Heavy/Getty Comedian Chevy Chase
Six weeks after meeting comedy icons Chevy Chase and Randy Quaid while appearing at the Christmas Con fan convention in New Jersey, Hallmark star Kristoffer Polaha is now appearing in a Christmas movie with them.
Polaha will appear in “The Christmas Letter,” a feature film that’s getting lots of buzz because it will reunite Chase with his 1989 “National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation” co-stars Randy Quaid and Brian Doyle-Murray, according to WKTV.
On January 30, 2024, the film’s social media accounts revealed that Polaha, fresh off starring in Hallmark Channel’s smash hit “A Biltmore Christmas,” was also on-set in Utica, New York, filming a cameo for the movie.
Alongside photos of Polaha with the movie’s lead actor, Angus Benfield, and director Tori Hunter, the post said, “Our cast and crew have been blessed to work with such amazing actors throughout the filming of @christmasletter.movie and @polahaha is no exception, rounding off the last of our pretty awesome cameos.”
Here’s what you need to know:
‘The Christmas Letter’ is Expected to Hit Theaters for the 2024 Holiday Season
After Christmas Con took place in early December, Polaha posted several photos including one of him with Quaid and another with his wife and three sons smiling with Chase, 80.
“Even I wanted my picture taken with a few actors whose work has impacted my life,” he wrote.
Fast forward several weeks and Polaha found himself in central New York, filming a cameo for “The Christmas Letter,” a family friendly movie about an unemployed copywriter who “reads his wealthy friend’s annual, over-the-top Christmas letter and feels like a loser, but this year is going to be different,” per production company LAMA Entertainment.
Hunter told WKTV that in the movie, written by Michael Cunningham, the copywriter, played by Benfield, decides to spend a whole year taking his family “on these wild, crazy adventures so that they can have a Christmas letter that tops his friend’s Christmas letter.”
It’s not clear yet what role Polaha plays in the movie — nor how Chase, Quaid and Doyle-Murray fit into the storyline. According to the Niagara Gazette, Benfield said audiences will get to see “Chevy and Randy reunited again on screen” with “a little bit of an homage to ‘Christmas Vacation.'”
Filming wrapped on the production on January 30. A release date has not been confirmed.
Many Hallmark Stars Gushed About Meeting Chevy Chase at Christmas Con
At Christmas Con in December, Polaha was one of many Hallmark stars delighted to meet one of their holiday movie heroes. Chase’s iconic role as Clark Griswold in “Christmas Vacation” has inspired many of them in their careers as rom-com stars.
In fact, he joined Hallmark colleagues Tyler Hynes, Paul Campbell, Cindy Busby, and Victor Webster in a funny video montage of them dramatically reenacting lines from “Christmas Vacation,” which Chase shared via Instagram.
“Haul Out the Holly” star Wes Brown shared a series of Instagram pics that showed Chase messing up his hair, and one of a hockey jersey with the last name “Griswold” on the back, signed by the cast members who were at the convention.
Meanwhile, Hynes told People in June he was named after Chase’s character, Ty Webb, from another classic comedy, “Caddyshack,” and that Chase would be his dream co-star in a future Christmas flick.
“”‘Christmas Vacation’ is one of those legendary movies I grew up on,” he said. “Doing these movies now and having him be in it would be a full-circle moment.”
After the convention wrapped, People shared a photo of Chase — as well as “Christmas Vacation” co-stars Beverly D’Angelo and Miriam Flynn — flanked by Hallmark stars Jonathan Bennett, Lacey Chabert, Brown, Busby, Alicia Witt, Erin Cahill, Steve Lund, and Nikki DeLoach.