

Member
Oct 26, 2017
2,127
debra winger syndrome

raiders of the lost ark, terminator, blue velvet, flashdance, on and on. incredible record of turning down great movies.
 
Doc Holliday

Doc Holliday

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Oct 27, 2017
6,029
Sucks that he's such an asshole because the dude had talent and charisma. I was watching Caddyshack on a flight and Chevy chase was so damn good in it. He was great in Fletch too.
 
WhateverItTakes

WhateverItTakes

Member
Oct 25, 2017
6,555
Doc Holliday said:
Sucks that he's such an asshole because the dude had talent and charisma. I was watching Caddyshack on a flight and Chevy chase was so damn good in it. He was great in Fletch too.
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Yeah totally, I did the same thing in watching caddyshack and it's easy to see how you could hang a movie off his comedic timing and easy attitude. Which then becomes really obvious that he's good at playing an arrogant prick because he is one, severely.
 
Ensorcell

Ensorcell

Member
Oct 27, 2017
5,928
SwampBastard said:
Source

Dude is a prick so I don't feel bad for him, and I don't think he would have been a better choice than any of the dudes who eventually got the parts, but this was very surprising to me. Movies for which he turned down the lead role:
  • American Beauty
  • Animal House
  • American Gigolo
  • Splash
  • Forrest Gump
  • The Santa Clause
  • Toy Story (Buzz Lightyear)
Put these in your back pocket for your next trivia night.
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...
Um, was American Gigolo supposed to originally be a comedy? Because, I don't understand how that would have been taken seriously with him in the lead role even way back then.
 
XaviConcept

XaviConcept

Art Director for Videogames
Verified
Oct 25, 2017
5,778
I may have this wrong but the story I heard is that his favorite joke is to slap people in the face when first meeting them.

Like, thats pretty much all I needed to know
 
ConradCervantes

ConradCervantes

Member
Oct 29, 2017
2,120
"Prick" is putting it lightly, there are banned words on this website that better suit him. Flushed every single opportunity given to him down the toilet, and his assholishness during Community, capped off by the racist shit he said to Donald Glover, hopefully ended his career for good.
 
CHC

CHC

Member
Oct 27, 2017
10,630
He probably would have left most of those works worse off, he's not only a piece of shit, but he's anti-funny. Just the poster-child of tired, heteronormative, idiotic boomer-humor.
 
kmfdmpig

kmfdmpig

The Fallen
Oct 25, 2017
20,793
It's funny how American Beauty, The Santa Clause and Toy Story still ended up with pieces of shit in the roles in question.
 
KillingJoke

KillingJoke

The Fallen
Oct 27, 2017
3,752
American Beauty is an interesting what if. Mainly because i can't see him in a serious drama at all.

Forrest Gump is another good one but his humor doesn't fit the movie at all either so i see why he passed.
 
Beebeard

Beebeard

Member
Oct 29, 2017
1,171
I enjoy that Hollywood continues to place a premium on working with people who are kind to others and easy to work with. Truly it is a testament to how big of a celebrity Chase was in those days, that he was asked to be a part of these projects despite his thorny reputation.

I read a behind-the-scenes book or two about early SNL, and apparently the appeal was that he had a sort of swagger, a confidence, that audiences appreciated. The thing is, Chase wasn't acting or performing in that regard: He came from money, never needed to work,.still doesn't, and could take or leave the acting career he never cared about.

So in these collaborative, empathetic, creative communities of people who were performing the shit out of something and being as kind as possible to others, because they wanted to be able to eat next month and be invited back to the next thing, Chase stuck out like a sore thumb. It wasn't as important to him and he lacked the grace and humility to even pretend.
 
joedick

joedick

Member
Mar 19, 2018
1,465
In the case of Splash, Animal House and AG, he probably turned those down so he could be in other movies that ended up being just as or maybe more successful. Dude was a juggernaut in the late 70s/80s. People probably stopped putting up with him once the box office started drying up and the stink associated with his failed late night show.
 
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Cat Party

Cat Party

Member
Oct 25, 2017
10,822
I cannot recall a single person saying a nice thing about working with Chevy Chase, at any point in his career. A truly gifted comedic actor who killed his own career, friendships, and legacy by being terrible to everyone.
 
thewienke

thewienke

Member
Oct 25, 2017
17,022
Not a single one of those movies would be better with Chevy Chase in them so I think we won.

Never really was a huge fan of Chevy Chase like I was somebody like Steve Martin, John Belushi, John Candy, etc.

To me Steve Martin could have done something like the "vacation" movies and I don't know if anything would have been lost.
 
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