Home Alone starred Macaulay Culkin as Kevin McCallister, as well as Joe Pesci and Daniel Stern as the iconic villain duo Harry and Marv – but it turns out Pesci wasn’t the first to be offered the role
Joe Pesci was not the first choice for Harry Lime in Home Alone (
Image: 20th Century Fox/Kobal/REX/Shutterstock)
Home Alone, the 1990 comedy classic, could have had a different cast if some decisions were altered during production.
The film starred Macaulay Culkin, Joe Pesci, and Daniel Stern, with memorable supporting roles played by John Heard, Catherine O’Hara, and John Candy. However, a significant casting change could have altered the film’s tone and the iconic moments from the villainous Wet Bandits duo.
Similar to the odd decision to consider Frank Sinatra for Die Hard, Home Alone, directed by Chris Columbus, faced its own challenges. Behind-the-scenes decisions eventually led to Pesci being cast as burglar Harry Lime, but he wasn’t the first choice.
Pesci, who won an Academy Award for Goodfellas that same year, took on the role of one of the two villains. But before him, the role was offered to his Goodfellas co-star, Robert De Niro. According to Columbus, there were internal discussions about De Niro, known for his roles in The Godfather and Taxi Driver.
While De Niro ultimately passed on the film, Columbus confirmed there had been talks about getting him on board. He said: “It was talked about a little bit internally.”
The team also considered comedian Jon Lovitz for the role, who later expressed regret for passing on the film. In reflecting on refusing a part in what would become an iconic film, the actor confessed: “I didn’t want to play second fiddle to some kid. Then it became the biggest comedy of all time. Oops.”
During that period, Joe Pesci was also considered for the role, and his acceptance surprised the production team, who were thrilled to catch the ‘Raging Bull’ star. Yet, even with Pesci onboard, there were hiccups along the way.
And several Home Alone fans are only just learning this information now, 34 years since it was originally released. “Robert De Niro was asked to play burglar Harry for Home Alone but turned it down,” said one person, followed by a mind-blown emoji. Another Instagram account shared a video of the fact, to which one person replied: “Joe Pesci deserved that role.”
The studio were initially sceptical to the cost of bringing Daniel Stern into the fold, to the point where another actor was briefly slotted in as Marv.
Chris Columbus shared with Insider: “No, I don’t think so. It was talked about a little internally, but when Pesci said yes, I was stunned. And then Daniel Stern was too expensive for the studio, so we had another actor come in for the role of Marv.”
However, it became apparent during screen tests that the chemistry wasn’t there, leading Columbus to appeal to the studio for more funds.
Columbus added: “But when we did a screen test there was no chemistry between them. So I went back to the studio hat in hand, begging them to give us the money to hire Daniel Stern. And it was the right decision. They had tremendous chemistry.”
This marked Pesci’s comedic debut, a successful venture he repeated in ‘Home Alone 2: Lost in New York.’
