One of the characters that people were most curious to see inSaturday NightwasChevy Chase(National Lampoonfilm series) — the comedian was there for the first night ever thatSaturday Night Liveaired, and the newJason Reitman(Ghostbusters: Afterlife) movie depicts just that. During a conversation on theFly on the Wallpodcast hosted byDana Carvey(Becoming Bond) andDavid Spade(The Wrong Missy), the filmmaker revealed Chase’s reaction to the movie, and it wasn’t the best.
Reitman indicated that he understands Chase’s personality, and revealing the actor’s reaction was how he exemplified it. InSaturday Night, the comedian is played byCory Michael Smith(May December), and his arc covers the tension of going on live television for millions of people on a new show. Chase was invited to a screening and didn’t have a lot to say by the end of it:
“Chevy loves to say the thing you’re not supposed to say — to the extreme. I have an example for you… So Chevy comes in to watch the movie, and he is there with [his wife] Jayni, and they watch the film, and he’s in the group, and he comes up to me after, and he pats me on the shoulder and goes, ‘Well, you should be embarrassed.'”
Reitman Took Chevy Chase’s Reaction in Stride
Despite the terrible response, Reitman revealed that he was able to take it in stride because he knew that it was just “a Chevy Chase moment” and not supposed to be serious. The director commented that,from a comedy perspective, the comment was “kinda cool,” but he couldn’t help but factor in other things that were going through his head as he heard the comment: “I just spent, like, two years of my life recreating this moment and trying to capture Chevy perfectly, and – even in the ego – find the humanity and give him a moment to be loved. And no, none of that shit played. He’s not talking about that stuff.”
This isn’t the best end of the year for Chase reputation-wise. Just last week,Harry Potterdirector and producerChris Columbuscame on record to reveal that Chevy Chase was preciselythe reason why he gave up on directingNational Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation. The comedian also doesn’t have the best relationship with his former costars from the long-running comedy seriesCommunity, and he is not expected to return for the reunion movie in the works.
You can listen to the full episode ofFly on the Wallbelow:
Saturday Night
At 11:30 PM on August 14, 2025, a group of young comedians and writers changed television history. The film, directed by Jason Reitman, captures the chaos and creativity behind the scenes in the 90 minutes leading up to the first broadcast of “Saturday Night Live,” highlighting the birth of an iconic show.
