The comedy classic Kevin – Home Alone is part of the annual Christmas program for many film fans. But have you ever wondered how they got such an intense performance out of little Macaulay Culkin?
The answer to this may have to do with one incident to do what could at best be described as method acting, in more honest cases as child abuse.
Home Alone star Macaulay Culkin was bitten by an adult co-star
Kevin actor Culkin is currently on tour with his 34-year-old film classic and is answering questions from fans after the screenings. As the Times (via Variety) reported on one of these events, the then-child star revealed that one of the Wet Bandits – co-star Joe Pesci – had hit him during rehearsals for the film – and it wasn’t just a playful nibble.
Culkin (American Horror Story, forthcoming Fallout) recalls: “He was trying to scare me. He thought I was trying to appear scary to the child.” Which obviously worked, because the now 44-year-old actor still carries a souvenir from the experience: “I have a scar.”
But the whole thing didn’t have the desired effect, because in return Macaulay Culkin saw a very frightened Joe Pesci, who realized what he had just done: “I saw his face – and I had never seen Joe Pesci scared before. He thought to himself, I just bit a child!”
Macaulay Culkin and his on-screen mother Catherine O’Hara are still close
Culkin still has much fonder memories of his Home Alone mother Catherine O’Hara, whom he still calls “Mom” whenever they see each other. For example, during this year’s unveiling of Culkin’s star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, where O’Hara gave a touching speech.
In her speech, the actress, who will soon be seen in season 2 of The Last of Us, said:
Macaulay, congratulations. You deserve a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. And thank you for including me, your fake mother, in this happy occasion even though I left you home alone, not once but twice. I’m very proud of you.
The second time O’Hara and Culkin appeared in front of the camera was in Kevin – Alone in New York, the less popular sequel.