Posted in: NBC, Netflix, Peacock, TV, YouTube | Tagged: chevy chase, community

Community Cast, Dan Harmon All Passed on Chevy Chase Doc: Director

I’m Chevy Chase, and You’re Not's Marina Zenovich on Community creator Dan Harmon and the cast passing on taking part in the documentary.

As we await word on when the wheels will start rolling on Peacock's Dan Harmon & Andrew Guest-penned, Donald Glover (Troy), Ken Jeong (Ben Chang), Yvette Nicole Brown (Shirley), Joel McHale (Jeff), Gillian Jacobs (Britta), Danny Pudi (Abed), Alison Brie (Annie), and Jim Rash (Dean Pelton)-starring Community: The Movie, we've got an interesting side note to pass along regarding the popular series and one of its stars: Chevy Chase. To say that things did not go smoothly between Chase and the show during his time on it (and after) would be a severe understatement. So, when we heard that filmmaker Marina Zenovich was profiling the 82-year-old comedian in the documentary I'm Chevy Chase, and You're Not, we were curious to see who from Community would be willing to discuss Chase on-camera. As it turns out, that answer would be no one. "Every single person said no. I ran into Dan Harmon at a screening of 'Deaf President Now!' and I got his number. I was so excited. I thought it was going to happen, but then he declined. I was so lucky to get Jay Chandrasekhar ("Community" director). He has such an amazing delivery, and he was willing to go there. If Jay had said no, I would have been screwed," Zenovich shared.

Community/Chevy Chase – Previous Conversations

Back in 2021, McHale opened up about what the Community experience was like when he checked in with Michael Rosenbaum's (Smallville, It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia) Inside of You podcast. Specifically, what it was like working with Chase and the incidents with him on set. In the following clip, McHale explains that he believes Chase wasn't a fan of the hours needed to produce each episode that would result in "not great moods" and times when production schedules were shifted to attempt to accommodate. He also discussed Chase's departure under "quite crazy circumstances," that "it could be tough some days; other days, great," and more:

In an interview with CBS Sunday Morning from February 2022, Chase responded to accusations about his on-set conduct while filming the NBC & Netflix series. And from the sounds of things, he's moved on and wasn't thinking much about it. "I guess you'd have to ask them. I don't give a crap!" Chase said with a laugh during the interview after being asked how he felt about the accusations his co-stars have made over the years. " I am who I am. And I like where— who I am. I don't care. And it's part of me that I don't care. And I've thought about that a lot. And I don't know what to tell you, man. I just don't care," Chase added.

During his New York Comic Con 2022 (NYCC 2022) panel in support of his FOX animated series Krapopolis (renewed for a second season earlier today), Harmon took some questions regarding the film follow-up. In this clip, Harmon addresses whether or not Chase would appear, joking (maybe?) that he's not sure "if it's legal for him to come back." As for other names that have been mentioned that folks are wondering about, Harmon added that those were topics he wasn't in the position to address. Also, while a writing team is in place, they are still considering directors. From there, Harmon sings Guest's praises and talks up his Community "street cred" (with clips from Variety):

During his return to Inside of You in 2024, McHale and Rosenbaum cover a wide range of subjects – from McHale's "workaholism" and his thoughts on therapy to previous projects that he's been offered in the past and learning that it's okay to fail sometimes – and, of course, Community. After sharing what it was like filming the beloved series earlier in the episode (which you can check out above), Rosenbaum shifted the topic to Chase and the well-documented difficulties the cast had with the Saturday Night Live veteran. Rosenbaum shared how he never saw that side of Chase until an exchange he had during a convention when actress Beverly D'Angelo brought him over to meet Chase and pose for a picture with him. That's when McHale reminded Rosenbaum that McHale included a chapter on Chase and how to physically fight him (with a foldout step-by-step guide) in his 2016 book, Thanks for the Money: How to Use My Life Story to Become the Best Joel McHale You Can Be.

When asked if he actually ever "fight… fists" with Chase, McHale responded, "multiple times," adding, "There was pushing and shoving… yeah." After Rosenbaum responds with understandable disbelief, McHale adds, "It was 'advanced horseplay.'" When Rosenbaum asked if it was "fun" fighting, McHale makes it clear "it wasn't fun." When things would get "contentious," Rosenbaum asked if the producers would step in to separate them – and that's where we learn from McHale that he allegedly dislocated Chase's shoulder at one point during one of their instances of "advanced horseplay." From there, McHale shared how his initial meeting with Chase was a warning sign before touching upon Chase's comments during his conversation with Marc Maron for Maron's WTF with Marc Maron podcast from September 2023.

"I honestly felt the show wasn't funny enough for me, ultimately. I felt a little bit constrained… Everybody had their bits, and I thought they were all good. It just wasn't hard-hitting enough for me," was one of the stones thrown during the interview. Chase shared with Maron additional thoughts about his time on the series, his frustrations, and why he and the show's producers parted ways. When it came to his character, Chase said that he was fine with his role – but he apparently grew less interested in being part of an ensemble and what that would entail. "I didn't mind the character. I just felt that it was… I felt happier being alone. I just didn't want to be surrounded by that table, every day, with those people. It was too much." As he did shortly after the comments went live last fall, McHale reaffirms the belief that he and several cast members have expressed in response. No one was keeping Chase there – if he wasn't happy, he could've walked at any point.

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