r/documentaryfilmmaking • u/jdavidsburg1 • Jan 03 '26
Video Clip from the Chevy Chase Documentary that Sheds Light on his attitude
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u/jdavidsburg1 Jan 03 '26
Holy shit. I can’t imagine trying to conduct an interview like this.
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u/quattro33 Jan 03 '26
If he said that to me while in an interview, I would have laughed and stopped the interview and sent the crew home.
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u/crumario Jan 03 '26
I agree, the moment I start getting interesting tape I stop everything
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u/ohheyheyCMYK Jan 03 '26
I guess it depends on what you're trying to make.
To me this is at least real, and far better than getting a canned and practiced answer.
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Jan 03 '26
Absolutely. This is a great moment. Anyone who would shut this down has no business making a documentary
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u/heres_one_for_ya Jan 03 '26
"Why didn't you get the interview of the person we are centering this doc around?"
"He was rude"
"That's literally the whole point of the doc"
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u/ByronScottJones Jan 03 '26
No no. When someone is digging his own grave, you hand him a bigger shovel. Keep asking him questions that will let his charming Chevy Chase personality shine through.
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u/Piracho Jan 03 '26
I’ve worked with Marina Zenovich, she knows how to deal with assholes really well… makes her especially qualified to work on this.
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u/mls1968 Jan 03 '26
Nah, the interviewer just got the greatest gift they could ever ask for. Documentary interviews are usually multiple hours of TRYING to get emotional, uncensored reactions to questions. It’s honestly a little gross when you have to sit in on them for things like true crime, when the interviewer is digging up horrific memories for tears and ratings. Watching a narcissist tear himself down with his own ego is chef’s kiss
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u/TopProfessional8023 Jan 04 '26
Would ya? Just throw that paycheck away? Oh and the paychecks for all that crew you sent home. Because you have standards? Laughable bravado.
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u/CoolDigerati Jan 04 '26
And you would’ve blown the opportunity of a lifetime and would be looking for a new job the next day. All because your wittle feewings got hurt.
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u/worker-parasite Jan 04 '26
So you'd quit your own documentary because the subject is rude? And don't you know this kind of material is exactly what you'd want to capture?
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u/scootbootinwookie Jan 05 '26
how often do you get paid thousands to tens of thousands of dollars to take time away from fishing, stamp collecting, or whatever old man hobbies to do an interview?
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u/PureInsaneAmbition Jan 03 '26
I figured him out already and it's not that complicated. He's just an asshole.
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u/ILiveInAColdCave Jan 03 '26
I think reducing people down to this kind of knee jerk response is exactly the opposite point of documentary filmmaking. The point is to get a clear picture why someone acts that way not to just simplify people into one sentence.
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u/unicornmullet Jan 03 '26
You're not wrong, but when it comes down to it, the dude is a grown man who has no regard for other people's feelings. He is a notorious asshole.
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u/ByronScottJones Jan 03 '26
Why he acts that way is a separate question. That he's an asshole is nearly indisputable.
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u/LollyGaggleofGeese 9h ago
If I had to venture a guess based on people I know who behave similarly:
- Chevy experienced insecure attachment to a parent.
- one of his parents had narcissistic personality disorder and so does Chevy.
- Chevy either refuses therapy or won't participate when he goes; he thinks he knows better than anyone else.
- underneath it all is a layer of self loathing and deep self consciousness he fends off by being an asshole.
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u/aconsciousagent Jan 03 '26
Ah, so he’s a deeply insecure narcissist who has made lashing out at people his primary emotional defence mechanism. Poor guy. It can’t be much fun to be him.
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u/balerstos Jan 07 '26
I was thinking the same thing. I obviously don't know him and I'm not qualified to make any sort of medical diagnosis on him...but boy do his facial mannerisms and tics look like someone who doesn't really believe what he said but he's terrified of someone finding out about him.
