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

I was signed on…and then I met Chevy Chase," Columbus tells Vanity FairThe director of Home Alone says he nearly directed another iconic holiday film — National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation — but ultimately left after clashing with the film's star,

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

He told Vanity Fair: “I was signed on… and then I met Chevy Chase. Even given my situation at the time, where I desperately needed to make a film, I realised I couldn’t work with the guy. Columbus added: “I was one of the many who couldn’t work ...

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.”

Chris Columbus, the director behind 'Home Alone' and 'Gremlins,' shared a not-so-merry holiday recollection involving comedian 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.