A bizarre encounter with actor Chevy Chase led then-unknown filmmaker Chris Columbus to walk off 'National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation.'

I don’t need this. I’d rather not work again," the filmmaker recalled thinking after meeting with the comedy star.

Director Chris Columbus recalled a "bizarre" meeting with the actor that led him to quit "National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation."

The classic 1989 film National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation could have been a different film with Chris Columbus in the director’s chair, but the renowned director said some awkward meetings with star Chevy Chase left him turned off.

Columbus realized there was a silver lining though. He recalled, “I quit ‘Christmas Vacation.’ The next weekend, I got another script from John — and it’s ‘Home Alone.’ ‘Home Alone,’ for me, was even more personal, a better script. And I thought, I can really do something with this, and I don’t have to deal with Chevy Chase.”

Chevy Chase celebrates the 35th anniversary of the beloved classic, "National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation" at the Palace Theater.

"Home Alone" director Chris Columbus nearly helmed another iconic Christmas movie but said a "surreal" pair of meetings with Chevy Chase made him quit the film.