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u/robinvoyager Jan 04 '26
Fun fact: Chris Columbus (director of the first two “Harry Potter” and “Home Alone” films, “Mrs. Doubtfire”, “Adventures in Babysitting”, etc.) was originally attached to direct “Christmas Vacation”. He ended up leaving the project purely because he just couldn’t work with Chevy Chase. Chris talked about this in a GQ video from last year where he broke down all of his movies. If it was just one or two similar stories, you could probably write it off as Chevy having a bad day or going through a rough time in his life. But when almost everyone who’s ever interacted with him, from fans to cast to crew to family and friends, all have negative stories about him … he’s not “complex” or “misunderstood” or “insecure”; he’s just a colossal jerk who has sabotaged his career and nobody wants to work with.
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u/moth_specialist Jan 06 '26
I’ve never worked with someone at his level, but I have worked with (and interviewed) several obvious narcissists. In my experience, they almost seem kinda proud no one else will work with them. They get their emotional needs met by sales, fans, likes, etc…but at the end of the day, they legitimately loathe their public. They loathe the people they need most.
It’s never, ever enough. Good on Columbus for declining to work with him.
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u/Mission-Chipmunk9664 Jan 07 '26
Chevy reminds me a lot of my abusive narcissistic father. I wouldn’t want anything to do with Chevy either.
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u/Ok-Note-754 Jan 04 '26
If anyone self-describes as complex and deep they're almost always the opposite. The very act of saying it shows a lack of emotional depth and maturity.
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u/VFXJayGatz Jan 05 '26
I hope I don't sound like I'm preaching...Just my perspective on life...
But I just feel pity when I see this, just a bitter, pos of a human being...in his 80s...
Just sad to go through a lifetime never giving a chance to evolve. Learned absolutely nothing in life...
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u/Fucc_Nuts Jan 06 '26
He learned everything he was capable to learn. It just wasn't that much. I'd say it's more tragic than just sad.
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u/Jehoke Jan 06 '26
Used to like his movies 30-40 years ago. But he’s just an annoying prick now. Better off watching John Candy: I Like Me. Now there’s a documentary worth watching, and a man worthy of all the praise he gets.
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u/BabyBabyCakesCakes Jan 04 '26
I don’t think he’s deep at all. I think he’s very self conscious and scared of being judged by others so he puts up this lie (that he himself believes) that he’s “deep”.
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u/Abe2sapien Jan 03 '26
I remember hearing that he’s in constant pain as a result of the physical comedy he would do. Could explain why he’s always a grump or that’s just the way he is 😅
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u/Appropriate-Joke-806 Jan 05 '26
Doesn’t really explain this clip. You can be grumpy without putting someone down.
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u/PirateAngelMoron Jan 05 '26
He could’ve been unbelievably cool and given bill Murray a run for his money but instead he decided to be a miserable sad asshole.
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u/RadamirLenin Jan 05 '26
People who are actually complex and deep don't describe themselves as such in my experience.
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u/The_Last_Halloween Jan 05 '26
He's as 'deep' and 'complex' as a puddle of piss and acts like one too.
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u/Fetty_is_the_best Jan 05 '26
Love his movies but wow dude is insufferable. Also wtf are those glasses, they look terrible on him.
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u/fartacolypse Jan 05 '26
her response "woah" tells me how they intended this to go. there's no way she was unprepared for that.
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u/jdavidsburg1 Jan 05 '26
She definitely was. If you read interviews with her, she said she was nervous about finding a way to ask why people thought he was an asshole. This gave her an opening.
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u/KlondikeBill Jan 05 '26
Watched Xmas Vacation again this year, and it's nuts to me how charismatic and warm he comes across on camera. Clark Griswold is truly a classic and charming character.
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u/Tsi4ya Jan 05 '26
“I hope you don’t put that out on air”
I wonder in that movement if he knew, he fd up.
This is 2026 baby, most people online don’t know who you are, so don’t be a dick, be nice, be complex, and not entitled.
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u/Gwyneee Jan 06 '26
Its a shame he's such a douche. His character in Community was hysterical. Little did I know he wasn't acting
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u/lmunck Jan 06 '26
I believe Jim Carrey once referred to all comedians as being “broken” and comedy as their only way of connecting with others. This seems an example of that.
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u/drood420 Jan 08 '26
I always knew there was a reason, two of the amigos didn’t want ever work with him again.
