The One Scene Johnny Galecki Wishes Made It Into National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation
It's all about Christmas now as we re-watch good old holiday classics.
One of the seasonal treats is the iconic National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation directed by Jeremiah S. Chechik and written and co-produced by John Hughes. The comedy hit the big screen in 1989 and was the first important work for none other than Johnny Galecki, one of the brightest stars of The Big Bang Theory series.
Taking part in a project of such a scale was an honor for a 14 year old Galecki who played Rusty Griswold. For him filming became a seminal part of his career, and understanding of comedy and life in general.
"I remember practically every day," he once told the Rolling Stone magazine.
But there's one thing, which still bugs the TBBT star – some 3 decades after the release of National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation, the third installment of the National Lampoon magazine's Vacation film series.
"There's always been kind of a man-to-man scene between Clark and Russ in the previous films — a coming-of-age scene. But there isn't in this one," said Galecki recalling Chevy Chase's words as he, John Hughes, Jeremiah, and himself were waiting for a scene to be set up.
Hughes said that there was something in the initial draft script and Chase suggested they put the scene back.
"So they asked what I thought and I said, 'I don't think there's any point. Somebody thought it was worth taking out at some point, so even if we shoot it, it'll probably get taken out again'," Galecki recalled his response.
He still regrets this decision, because he "literally talked myself out of what could have been a classic scene with Chevy Chase," said the Leonard actor who now realizes the scale of the mistake he made. "I still kick myself in the a** for this every day," he admitted.
Johnny Galecki also shared with Rolling Stones what the Christmas comedy was like for him at such a young age. Back then he was happy to be in Chicago auditioning for industrial films and regional theater. He said that he did not dare to dream that big – to feature in a big studio film. But he sent his tape in. As a result he was flown to Los Angeles.
"I read with Chevy and Jeremiah — and that alone would have been enough for me," said Galecki adding that he could have been given his papers and sent straight home the next day as it still would have been a dream come true. But Chase told the kid he had got the role.
According to Chechik, the National Lampoon's Christmas Vacations' filmmaker, it was a justified decision – Galecki, an odd kid, made him laugh because he "has this wack of a sense of humor." The director said that both Chase and Galecki have the gift of "comic timing without the gloss of it," which added an odd flatness to it that was super funny.