Community fans were basking in all the glory brought by the news of a certain prophecy being fulfilled at long last. Sadly, even with the future looking bright for a new movie, quite the turmoil surrounding the cast members began to unfold, this time, involving Chevy Chase – to no one’s surprise.
We all know Chase as the comedic legend that had the height of his career in the 1980s. He undeniably became someone who could simply pick whichever series or film he’d be on next until everyone realized he was more of a problem than a solution. Nowadays, the only show keeping Chase’s influence afloat is Community – even decades after the series first aired. Still, the actor appears to be tugging at all of his strings for slightly more attention, but not in the way it is being broadcast.
What happened with Chevy Chase?
In a recent interview with Deadline, the 79-year-old discussed his time back on the American sitcom, and while he looked at it semi-fondly, the unfortunately-titled article alluding to Chase’s criticism of the show sent the internet in uproar in Community‘s defense. But here’s the kicker: while what Chevy said was true, it was not about his time on Community, per se.
In fact, the entire sentence is in regards to his character Pierce Hawthorne, and how the ensemble cast’s “old man” was just always feeling like an outcast among his younger peers, throughout the four seasons he was in. The quote was eventually taken out of context, and very unfortunately timed, but the full sentence is as follows:
“Asked specifically about his character, Pierce Hawthorne, Chase replied, ‘I didn’t mind the character. I just felt that it was… I felt happier being alone. I just didn’t want to be surrounded by that table, every day, with those people. It was too much.’”
Chase’s character, Pierce, died in season 5 of Community after Chase opted to leave the show for various reasons. While the actor, the cast, and the crew all struggled with a heavy ambiance on set derived from Dan Harmon and Chase’s quarrels, the only moment in the entire interview where he criticized the show, was when he said the show “wasn’t funny enough for [him].”
“‘I honestly felt the show wasn’t funny enough for me, ultimately. I felt a little bit constrained,’ he said. ‘Everybody had their bits, and I thought they were all good. It just wasn’t hard-hitting enough for me.’”
While I wholeheartedly disagree, one can hardly expect Chase not to resent the series upon being so intensely scrutinized by Harmon, and vice versa – even if the actor wholeheartedly shares his positive experiences with the rest of the cast.