As the resident curmudgeonly racist, Pierce Hawthorne was an almost perfect counterpart to the rest of the gang at Greendale Community College. But as for Community itself, Chevy Chase says he was far better than the material in front of him.
In a recent interview with Marc Maron on his WTF podcast, Chevy Chase insisted that NBC’s Community had plenty of strong components to it but the show itself was far below him. “Honestly, I felt the show wasn’t funny enough for me, ultimately…I felt a little bit constrained a bit…Everyone had their bits and stuff, I thought they were all good, but it just wasn’t hard-hitting enough for me.” He even suggested that it was such a minor point in his career, saying he “kinda [forgets] about that.”
Chevy Chase left Community after reportedly using racial slurs and clashing with creator Dan Harmon and co-star Donald Glover, which is no surprise considering he is notoriously difficult to work with. As for how that impacts him? Well, as you probably guessed, it doesn’t, saying last year, “I don’t give a crap! I am who I am. I don’t care. And it’s part of me that I don’t care. And I’ve thought about that a lot. And I don’t know what to tell you, man. I just don’t care.” In short, he’s Chevy Chase and you’re not.
As for Chevy Chase’s relationship with Dan Harmon now that Community has been off the air for just under a decade, the comedian said, “I have no idea if we’re okay. I’ve never been not okay…He’s kind of a pisser. He’s angry. He called and said he was sorry. I love him now.” Fortunately for apparently plenty of people involved with the Community movie, Chase will have no involvement as Pierce Hawthorne passed away in 2014.
Despite some pretty serious health issues and being on the cusp of 80, Chevy Chase is remaining consistent in his work, appearing in the R.L. Stine adaptation Zombie Town alongside his former Saturday Night Live castmate Dan Aykroyd. He also has a number of public appearances lined up related to National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation.
Did you like Chevy Chase on Community or were you happy that he left after the fourth season?