Chris Columbus on Nosferatu, Chevy Chase fight that led to being home alone

Chris Columbusthe guest in this episode of The Hollywood Reporter‘S Awards Chatter Podcast, has been behind some of the most popular and successful family films of all time. Among other things, he wrote 1984s Gremlins and 1985s The Gooniesand he directed it in the 1990s Home alone and 1992s Home Alone 2: Lost in New York – both Christmas classics – and 1993s Ms. Doubtfire and 2001 Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone and 2002 Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets. It is all the more surprising and interesting that he has now, at the age of 66, produced – with Eleanor Columbushis daughter and partner at Maiden Voyage Productions, an incubator for young filmmakers – Robert Eggers‘ frightening new horror film Nosferatuwhich stars Nicholas Hoult, Lily Rose Depp And Bill Skarsgardand which Focus will release on Christmas Day.

During a conversation in the LA offices The Hollywood ReporterColumbus thought about how a boy from a working-class family in Ohio ended up working for in his mid-twenties Steven Spielberg. He revealed how disastrous the meeting was Chevy Chase led to him resigning as director National Lampoons Christmas Vacation – and to a film that is now considered an even greater Christmas classic, Home alone. He explained how a decade after this film became the highest grossing comedy film of all time, its stock value had fallen and he had to convince Warner Bros. and JK Rowling to hire him as leader Harry Potter Films whose three main actors he then cast. And he explained why after the first two potter Films, he began to focus more on production and eventually on supporting young up-and-coming filmmakers like Eggers, whose previous films included the 2015s The witch and 2019 The lighthouseHe served as executive producer.

You can listen to the episode via the player above or on any podcast platform. Afterwards, please leave us a rating, review, comment and share the podcast with a friend!