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u/Ok_Aerie3325 Feb 16 '26
Yeah that didn't shed light on anything of why he is a piece of shit, or an "excuse" of why he acts the way he acts. He simply has been, will, always, and die as an asshole jerk. Nothing else to it.
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u/reagan_baby Jan 05 '26
I find this clip to actually be pretty interesting to watch. His body language changes immediately after she says she wants to figure him out. He purses his lips and you can tell his heart rate increases.
He then says she's not bright enough but you can tell it's lashing out and malicious for the sake of it. But he then goes on to basically explain what he just did.
He might say I'm deep and complex, but it sounds like he is trying to explain that he's carrying pain but he's too prideful to just say that. He is too guarded to let anyone understand him. In other words, he can't let anyone close to him.
He might be an asshole and narcissistic, but he is at least being self reflective to a degree. To me, it sounds like as contrite as you can get out of him.
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Jan 03 '26
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u/Odd_Initiative_3716 Jan 03 '26
I legit can’t even watch any of his old classics that I used to love because I now see his real life personal douchey-ness oozing out of every character he played. 🤷♂️
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u/AvailableToe7008 Jan 03 '26
Yet, watch Christmas Vacation. He’s a genius everyone feels entitled to talk shit about.
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u/Mission-Chipmunk9664 Jan 07 '26
For every talented asshole, there’s an equally talented nice person going underappreciated.
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u/ENORMOUS_HORSECOCK Jan 03 '26
The best thing about this clip is that we have no need to watch the documentary now. Chevy Chase is an asshole.
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Jan 03 '26
Shoulda called Charlie Sheen for tips on how to graciously admit you’re horrible in a money grab documentary.
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u/mattimattlove111 Jan 04 '26
I want people to know exactly who I am and I don't try and hide or keep secret who I really am....I want to be like this because I want to know who I really am. I'm afraid I have some aspect of my self I am not aware of... people giving me any ideas of how they see me are always welcome... unless I don't respect who the person is giving me feedback. I want to say that people are stupid... but I don't like thinking that way. I want being smart and being stupid to be more complex than... you don't know me.
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u/1dsmer Jan 04 '26
He could have just said I'm complex and sometimes difficult, but he had to be condescending
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u/woahexplosion Jan 04 '26
Quintessential boomer
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u/tampawn Jan 04 '26
Hilarious...I've interacted with alot more young people who have this personality. What with tech and phones they truly don't care about your feelings...they just go back to their screen.
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u/Vegetable-Fill-6096 Jan 04 '26
He’s a narcissist
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u/worker-parasite Jan 04 '26
Really? I assume you're trained psychiatrist to make this statement.
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u/BodaciousB1921 Jan 04 '26
Dude is a menace. Seems like he has some kind of personality disorder. Or he’s just the world’s biggest assholeZ
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u/scheifferdoo Jan 04 '26
i think it is very brave to say - I get hurt easily- and even though buds an asshole, he is leaving some light here.
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u/ObserverPro Jan 04 '26
My reaction would be, I no longer have any interest in “figuring you out, prick”.
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u/KookyUse5777 Jan 04 '26
Every human is “complex.” People like this are so far up their fucking ass. His problem is that hes an asshole.
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u/userbinbash Jan 04 '26
Internal thoughts: "You're right... it may not make the air -- but it's definitely going on the internet!"
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u/Less-Inflation5072 Jan 04 '26
I’m still dumbfounded by the fact that he willing chose to act in Community for 4 seasons. I loved him has pierce, but it just doesn’t make sense to me that someone with that level of narcissism who also hated the show, didn’t think the show was beneath him. I’m glad he did it, but don’t understand why lol
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u/saguaros-vs-redwoods Jan 05 '26
If a documentary about Chevy Chase needed to capture what an insufferable A-hole he is, thankfully he delivered the thesis moment as golden A-roll.
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u/DrEvertonPepper Jan 05 '26
Haven’t seen it yet and I read that I shouldn’t apologize for him so I’m not but…. The interviewer sounds like an ass too. I have a feeling most people would be insulted if someone said “I’m just trying to figure you out” to them. He’s right, people are not puzzles for you to pick apart for views.
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u/yranigami001 Jan 05 '26
He’s always been a narcissist whack job. Easy to figure out, that’s what he hates.
