National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation child star reveals surprising secrets behind the beloved holiday movie – from what it was REALLY like to work with Chevy Chase to the ‘graphic’ scene you NEVER saw

It's the holiday movie that's been a success for more than three decades, and now one of the stars of National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation has opened up about what it was really like to be on set with Chevy Chase.

In the festive, feel-good film, released in 1989, Chevy reprized his role as Clark “Sparky” Griswold alongside Beverly D'Angelo – who played his on-screen wife Ellen Griswold – as they navigated a chaotic holiday season with those closest to them. .

The hilarious film also starred Juliette Lewis and Johnny Galecki as the Griswold children as the family prepared for Christmas with their extended family – as well as a few surprise guests, including Ellen's cousin Catherine Johnson and her two children.

Perhaps one of the most memorable scenes is when little Ruby Sue Johnson has a late-night conversation with Clark about Santa Claus and ends up swearing — and now the woman behind the adorable performance has revealed what it was really like dealing with Chevy, now 80, to work.

Ellen Latzen pictured with her co-star Chevy Chase who played the role of Clark Griswold

Ellen, now 43, played the memorable role of Ruby Sue Johnson in the 1989 film

Ellen said Chevy “kept to himself a little bit,” but described the actor as a “likable guy”

Speaking exclusively to DailyMail.com, Ellen Latten revealed how the comedy actor “kind of kept to himself” during filming, but didn't send her away when she went to his trailer to “play cards with him” between scenes.

“In that movie, and pretty much every movie I worked on as a kid, all the adults were always very professional, but also warm. I think, probably from their perspective, when working with children… they want to make them feel comfortable and feel safe and cared for in an environment that is kind to them,” Ellen said.

'On the set of Christmas Holiday all the adults were really great, funny and warm and took the time to spend time with me.

'Chevy kept to himself a bit, but because I was a very sociable guy and liked to build relationships with the people I worked with, I would go to his trailer when neither of us were working and play cards with him, or I just sat down and chatted.

“It was important to me to create these relationships, and he was very open to that and by filming the scene with him, I think it was probably conducive to that moment,” Ellen continued, before talking about the hilarious on-screen moment she and Chevy shared.

The scene takes place approximately 50 minutes into the film and sees Ruby interrupting Sue Clark as he fantasizes about a female store clerk stripping naked.

The youngster asks Clark if he is Santa Claus before admitting that her brother Rocky bit her thumb because “he's nervous because Christmas is almost here.”

When Clark responds, “Nervous or excited?”, Ruby Sue delivers the unforgettable line “sh**tin' bricks,” and when he quickly tells her she's “not allowed to use that word,” she corrects herself and says, “Sorry , it's stoneware.'

“Having a relationship on the other side of the camera, but also in front of it, added to the bond we had at that moment and made it really genuine,” Ellen explained.

Ellen's character Ruby Sue Johnson swears in the film during a conversation with Clark

Ellen described Chevy as a “genius” when it comes to physical comedy

One of the most memorable scenes in the film is when Clark cuts open the Christmas turkey with his entire family present

Ellen was just days away from her ninth birthday when the film was filmed, but despite being so young, she said saying rude words on screen was no problem for her.

“I learned to swear from my parents, so it's not like it was taboo in my household, even though they said the same thing: 'You can't use that word,'” she joked.

“And I think I learned to swear when they weren't there, but I loved that I could say sh*t, and they were fine with that. They probably rolled their eyes and said, 'It's part of the movie,' and they didn't really mind.”

Ellen went on to say that she thinks certain 'cultural' aspects of the film may not be acceptable in 2023, revealing how a scene was edited out of fear it would be 'too graphic'.

'The film is classic, but also quite dated, with sort of cultural things that were okay in the '80s and '90s, but not so [much] now. But it lends itself a bit to that time and takes you back to that era in a nostalgic way.

Referring to the 'graphic' scene, she said: 'So the cat gets electrocuted and the way it was portrayed in the film was that there was a cat crater under the seat, but an alternative view of it was that they found this. A plush, white, long-haired cat that they put eyes on that looked like they were coming out of his head and they were maybe going to use that, but I think it was made a little too graphic.”

As for another memorable scene from the film in which Clark cuts into meat during the family's Christmas dinner, Ellen revealed, “The turkey should have exploded instead of just being super dry inside, but logistically they thought that probably wasn't the way was go!'

Ellen revealed that the only co-star she is currently in contact with is her on-screen brother Rocky, who was played by actor Cody Burger, as she explained: “He's married and has a teenage daughter and we text and I mention him 'little brother'. and he calls me “big sister”.

'We still have a very good relationship and I have seen him a few times over the years. It's been a minute since we last saw each other, but he's the only one I'm in contact with right now.”

Johnny Galecki, Juliette Lewis and Beverly D'Angelo (right) pictured with Chevy as the Griswold family in National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation

Chevy (left) pictured with co-stars Beverly D'Angelo, Miriam Flynn and Randy Quaid at Christmas Con 2023

Ellen pictured with Chevy and her on-screen brother, played by Cody Burger, as well as Randy and Miriam – who played her parents in the film

Ellen confirmed that she will show the film to her daughter Charlotte when she is older

The brunette also spoke about whether it's weird to see her former co-stars getting older, saying, “People like Johnny Galecki and Juliette Lewis, who have been very much in the spotlight all these years, I've seen them grow. so it's not that strange to me to see them where they are now.

“But Chevy Chase, it's harder to see him getting old just because… and even for me… I was in that movie and it's still strange to see, just like it is to be a to see older people grow old. ,” Ellen continued, before praising the actor.

“He himself was a genius in his physical comedy and his comic timing. There was a lot of advertising that happened on set and in the film itself, and he was fantastic at that,” she revealed.

'And he's a nice guy. His character and his facial expressions or the way he delivers a line or like I said his physical comedy, it's so fun to watch and he's made a career off of his ability to do all those things and do them well do, and that's what made him likable. And that's still why people love him.”