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Beverly D’Angelo took matters into her own hands and made movie history.
After “National Lampoon’s Vacation” (1983) and “National Lampoon’s European Vacation” (1985), the Griswolds returned to deliver more chaos in 1989’s “National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation.” The film starred D’Angelo and Chevy Chase, along with Randy Quaid, Juliette Lewis and Julia Louis-Dreyfus, among others.
D’Angelo is ringing in the new year with plenty in store for fans. She stars alongside Hayden Panettiere in the upcoming 2026 psychological thriller “Sleepwalker.” She recently followed it up with “The Heart Brake,” in which she turns a property into a Christmas bed-and-breakfast called the Noel Hotel.
Juliette Lewis, Chevy Chase, Beverly D’Angelo, and Johnny Galecki starred in 1989’s “National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation.” (Alamy)
But when the holidays roll around, D’Angelo still looks back at the film that keeps on giving — and the moment she made her own.
“It was not in the script for me to guard the family jewels when the police came to stick us up,” the actress told Fox News Digital. “I threw that in. That was definitely improvised. That was my little touch. All in one take.”
Beverly D’Angelo told Fox News Digital it warms her heart knowing that “National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation” has become a holiday tradition for fans. (Warner Bros./Alamy)
In the film, a police officer orders everyone gathered for the Griswold family Christmas to freeze. A stunned Ellen (D’Angelo) suddenly grabs Clark’s (Chase) crotch and stands still, obeying the command.
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“We had one take left, and it was the end of the day,” D’Angelo recalled. “I said, ‘I bet nobody catches this.’ We did the shot, freeze, and I put my hand there. It was like, ‘OK, that’s a wrap. Everybody go home.’ It was subtle. And it had to stay in the film because it was the only shot left! What are they going to do? They didn’t have a choice.”
From the moment Beverly D’Angelo and Chevy Chase filmed their first “National Lampoon” project together, they became fast friends. (Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images)
It was a long day of filming, and the star was eager to have some fun. D’Angelo tipped off Chase about what she was going to do. He agreed — before quickly adding, “You can’t do that,” convinced she’d never get away with it, Forbes reported.
Chevy Chase didn’t think Beverly D’Angelo could get away with the scene. She proved him wrong. (Warner Bros./Alamy)
“I guarantee you no one’s going to be looking at my hand,” she told him, as quoted by the outlet. “Everybody’s going to be looking at your face and Randy’s [Quaid] face and the expressions. I’m going to be way down below your waist, and the director’s not even looking at me. He’s just trying to get you guys good, get this take.”
It worked — and if you blink, you’ll miss it.
Beverly D’Angelo had no qualms protecting the “family jewels” on the set of “National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation.” (Jean Baptiste Lacroix/Getty Images)
“Well, what would you do in that situation?” D’Angelo told Fox News Digital. “You would guard the family jewels, first and foremost.”
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Beverly D’Angelo and Chevy Chase are seen at Regency Village Theatre on July 27, 2015, in Westwood, California. They’ve remained close friends over the years. (Eric Charbonneau/Getty Images for Warner Bros.)
D’Angelo, 74, noted that she and Chase, 82, became fast friends from the moment they met on set. That bond has endured for decades.
“I knew from the beginning I’d have a lifelong friendship with Chevy,” D’Angelo explained. “It was just like meeting a brother. We’ve kept that connection all the way, decades later. I just had a feeling when we met that we would be a tribe. I can’t explain it, except there’s just something about when Chevy and I get together.”
Chevy Chase and Beverly D’Angelo on the set of the Warner Bros. movie “National Lampoon’s European Vacation” in 1985. (Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images)
“There’s a chemistry we can create,” she shared. “We have a chemistry, we get each other. And then, we can easily flip into Clark and Ellen. It’s just something. I can’t explain it. It doesn’t happen with anybody else. He makes me Ellen, and I make him Clark when we work together. It’s very natural. We just know.”
