I think I need to be taken away, dropped in some territory with just a lot of loud guys.
— Chevy Chase
I really love making movies. I just have this yearning in my stomach to go back and somehow subversively screw up television a little bit again.
In this business, you can come and go in a second.
I would love to do a movie with Albert Brooks; we're so different, but I find him so funny, and I can be just as seemingly narcissistic as he comes off, the 'it's all about me' kind of thing.
The best advice I can give you about falling is to never land.
Let's not call physical comedy falling down and pratfalls. All humor is physical, no matter how you dish it out. It's timing, like a dancer or an athlete would have.
I was always the guy getting kicked out of my classes at school for having an attitude problem.
Last good pratfall I did, I broke bones in both hands. I still feel it when people shake my hand.
Television doesn't make stars. It's the written media, the press, that makes stars.
You may have read that I went to M.I.T. In 1982 I filled out a Who's Who survey with joking responses, and they never bothered to check the facts.
There are very few solid family films. A lot of the writing is awful.
Once I got married and had kids, I moved away from romantic roles, because it seemed wrong to have my three-year-old wondering why Daddy was kissing someone else.
I watched every single Charlie Chaplin film.
Anyone who wants to run has to be a Jimmy Swaggart, minus the default.
Every Vacation movie didn't just make the studio money. They each made the studio a lot of money.
I tell the person I won't take a picture or sign the autograph, but I will shake their hand. That kind of personal touch is all they're really seeking.
What's funny is funny. The same thing that made you laugh a hundred years ago makes you laugh now.
I was a young, new, hot star, and I had this unbelievable arrogance. As time went on, the strident narcissism and arrogance slowly diminished. But I was definitely there. I'm older now. And a big crybaby.
What interests me is being alive and being with friends that I care about and being as creative as I can given circumstance.
I am just happy that I have children. I don't care what they want to do!
You could knock my teeth out and break my nose, and there'd be something funny about it to me.
I guess I look so straight and normal, nobody expects me to pick my nose and fall.
Most of the films I've done were ruined in the postproduction, not during filming.
I don't know if my looks will ever get any better, but my pratfalls sure won't.
The first thing that happens is that you're overwhelmed by so much attention. It's just so unnatural. Only people who've been in that position can realize what it's like. I mean, you have to be there.
I think the Clintons are brilliant. I've never met a person as intelligent as Bill, and I think Hillary is right up there with him. They're too smart for Washington.
They can't make any of these talented young actors Fletch. You might as well make a movie called Chevy Chase.
We never could have performed live for an hour and a half every week if we were doing drugs.
A laugh is a surprise. And all humor is physical. I was always athletic, so that came naturally to me.
If you're in the White House, it's your house, and you can invite whatever friend you want.
I have three daughters. I wanted them to be raised where there are real seasons and where everyone their age wasn't trying to get into movies.
It's never a good idea for a celebrity to sign autographs or take pictures if a crowd is gathering.
Anybody can reach anywhere from five to 15 million people weekly making a president look like an idiot, as I did back then, or Tina Fey did with Sarah Palin... You're always preaching to the choir one way or the other.
Nobody prepares you for what happens when you get famous, and I didn't handle it well.
Any good actor has to have a good sense of humour, too; they have to be able to manipulate people.
Live a life of grace. You'll be a better person for it, and so will your children.
My father was the funniest guy I ever met. I'm not sure if I stole his stuff or if I inherited it.
You can't observe as much if you're observed by others.
I just went into this business for laughs. I guess I don't mind being an actor so much now.
The best comedy I ever did was when people didn't know who I was.
Parrots make great pets. They have more personality than goldfish.
It took me 20 years of making movies to learn how to do it.
I made about 28 movies, and I think about five of them were good.
The fact was, Ford kept stumbling around. I didn't want him in the White House. I wanted Carter in, and I had a forum of 20 million people watching.
All my children inherited perfect pitch.
With Clinton, there's no question that I would have made fun of his out-and-out lying. But he's also a good friend.
I learned a lot about handling fans from established stars.
I'm Chevy Chase, and you're not.
