A bizarre encounter with actor Chevy Chase led then-unknown filmmaker Chris Columbus to walk off 'National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation.'

I don’t need this. I’d rather not work again," the filmmaker recalled thinking after meeting with the comedy star.

Director Chris Columbus recalled a "bizarre" meeting with the actor that led him to quit "National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation."

The classic 1989 film National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation could have been a different film with Chris Columbus in the director’s chair, but the renowned director said some awkward meetings with star Chevy Chase left him turned off.

Columbus realized there was a silver lining though. He recalled, “I quit ‘Christmas Vacation.’ The next weekend, I got another script from John — and it’s ‘Home Alone.’ ‘Home Alone,’ for me, was even more personal, a better script. And I thought, I can really do something with this, and I don’t have to deal with Chevy Chase.”