Home Alone star explains unscripted Macaulay Culkin and Joe Pesci mishap
"Joe was like, 'Ah, sorry I did that.'"
Home Alone star Joe Pesci went a little too hard when filming the Christmas classic, as revealed in a couple of recent interviews.
Speaking to Entertainment Tonight, Daniel Stern, who played thief Marv alongside Pesci's Harry, confirmed that his co-star actually bit Macaulay Culkin's finger, which he instantly apologised for.
"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," said Stern.
"We were trying in the first movie to... actually be scary to start with, and then you realise we're idiots. But there was a fear factor that set up the drama of the thing."
Read more:
And it was that thinking that prompted Pesci to bite Culkin.
"Then he bit it — like, 'Oh crap, I didn't really mean to.' Joe was like, 'Ah, sorry I did that.'"
That was the only time Pesci broke character, according to Stern.
It was Culkin himself who made the admission during a recent interview with the New York Times, to which Pesci declined to comment.
"He was trying to scare me, thinking it would help the robber-victim dynamic," said the Kevin actor, who was just 10 years old when he starred as a young kid who defends his home from being robbed during the Christmas holidays after his family accidentally jet off to Paris without him.
"He was like, 'I want to be menacing to this kid.'"
Culkin went on to reveal that he even has a scar from the mishap.
"I saw his face — and I've never, ever seen Joe Pesci actually scared because he's like, 'I just bit a kid!'"
Culkin also revealed that he has been tempted to purchase the Winnetka house where the movie was set whenever it's been up for sale over the years.
"I had half a mind to buy it — just for giggles," he added.
Home Alone is streaming on Disney Plus and Channel 4.
If you're looking for something to watch tonight, check out our TV Guide and Streaming Guide or visit our Film hub for all the latest news. For more from the biggest stars in TV, listen to The Radio Times Podcast.
Authors
Abby Robinson is the Drama Editor for Radio Times, covering TV drama and comedy titles. She previously worked at Digital Spy as a TV writer, and as a content writer at Mumsnet. She possesses a postgraduate diploma and a degree in English Studies.
