Page 1 of 2
I have truly been waiting my whole life, let alone my whole career, to interview Chevy Chase. I grew up on the Vacations, watching them over and over on VHS. In my 10 years of journalism, Chase had gone the character actor route, playing smaller roles that studios didn’t bother bringing him out to do press. Finally, he’s got a new show on NBC, Community, and after all these years, Chase exceeded my expectations in every way.
Crave Online: We've seen you do some dramatic work on television and get that opportunity. But with this show and Chuck, have you found that television these days is a good opportunity for you to express your sense of humor?
Chevy Chase: If you're going blind, you are doing it right. Well, I'm sorry, comedian. Did you like that?
Crave Online: Very much so.
Chevy Chase: I honestly think that the films lately aren't as good as most of the stuff on TV. I never thought that I would be involved in a situation comedy until I read the script, and I was delighted to go in and say, "Please hire me." I'm serious. What was the question?
Crave Online: Have you found an opportunity to express your specific sense of humor in television?
Chevy Chase: Yes, but I must tell you that if it weren't for the great writing, really great writing, I do not improvise a lot. None of us really improvise a lot. We add things here and there, but the writing itself is really what distinguishes this show, and I've seen that now in four scripts. It continues to be terrific writing.
Crave Online: Were you going to say “If you’re going blind…” to whatever the first question was?
Chevy Chase: No. I just go. I don't know what to do. I'm an old man. I'm just trying to make a living.
Crave Online: How do you deal with the other generation of comedians and actors, and do they ever tell you that you were an influence on them?
Chevy Chase: Actually, I do get compliments, or like, “I know every line from Fletch” and that type of stuff. But we just work. We go right into the work. I'm always feeling a little bit like I'm not as good as the rest of them anyway. I don't how to deal with it except to say thank you and move on. But it's true that there are a few things I've done in my long career that they hone in. Like, Joel [McHale] with Fletch. He knows all the lines. It's basically a movie that I winged. It's flattering and I think it helps me with my own self-confidence a little bit.
Crave Online: Did you have that experience of working with someone that you really admired while coming up?
Chevy Chase: Yes, I did, actually. Danny Kaye walked by me once and sort of shoved me into a wall as he did. I tried to say hello. He was kind of a mean guy. I was very taken with him.
Crave Online: What was it that made you want to do this?
Chevy Chase: Again, it had to do with the writing and now of course it has a great deal to do with a really good cast. I think that Joel does actually remind me of me when I was his age, a little bit. He's got a little bit of that, the attitude and the spice to him. It's kind of nice to reflect back. In fact, I think that I would've probably liked to have had Joel's part, but I'm too old for it now.
[Now Chevy pretends to get a phone call in the middle of the interview.]
Chevy Chase: Hello? No, it's called Community, not Commune.
Crave Online: What do you think of today’s TV comedians and stand-ups?
Chevy Chase: Well, I don't really watch a lot of TV and so I don't know all the comics that my cohorts here know. I never did standup comedy. It was never a part of my life. It seems like an awfully self-injurious thing to do so I don't know how to even reflect on it.