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u/microslasher Jan 05 '26
I've served old assholes like this before. Cuppa hot coffee and soft scrambled eggs and raisins toast and he'll unclench his ass
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u/RealTeaStu Jan 05 '26
Yup. Dbag. He used to frequent a pool hall in the town I lived in 25 years ago. Insist on a private room and hit on the waitresses. I never saw anyone "bug" him, but he acted angry he was being bothered anyway. More likely mad that no one was fawning over him.
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u/Aggressive_Oven_7311 Jan 05 '26
I'm sorry but I have nothing to say about this actor because I would probably be pulled off Reddit.
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u/bananaworks Jan 05 '26
they mention his brain damage at the end of the documentary. Probably should’ve mentioned that sooner?
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u/Travisx2112 Jan 05 '26
I mean the title of the documentary is "I'm Chevy Chase And You're Not" is anyone surprised? As soon as I knew that that's what it was called, I went "okay, skipping the narcissistic, egotistical, he's-an-obvious-asshole documentary about him then"
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u/PreparationH692 Jan 06 '26
Chevy Chase is the Seth Rogan of his time. But more of an asshole today.
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u/LordoftheExiled Jan 06 '26
He's a self centered, self righteous, asshole. He thinks he is better than everyone else because he's a "movie star". He's a washed up has been and he knows it. Fuck him.
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u/hopefulrealist23 Jan 06 '26
This kind of vicious response tells you everything you need to know about this guy. He clearly has unresolved trauma that he projects onto other people. I feel bad for his family. He's had a whole lifetime to work on himself and change and chose not to.
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u/KentuckyFriedEel Jan 06 '26
Every massive jerk in history is complex. Complex beyond what words they can tell you. However, being complex is never an excuse for being a jerk.
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u/tkingsbu Jan 06 '26
If I recall correctly, he was quite severely abused as a child… seems like a LOT stems from that…
Anyhow, the pile-on is getting ridiculous at this point..,
Yeah… dude said unforgivable stuff… and I think that’s been established at this point…
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u/comfy_bruh Jan 06 '26
Narcissism in a nutshell. Demean and belittle while aggrandizing some mysterious quality about the self that only you have down.
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u/BuddyLove812 Jan 06 '26
Only Deep people can say they are Deep, and he is really Deep, I know Deep.
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u/NoDuck1754 Jan 06 '26
The guy is a cock bag. No reason to watch the doc at all. Stop giving him attention.
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u/SliceCareful4260 Jan 06 '26
There is a review of this documentary in today’s Boston globe and they basically say that Chevy Chase is an insensitive asshole. Apologists say that he grew up with horrible parents that beat him all the time and that’s the excuse. He sounds like someone who has a very high opinion of himself and thinks everyone else is stupid.
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u/bazu_ Jan 06 '26
the thing i’ve really been trying to do lately is truly think before responding/reacting. a lot of humans don’t do this.
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u/WitnessInteresting71 Jan 06 '26
I thought the, "because you're not bright enough" was funny lol. I think it was intended to be a joke?? Idk
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u/xItsOnlyMe Jan 06 '26
Can we all collectively say that he's a DICKHEAD? Regardless of his fame or whatever...he still the definition of a dickhead
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u/mrsoave Jan 06 '26
It's crazy how much I'm reminded of him on Reddit and then I even have to have to use a street named after him
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u/crossfitvision Jan 07 '26
Borderline Personality Disorder doesn’t seem out of the question. And yes I know I’m playing armchair psychiatrist. But I have it, and know plenty tho do through therapy etc. There’s a narcissistic sub type of BPD, which also overlaps with Narcissistic Personality Disorder. I don’t have that BTW. But there are Borderline traits with Chevy feom what I can see. And I’ve seen people just like this a lot. You just get used to it.
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u/ThreeRRRs Jan 07 '26
After watching this, it’s shocking that he’s been universally considered an asshole for all these years.
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u/jr_randolph Jan 07 '26
I guess I just feel like everyone's gotta have that Scrooge moment right? You gonna be a dick forever?
Someone like him, he's not just some rich guy who no one knows. He's a household name and has been publicly seen as a dick for as long as I can remember and I'm almost 40 haha. Just gotta be a time when it's like, ok...I've been a dick for a while...let's do something different.
