Holiday movie icon Beverly D’Angelo shares ‘Christmas Vacation’ secrets

Beverly D’Angelo took matters into her own hands and made history in cinema.

After “National Lampoon’s Vacation” (1983) and “National Lampoon’s European Vacation” (1985), the Griswolds returned to create more chaos in 1989’s “National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation.” In addition to D’Angelo and Chevy Chase, the film also starred Randy Quaid, Juliette Lewis and Julia Louis-Dreyfus.

D’Angelo is entering the new year with a lot for his fans. He stars alongside Hayden Panettiere in the 2026 psychological thriller “Sleepwalker.” He recently followed this up with “The Heart Brake,” in which he transformed a property called the Christmas Hotel into a Christmas bed and breakfast.

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But as the holidays approach, D’Angelo looks back at the movie that still gives and the moment he created.

“Protecting the family jewels wasn’t in the script when the police came to hang us,” the actress told Fox News Digital. “I threw that in. It was definitely improvised. That was my little touch. It all comes together.”

Beverly D’Angelo told Fox News Digital it warms her heart to know “National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation” has become a holiday tradition for fans. (Warner Bros./Alamy)

In the movie, a police officer orders ice cream to everyone gathered for the Griswold family’s Christmas. Stunned, Ellen (D’Angelo) suddenly grabs Clark’s (Chase) crotch and stands still, obeying the command.

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“We had a move to the left and that was the end of the day,” D’Angelo recalled. “And I said, ‘I bet nobody can catch that.’ We made the shot, we froze, and I put my hand in there. I was like, ‘Okay, that’s a wrap. Everybody go home.’ It was a very tactful move. And it had to stay in the movie because that was the only shot left! What will they do? They had no choice.”

Chase was in on the joke.

Beverly D’Angelo and Chevy Chase became fast friends from the moment they filmed their first “National Lampoon” project together. (Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images)

It was a long day of shooting and the star wanted to have some fun. D’Angelo gave Chase a tip on what to do. He agreed and quickly added: “You can’t do that,” convinced she would never recover from this. Forbes reported.

Chevy Chase didn’t think Beverly D’Angelo could escape the incident. He proved her wrong. (Warner Bros./Alamy)

“I guarantee no one will look at my hand,” he told her, the outlet reported. “Everybody’s gonna look at you and Randy [Quaid] face and expressions. I’ll be way below your waist and the director won’t even look at me. He’s just trying to make you better, take this job.”

It worked; If you blink you’ll miss it.

Beverly D’Angelo didn’t shy away from protecting the “family jewels” on the set of “The National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation.” (Jean Baptiste Lacroix/Getty Images)

“So, what would you do in this situation?” D’Angelo told Fox News Digital. “Above all, you will protect the family jewels.”

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Beverly D’Angelo and Chevy Chase are seen at the Regency Village Theater in Westwood, California on July 27, 2015. They remained close friends over the years. (Eric Charbonneau/Getty Images for Warner Bros.)

D’Angelo, 74, stated that he and Chase, 82, became close friends from the moment they met on set. This bond has lasted for decades.

“I knew from the beginning that I would have a lifelong friendship with Chevy,” D’Angelo explained. “It was just like meeting a brother. We maintained that connection even decades later. When we met, I felt like we would become a tribe. I can’t explain it, but there’s something about Chevy and I coming together.”

Chevy Chase and Beverly D’Angelo on the set of Warner Bros.’ “National Lampoon’s European Vacation” in 1985. (Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images)

“There’s a chemistry we can create,” he shared. “There’s chemistry between us, we understand each other. And then we can easily become Clark and Ellen. It’s just something. I can’t explain it. It doesn’t happen to anyone else. He makes me Ellen, and when we work together, I make him Clark. It’s so natural. We just know.”

Chevy Chase and Beverly D’Angelo speak on stage at Fan Expo Chicago 2025 on August 17, 2025 in Rosemont, Illinois. (Daniel Boczarski/Getty Images)

Despite their instant connection, D’Angelo admitted that he didn’t expect their paths to cross again after the first film.

“When we first made ‘Vacation,’ it was just a summer movie,” D’Angelo said. “The concept for this series came much later. We did a second one because the first one was so successful. Then ‘Christmas’ was just as successful as the first one, which is unusual. So when I went to meet with Chevy, I thought I’d do a Chevy Chase comedy 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 this,” he said. “There are these old rules: Never work with children or animals. And there were a lot of children and animals. Also, I was a mother of teenagers and I was 29 when we did this. I was even recommending actresses to my agent. ‘Tell them to meet this person, this person.’ Just actor friends who I think will be good. But at that time he was my husband; I was actually married to an Italian duke and he said: ‘But Beverly, this is so funny! You should do this.”

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Chevy Chase made his first National Lampoon appearance in a brief role in “National Lampoon’s Animal House” (1978) and then played the role of Clark Griswold in “National Lampoon’s Vacation” (1983). (Warner Brothers/Getty Images)

“That was it,” he continued. “I was in Italy when a friend called me and said, ‘Do you know you’re in the number one movie this week?’ he said. This was the first ‘Holiday’. It just kept growing. It seems to be part of our entire culture now. For many people, this is part of their Christmas ritual. I don’t know what to say other than quote myself and say, ‘It’s Christmas.’ “We are all in misery.”

Taking “Christmas Vacation” wasn’t always easy. It reminded D’Angelo of one of his past rules.

At fan Jeff Norton’s California home, a squirrel designed to resemble the house in “National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation” sits atop a station wagon carrying a Christmas tree. (Allen J. Schaben/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)

“The squirrel jumping from the tree? That squirrel was trained by professional animal trainers,” D’Angelo said about the memorable scene in the movie “Christmas Vacation.”

“He was trained to jump out of the tree onto the Chevy’s shoulder and onto someone else’s shoulder. He was trained to do all these tricks. They really, really trained him.”

Beverly D’Angelo claimed the first squirrel from “National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation” is dead. (Alamy)

“They did a great job until the squirrel had a heart attack or something,” he claimed. “Something happened to the squirrel. So when it came time to shoot, they had to quickly find another squirrel. They found a relatively wild squirrel, certainly not trained to do all the tricks the original squirrel could do. So they have a live squirrel jumping out of the tree, but everything else is a stuffed squirrel.”

As rebellious as “Christmas Vacation” is, D’Angelo knows it has become a holiday classic and is grateful.

From left to right: Johnny Galecki, Juliette Lewis, Diane Ladd, Chevy Chase and Beverly D’Angelo attend a screening of “National Lampoons Christmas Vacation” at the AMPAS Samuel Goldwyn Theater in Beverly Hills on December 12, 2019. (Jean Baptiste Lacroix/Getty Images)

“That’s the thing about Christmas,” he said. “Obviously, when you have kids, it becomes important. I’ve never been a big holiday person. To tell you the truth, I don’t even like celebrating my birthday. I don’t like the attention at all. But that spirit of giving, always being busy, is a great thing.”

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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 Theater in Beverly Hills, California on December 12, 2019. (Jean Baptiste Lacroix/Getty Images)

“I didn’t think about it [‘National Lampoon’] “It would turn into something that would last a lifetime,” he thought. “It’s beautiful.”