Daniel Stern says that Joe Pesci bit Macaulay Culkin’s finger.
The veteran actor Joe Pesci bit Macaulay’s finger when filming the 1990 Christmas classic Home Alone.
Daniel Stern, who plays the more goofy half of Pesci’s determined robber in a new Entertainment Tonight interview, recalled that incident: “I completely forgot about it. Joe is wonderful, he loves me, he is a dear, close friend. But he also carries a lot of weight. In the first film, we tried to be scary at first. Then you realize that we were idiots. “But there was a drama that came from the fear factor.”
Joe Pesci was sorry for breaking his arm.
Culkin’s lighthearted comment comes just days after he shared his perspective on the story behind the scenes, as reported in the New York Times. Culkin said that the Goodfellas Oscar-winner was “trying to scare” him. Stern noted that Pesci was a fan of the scare tactics used in the film’s early days. Culkin added, “He wanted to be menacing towards this kid.”
He accidentally chomped too hard while rehearsing a scene where Harry (Pesci), threatens Kevin (Culkin), to bite his fingers off. He said, “I’ve got a scar.” “I saw his facial expression — and I have never seen Joe Pesci scared before because he was like, I just bitten a child!” )
John Hughes wrote and produced this irreverent holiday classic, which follows a 8-year old boy who defends his family’s sprawling Chicago house from two dumb-witted thieves after his family accidentally leaves him on their way to Paris for Christmas. The real location in Illinois sold earlier this year for more than $5 million after it was listed for a week. Culkin jokingly joked to The Times that he was considering buying it just for fun.
Stern replied, “There is so much heart to it.” When asked why the film remains a favorite rewatch nearly 35 years after its release, Stern stated, “There is so much love in it.” It’s hilarious. You know, we are funny. And it has a wonderful holiday, Christmas feel. The kid winning us over is what really makes it stand out. Everyone wants the kid to win. It’s an empowerment movie for kids.”
