And it all kicked off when he worked with John Hughes…

What a first job you had!

Going through your credits, the first, jobNational Lampoons Christmas Vacation.

You land a John Hughes movie.

I couldnt find out much of the story before that.

So, I wonder if you could just fill us in a little bit?

I started as a photographer, as a fashion photographer.

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That was for Vogue?

I chose to try and go into film.

Now, I didnt know anything about how you would actually do it.

By the Monday following the Sunday, the phone rang off the hook.

Oddly, I had just moved here from New York maybe three weeks earlier.

I thought, like, wow, I should have donethisearlier.

Lets make a big movie.

And I didnt think they would achieve that.

So, I backed out of the project, which never did get made.

But, what had happened was they, at Warners, thought, We like this guy a lot.

And they started to send me scripts.

And the script that really piqued my interest was [National Lampoons]Christmas Vacation.

And the reason is I had never done any comedy ever.

And I just felt if I could crack this maybe theres a whole other world of filmmaking for me.

But I agreed to do it and I had just a fantastic time doing it.

I just sublimated to all those directors who did those great classic comedies: Sturges and Wilder and Hawks.

Those guys really became my dead mentors, as it were.

Thats how I got my first film!

But I did have the bug to do this.

Obviously, John Hughes did have a reputation in some quarters for being quite difficult to deal with.

Im curious how he treated you as a first time feature director.

I met John and I found…

I dont think he wanted Chris Columbus to do the movie.

This is what I hear.

But Chevy wanted me, Warners wanted me and so we said, Okay, Ill meet.

And somehow, he accepted me to be director.

He liked my work and we got on.

I didnt appreciate it as much then as I do now.

Because I just thought, Well, thats just how it happens.

And he came to the set on the first day.

So, we were fortunate.

And I kept thinking, Gee, John should come and hang with me.

I really like him and we talk often.

And I would say, Well, the studio may be giving me some push back on these things.

And he said, Oh, just have them call me.

So then, the studio would give me a note, Id go, Thats great.

Clear it with John.

Then, Id call John and go, Theyre gonna call you.

[And he said] Im not taking their calls.

Even in the cut, I remember screening the very first assembly for him.

He flew in and he just looked at me and he said, Wow.

You have a really funny movie.

This is really great.

Finish it, and went back to Chicago.

[laughs]

He didnt wanna touch what was happening.

I just thought, Well, if I find it funny, maybe someone else will.

How do you direct a comedy talent like Chevy Chase?

Well, I think it depends on the scene.

Hence, the title director.

Some directors like to keep a very tense set.

They think that that promotes really hard work.

But that may happen frequently or infrequently, depending on what it is.

The final thing, with comedy, is you have to let things happen.

Look for opportunities, the happy accidents, and build on them.

I have to say from the off, I thinkBenny & Joonis such a lovely movie.

I think the chemistry between Johnny Depp and Mary Stuart Masterson is really good.

Well, you know, its funny.

Youre saying that, but it wasnt terribly problematic.

I mean, it may have appeared, from the outside, problematic.

I know the difference.

Because I have had difficult movies to do.

That was not difficult.

Now, him making the movie was not the trigger.

We had gotten the budget.

Thats right, and wanted to do that and bowed out.

This happens all the time.

Or work with the legends at the time.

So, I didnt blame him.

He went off and did it and I guess the media made a bigger mess of it.

And I just thought, Well get Aidan Quinn.

So, we just went to Aidan, he said yes and that was it.

So, it wasnt really that much drama.

It was maybe a few days of we lost Woody.

Lets get somebody else.

And Aidan was just so fantastic.

Within one day, who remembered Woody Harrelsons approach to the part?

It just wasnt part of it.

And I think time certainly supported that.

Were you a Buster Keaton fan before you got to the film?

I was a big fan of Buster Keaton, more so than Chaplin, even.

Of course, we hired an organist.

[laughs] We spent [a long time] in that theatre.

You know, its one thing to look at these old movies on the small screen.

That rekindled my absolute adoration for those guys.

It was a fun, fun, beautiful movie to make.

Every day of it was a joy the crew and the cast stuck together like glue.

It was just one of those things that bonded us, I think, for life.

And is it as good an experience as youve ever had making a film?

Yeah, I could say that pretty quick.