The Wet Bandits didn’t hold back — even when it came to accidental bites.
Daniel Stern, beloved for his role as Marv, the bumbling burglar in Home Alone, recently reminisced about filming the holiday classic. Among his memories was a surprising moment when his co-star Joe Pesci, who played Harry, accidentally bit young Macaulay Culkin’s finger during an intimidation scene.
“I totally forgot about that,” Stern admitted in an interview with Entertainment Tonight. “Joe is… he’s wonderful, I love him, he’s a dear friend, but he’s a scary dude. In the first movie, we were trying to be genuinely scary to start with before showing we were idiots. That fear factor set up the drama of the thing.”
The Infamous Bite
Stern recalled how Pesci accidentally went too far while performing the scene. “Joe was biting his finger, and then he bit it — like, ‘Oh crap, I didn’t really mean to,’” Stern shared. “Joe was like, ‘Ahh, sorry I did that.’ It might be the only time you’d see Pesci break character.”
Culkin himself recently revealed during a Q&A at the Rosemont Theater in Illinois that he still bears a mark from the incident. “I have a scar,” he told the audience. “I saw his face — and I’ve never, ever seen Joe Pesci actually scared… because he’s like, ‘I just bit a kid!’”
Stern’s Encounter with a Tarantula
Stern also opened up about another memorable moment from filming: working with a live tarantula during one of Kevin McAllister’s creative traps.
“When I showed up on set to do the spider thing, I thought they’d have a great prop spider,” Stern recalled. “And they didn’t. They had a real spider. The wrangler told me, ‘He’s not gonna bite you. You’ll be fine.’”
Stern embraced the challenge. “I let him crawl around on my face for about five minutes, just so we both got used to each other. And then we rolled the camera.”
Why Home Alone Endures
Stern reflected on why Home Alone remains a beloved Christmas classic more than three decades later. “I think kids love the power Kevin has, and parents love seeing the kid have that power,” he said. “There’s so much heart in it. It’s funny, it’s Christmassy, and everyone wants the kid to win. It’s a kid-empowerment movie.”
The McAllister House: A Real-Life Icon
The Home Alone house, located in Winnetka, Illinois, recently made headlines after being sold for $5.25 million in less than a week. The five-bedroom home features a movie theater, gym, and indoor sports court — a fitting tribute to its cinematic legacy.
Culkin, who played Kevin McAllister, revealed he briefly considered buying the home himself. “I had half a mind to buy it — just for giggles,” he joked during the Q&A. Ultimately, he passed on the idea, adding, “I got kids. I’m busy, man.”
Home Alone continues to be a holiday favorite, celebrated for its humor, heart, and timeless tale of an underdog kid outsmarting the bad guys.
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