Director ‘I’m Chevy Chase and you’re not’ about the fight with Chevy
Marina Zenovich’s ‘I’m Chevy Chase, and You’re Not’ is not your average celebrity documentary. From the beginning of the film, it is clear that the 82-year-old comedian had no editorial control over the project.
A minute into the CNN documentary, Zenovich (“Lance,” “Robin Williams: Come Inside My Mind”) can be heard off-camera telling Chase, “I’m just trying to figure you out.”
His response: “No, it won’t be easy for you.”
“Why won’t it be easy?” asks Zenovich.
“You’re not smart enough,” Chase says dryly. “How’s that?” Then the comedian grins.
Zenovich says that while she was surprised by Chase’s reaction, she was also relieved.
“I’ve never done an interview where someone was so rude to me,” Zenovich says Variety. “But when I started that first interview with him, I was so worried about how I would say to him, ‘Everyone thinks you’re an asshole.’ I thought if I did that he would throw me out of his house. So as soon as he said that to me, I was able to come in.
The documentary, which premieres Jan. 1 on CNN, charts Chase’s rise from “Saturday Night Live” breakout to leading man, his three marriages, addiction to cocaine and alcohol, heart failure that led to a coma, child abuse, depression, a failed talk show and the star’s various disputes with actors like Terry Sweeney and the entire cast of the NBC comedy “Community.”
“I wanted to find out who the real person was behind the conflicted, guarded and somewhat vulnerable man we see on camera,” says Zenovich. “What was beneath the surface of his somewhat intimidating bravado as a superstar? Was there any self-consciousness there? After interviewing Chevy at length, I have to say it’s all there, and a lot of pain and heartache, too.”
In addition to Chase and his family, the documentary features revealing interviews with the star’s former collaborators and confidantes, including Mike Ovitz, Dan Aykroyd, Beverly D’Angelo, Goldie Hawn, Lorne Michaels, Ryan Reynolds and Martin Short.
Variety spoke with Zenovich and her husband, and longtime production partner PG Morgan, about why Chase decided to make the documentary and ask someone, anyone, from “Community” to do an interview.
You’ve collaborated on quite a few celebrity docs, including Lance Armstrong, Robin Williams: Come Inside My Mind, Richard Pryor: Omit the Logic, Jerry Brown: The Disrupter, and Roman Polanski: Wanted and Desired. Where does Chevy Chase rank on the difficulty meter?
Zenovich: When I first sat down with Lance Armstrong, he was sitting on the edge of a chair and ready to spar with me. That’s exciting, because you don’t know what you’re going to get. Then I did Jerry Brown, who I tried to do that with, but he had no interest whatsoever. So every person is different. Chevy was willing to go there, but he held back. He wouldn’t go all the way. The interviews with him were very tough.
Morgan: There were many unknowns during the interviews. Chevy is incredibly quick-witted and always on the job, so you should be able to work with him. He’s also a bit intimidating, and we had a lot of things we wanted to talk to him about – the good stuff and the sensitive stuff.
When it comes to celebrity documentaries, the celebrity is usually promoting something like a tour, a fashion line, or a book. Chase didn’t promote anything. Why do you think he wanted to make this film?, What’s not exactly a flattering portrait of him?
Zenovich: Someone wrote a book about him, and I don’t think so [Chase’s] family liked it. I think they were trying to right a wrong. I don’t know if they think they did that because it was hard. [The doc] It was a tough job for him and his family, but I think they appreciated it in the end.
Morgan: I suspect that as a family they felt that he was not getting what he was entitled to. That there have been a whole series of documentaries about other people of his generation. I think it hurt that he didn’t get the same recognition.
Do you think the people who said no to interviews, like Steve Martin and Christopher Guest, were really saying, “We don’t like that guy”?
Zenovich: I can’t answer that, but I think the absences speak for themselves. Whether planning, personal or saving for their own document. Ultimately, I think we found the right mix of people. I was initially disappointed that we didn’t get more people from Community, but there are some things people don’t want to talk about.
How difficult was it to get someone from the “Community” to sit down with you?
Everyone said no. I ran into (‘Community’ creator) Dan Harmon at a screening of ‘Deaf President Now!’ and I have his number. I was so excited. I thought it would happen, but then he refused. I was so lucky to get Jay Chandrasekhar (“Community” director). He has such a great delivery and he was willing to go there. If Jay had said no, I would have been screwed.
“I’m Chevy Chase, and You’re Not” premieres Thursday, January 1 on CNN. The film will stream live on January 1 to pay TV subscribers via CNN.com, CNN Connected TV and mobile apps.
