Home Alone star Joe Pesci was not first choice for the role, but the Academy Award-winning actor made his first step into comedy with the Christmas classic after two big names dropped out
Home Alone could have been a very different film if a few casting choices were changed during production.
The hit 1990 comedy classic starred Macaulay Culkin, Joe Pesci and Daniel Stern, with a slate of iconic supporting cast members including John Heard, Catherine O’Hara, and John Candy. But a big casting move could have changed the tone of the film and the memorable moments from the villainous Wet Bandits duo.
But like the strange decision to try and cast Frank Sinatra in Die Hard, the Chris Columbus-directed Home Alone had problems of its own. Decisions behind the scenes eventually led to the casting of Pesci as burglar Harry Lime, but he was not first choice for the role.
The casting choice for the role saw Pesci, who would win an Academy Award for his role in Goodfellas that same year, take the reigns as one of two villains. But before he was asked the role was offered to his Goodfellas co-star, Robert De Niro. The actor, known for his roles in The Godfather and Taxi Driver, was spoken about internally according to Columbus.
While the star would eventually pass on the film, Columbus confirmed there had been talks about trying to get De Niro on board the project. He said: “It was talked about a little bit internally.” The team also tried to get comedian Jon Lovitz in the role, who later shared he regretted passing on the film.
He said of declining the role: “I didn’t want to play second fiddle to some kid. Then it became the biggest comedy of all time. Oops.” Pesci was also approached for the role around this time and, when he accepted, the team could not believe they landed the Raging Bull star.
Further problems were found after Pesci was cast, though, as the studio was initially unhappy with hiring Daniel Stern, as they believed it would cost too much. Columbus, speaking to Insider, said: “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.
“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.” Home Alone marked Pesci’s first comic role, and he would return to the series just two years later for Home Alone 2: Lost in New York.
