Despite being thrown downstairs and having his head set on fire, Joe Pesci was incredibly kind and gentle during the production ofHome Alone. So, when he accidentally hurtthe movie’s child star, Macaulay Culkin,he immediately broke character and begged for forgiveness.Home Aloneis an all-time classic that sparked a wave of copy-cat Christmas movies. The film needs little introduction, as Kevin McCallister (Culkin) defends his home from the Wet Bandits (Pesci and Daniel Stern) using elaborate tricks and traps. But, before the film lifted the veil, revealing the Wet Bandits to be idiots, it first had to introduce them as terrifying crooks.
Speaking toEntertainment Weekly, Daniel Stern recalled shooting the Wet Bandits as if they were competent, serious crooks as they broke into the McCallister family home. “Joe is… he’s wonderful, I love him, he’s a dear friend, but he’s a scary dude, and he was carrying it all,” Stern began."‘Cause he was — we were trying in the first movie to actually be scary to start with, and then you realize we’re idiots.But there was a fear factor that set up the drama of the thing."
Towards the end of the film,the Wet Bandits caught Kevinand hung him up by his t-shirt to the back of a door. While interrogating him, Harry Lime (Pesci) threatens Kevin, pretending to bite his fingers. However, during shooting, Pesci actually bit down a bit too hard.“Yeah, I think he did bite it as he was biting his finger,“Stern revealed. “And then he bit it — like, ‘Oh crap, I didn’t really mean to.’ Joe was like, ‘Ahh, sorry I did that.'” According to the actor,that was the “only time you might see Pesci break.”
Macaulay Culkin Was Scarred (Literally) by the Incident
While Daniel Stern joked about the incident as if it were a light graze, it turns out thatJoe Pesci actually scarred Macaulay Culkin during the scene.Speaking toThe New York Timesearlier this year, Macaulay Culkin revealed that Joe Pesci’s teeth actually left a long-lasting mark on his finger.“I have a scar,” the actor said, revealing the dent on his finger.However, the moment left more of a mental impression on Culkin than a physical one. Despite playing an incredibly incompetent burglar inHome Alone, Joe Pesci was seen as a tough guy in movies during the 80s and 90s, appearing in Scorsese’sGoodfellas,Raging Bull, andCasino, as well as Sergio Leone’sOnce Upon a Time in America. So, for Culkin to see such a renowned, hard-faced actor break after biting his finger will apparently stay with him forever.“I saw his face — and I’ve never, ever seen Joe Pesci actually scared… because he’s like, ‘I just bit a kid!'”
Home Alone Star Wants People to Stop Asking How Much It Hurt to be Hit With a Brick
Daniel Stern, who became known as one half of Home Alone’s Wet Bandits, really wants people to stop asking him how much it hurt to make the movie.
Home Aloneis currently enjoying countless re-watchesfrom families worldwide as we’re just days away from Christmas. Culkin, Pesci, and Stern returned for the sequel,Home Alone 2: Lost In New York, two years later, joined by Tim Curry, who played the grumpy concierge of the Plaza Hotel in NYC.
Home Alone