Chevy Chase and Beverly D’Angelo speak on stage during Fan Expo Chicago 2025 on August 17, 2025, in Rosemont, Illinois. ( Daniel Boczarski/Getty Images)
Despite their instant connection, D’Angelo admitted she didn’t expect them to cross paths again after the first film.
“When we did the first ‘Vacation,’ it was just a summer movie,” said D’Angelo. “That concept of a franchise arrived much later. We only made the second one because the first one was such a hit. And then ‘Christmas’ was just as successful as the very first one, which is unusual. So, when I went in to meet Chevy, I just thought I was doing a Chevy Chase comedy that was going to be done after ‘Animal House.’”
Beverly D’Angelo was initially hesitant to take on the role of Ellen Griswold. (Robyn Beck/AFP via Getty Images)
“I had some hesitations about it,” she noted. “There are these old rules — never work with kids and animals. And there were a lot of kids and animals. Plus, I was the mother of teenagers, and I was 29 when we did that. I was even suggesting actresses to my agent. ‘Tell them to meet this person, that person.’ Just actress friends that I thought would be good. But it was my husband at the time — I was married to an Italian duke, actually — and he said, ‘But Beverly, this is hilarious! You must do it.’”
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Chevy Chase made his first National Lampoon appearance with a cameo in “National Lampoon’s Animal House” (1978) before starring as Clark Griswold in “National Lampoon’s Vacation” (1983). (Warner Brothers/Getty Images)
“That was that,” she continued. “I was in Italy when a friend of mine called me, and he said, ‘Do you know you’re in the number one movie this week?’ It was the first ‘Vacation.’ It just kept growing. It seems to be part of our whole culture now. For so many people, it’s part of their Christmas ritual. I don’t know what to say, except to quote myself and say, ‘It’s Christmas. We’re all in misery.’”
Making “Christmas Vacation” wasn’t always easy. It reminded D’Angelo of one of her past rules.
A squirrel sits atop a station wagon carrying a Christmas tree at fan Jeff Norton’s California home, styled to resemble the house from “National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation.” (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)
“The squirrel that jumped out of the tree? That squirrel was trained by professional animal trainers,” said D’Angelo about the unforgettable scene from “Christmas Vacation.”
“It was trained to leap out of the tree and onto Chevy’s shoulder, and onto somebody else’s shoulder. It was trained to do all these tricks. They really, really trained it.”
Beverly D’Angelo claimed that the first squirrel in “National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation” died. (Alamy)
“They did a fantastic job to the point that the squirrel had a heart attack or something,” she claimed. “Something happened to the squirrel. So when it came time to shoot, they had to quickly find another squirrel. They got a relatively wild one, certainly not trained to do all the tricks that the original squirrel had been able to do. So they do have a live squirrel leaping out of the tree, but everything else is a stuffed squirrel.”
However unruly the making of “Christmas Vacation” may have been, D’Angelo knows it’s become a holiday classic — and she’s grateful.
From left: Johnny Galecki, Juliette Lewis, Diane Ladd, Chevy Chase and Beverly D’Angelo attend the screening of “National Lampoons Christmas Vacation” at the AMPAS Samuel Goldwyn Theatre on December 12, 2019, in Beverly Hills. (Jean Baptiste Lacroix/Getty Images)
“Here’s the thing about Christmas,” she said. “Of course, when you have children, it becomes important. I was never a big holiday person, per se. I don’t even like to celebrate my birthday, to tell you the truth. I don’t like all the attention. But it’s that spirit of giving, it’s a wonderful thing to always be engaged in.”
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Beverly D’Angelo attends the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences 30th anniversary screening of “National Lampoons Christmas Vacation” at the AMPAS Samuel Goldwyn Theatre on December 12, 2019, in Beverly Hills, California. (Jean Baptiste Lacroix/Getty Images)
“I didn’t think that [‘National Lampoon’] was going to turn into a lifelong thing,” she reflected. “It’s beautiful.”