Joe Pesci, the Academy Award winner, reminisced about the creation of Home Alone 2: Lost in New York, recently celebrating its 30th anniversary. He shared how this comedic venture, with its demanding stunts, brought "ambitious" pain to his body.
"It was a refreshing change to dive into this unique brand of slapstick comedy," Pesci mentioned in a Tuesday-released email interview about working on the first couple of Home Alone installments featuring Macaulay Culkin's brilliant, tricky kid.
In the popular Home Alone franchise, Pesci, alongside Daniel Stern, portrayed a bumbling pair of burglars, always thwarted by the cunning boy. He acknowledged these films as "more of a physical comedy, somewhat taxing."
As Harry stumbles into one of Kevin's ingenious traps, the scene culminates in a tense finale.
"Besides the anticipated bruises, bleeding, and general discomfort associated with this unique type of physical humor, I endured severe burns on the upper portion of my head during the scene where Harry's hat caught fire," Pesci recalled from his Goodfellas days.
Indeed, Harry's head suffered arson attacks in the Home Alone movies—first in the 1990s version and then once more in 1992's film, where Harry and Marv (Stern) were in a renovated building. This time, Kevin led them through the house. (Pesci failed to clarify which film caused his injury.)
Pesci added that he was fortunate to collaborate with skilled stuntmen who handled dangerous stunts.
Home Alone 2 was released on November 20, 1992, and welcomed back Pesci, Culkin, Stern, and Catherine O'Hara as Kevin's parents. Brenda Fricker, an Oscar-winning actress, played the deaf grandmother in this film.
[1] Home Alone 2: Lost in New York - [2] Home Alone - [3]