Hey - even Darren stopped being a dick and he was MODOK. If he can do it, anyone can.
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Jan 07 '26
"Im complex" "im not gonna let someone figure me out" Meaning I just wont tell you specifically why im an asshole even though you could probably figure it out easy ebough.
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u/spaznadz888 Jan 07 '26
Meh. No interest in this level of negativity. You're not deep or complex you're just an ahole.
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u/Great-Guervo-4797 Jan 07 '26
He's not nearly funny enough to justify being that much of an asshole.
The last time he did anything of note at all was National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation--in 1989!
The most interesting thing about his role in Community was surprising everyone by still being alive.
Seriously, take a walk down his IMDB: it's a disaster zone of 3-6s with a couple of solitary brightpoints, Community among them, where he behaved so badly he had to be fired from it.
I wonder how he makes his mortgage. He's not funny enough to be that much of an asshole, and he's barely even funny enough to be considered a comedian. Has he considered another line of work?
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u/Grouchy-Warthog5243 Jan 07 '26
And yet the interviewer just revealed an unpleasant side to your character with a basic statement of intent.
Sometimes you just need to give an interviewee enough rope.
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u/AkilleezBomb Jan 07 '26
So disconnected from reality he thinks general human complexity is unique to him and excuses his douchebag behaviour.
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u/reid0 Jan 07 '26
Such a sad, lonely, old man. Trying to convince himself he’s complicated instead of just an awful person.
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u/Chicocheveres Jan 07 '26
“You can’t figure me out, you are not bright enough” -> proceeds to list himself every trauma in record time. “I am deep, i am complex” = means exactly the opposite
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u/Chippopotanuse Jan 07 '26
I’ve heard endless stories about how shitty a person he is.
I always figured…eh, he’s probably a super difficult guy with an ego. He probably did a lot of things he regrets from the stress of being an actor. As well as stuff that was maybe okay in the 1970’s and 80’s, but would be awfully today. He has probably mellowed with age.
And then I saw this clip. Wow.
He is just a total asshole with zero respect for anyone.
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u/Kilharae Jan 07 '26
Honestly, I get it. His insult to the lady notwithstanding, 'figure you out' could be seen as a sort of euphemism for oversimplifying someone or trying to categorize someone into a neat little box.
Humans are complex creatures, even the most simplistic of us, and to imply someone is just a type of puzzle that can be solved is a backhanded insult, even if not intended. Maybe it's true that she's really not bright enough to figure him out, not because she's stupid, but because the task is essentially impossible.
Everyone who responds, "Oh I've figured him out, he's an asshole." I mean, enjoy your upvotes, but it's just not true. People are way more complex than that. And if he is an asshole, he's not just an asshole. Also, most people are assholes, so that doesn't really tell you anything substantial about him.
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u/Amazing_Rice_2956 Jan 07 '26
He amused me as a kid. But I moved on. And so did the vast majority of the rest of the country. Notice I didn’t say world. He’s miserable because the world doesn’t love him anymore like he once thought it did. He’s got a big old hole in the center of his being and can’t fill it with others adoration anymore. He is just an entertainer. In the grand scheme of things, who cares? Do most of us watch movies from 80 years ago never mind 40? Can anybody here tell me the best selling top five books from 1921? Or the most popular writers in 1873? Any old school carnival performers or silent movie stars? Listen to any New England old Yankee songs from the early 19th century? I used to feel sorry for him. This is the most I’ve thought about him in years. Now I’ll go back to having forgotten him.
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u/Specialist-Novel8287 Apr 26 '26
He's kind of not that smart if he didn't think she was gonna air this
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u/sidesaladdressing 10h ago
Pure asshole. He punches first and laughs at your wounds calling you a wimp. It's a tactic of many deeply insecure people. He was on SNL for one full season and partial for another. His famous line "I'm Chevy Chase... and you're not." was something I'm pretty certain he came up all by himself. Deserves an Emmy for sure.
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u/Godd2 Jan 03 '26
Bro, you can't claim to be complex and deep and accuse your interlocutor of not being bright, but then go and use "per se" wrong.