Chevy Chase wants to act again, but years of bad press have given him a reputation that limits the roles offered to him. A new profile in The Washington Post offers a brief oral history of Chase’s run-ins with the media and other actors, packaging his sincere compliments alongside his putdowns.
Chase admits that after a rough couple year stretch that involved a public feud with Community showrunner Dan Harmon and a disappointing appearance at SNL’s 40th anniversary special, Chase started drinking more and experienced depression. For the last 18 months, Chase has been sober.
Chevy Chase doesn’t mince words about how he sees the state of SNL. “First of all, between you and me and a lamppost, jeez, I don’t want to put down Lorne or the cast, but I’ll just say, maybe off the record, I’m amazed that Lorne has gone so low. I had to watch a little of it, and I just couldn’t f—— believe it,” Chase said. When pressed about when SNL started to decline, Chase answered, “I’d have to say, that after the first two years, it went downhill. Why am I saying that? Because I was in it? I guess. That’s a horrible thing to say.”
Chase also recalls a dispute several years ago with Lorne Michaels, when Michael turned down his request to host SNL. Chase argued that the incident brought back old regrets and aggravations for Michaels, while Michaels said he was “never angry” at Chase.
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