Joe Pesci Stories From Behind The Scenes Of ‘Home Alone’
Pesci Took The Script Because It Allowed Him To Work With Children
Before taking the role of Harry Lime, Pesci was known for his tough guy parts in films like Raging Bull, Goodfellas and Once Upon A Time in America, none of which are particularly child-friendly. For that reason, he wanted to stretch his wings in a comedic role. "I thought Home Alone was a great script," he said in 1992. "I wanted to play it for the kids because I never get to work for children, you know?"
Pesci and Daniel Stern Wanted To Create A Classic Comedic Duo
According to Pesci’s Wet Bandit partner Daniel Stern, "Harry and Marv were always intended to be a classic comic duo." The men had worked together on a 1982 film I'm Dancing As Fast As I Can and were already friends when cast in Home Alone.
Neither one thought the movie would be as big as it now is, so when it came time to shoot, they went over the top in their slapstick portrayal of its villains. Although Pesci has largely been out of the public eye since the late ‘90s, he and Stern still maintain a close friendship.
Pesci Came Up With The Movie's ‘Cartoon’ Cursing
Video: YouTube
When Harry is hurt by Kevin's homemade traps and barricades, he lets out what seems to be a series of curse words as he nurses the pain. Those swear words aren’t words at all, but gibberish created by Pesci for the family-friendly film. “You'll notice Joe even invented his own cartoon language that he spews when he gets really frustrated,” co-star Daniel Stern said.
At one point, director Chris Columbus told Pesci to say “fridge” in place of the f-word.
Pesci Based Harry Lime On Yosemite Sam
In creating Harry Lime, Pesci turned to the Warner Bros. cartoon universe for inspiration. "It was my idea to... play him like a cartoon character," said Pesci. He was most inspired by Yosemite Sam, Bugs Bunny's fiery-haired arch nemesis who’s always outsmarted by the Looney Tunes rabbit.
According to Home Alone co-star Daniel Stern, Wile E. Coyote's adversarial, slapstick relationship with the Road Runner was also an inspiration, as was the early Hollywood comedic duo Laurel and Hardy.
Pesci Really Bit Macaulay Culkin During Rehearsal
In the scene where Kevin is hung from the back of a door by his collar, Harry threatens him by saying, "‘I’m gonna bite all your fingers off, one at a time." During rehearsal, according to Culkin, “[Pesci] actually bit me. He broke the skin and everything!
Culkin still has a scar from the bite which he didn't realize he had until adulthood, but he’s quite proud of it today and calls it "my little Home Alone battle wound."
Pesci Stayed Away From Macaulay Culkin While Shooting 'Home Alone'
During filming, Pesci avoided Macaulay Culkin because he wanted the boy to fear him. Pesci continued the tradition in Home Alone 2: Lost in New York.
During the making of the sequel, Pesci reiterated a story in which Culkin asked him why he never smiled. He told the boy to shut up and said, “He’s pampered a lot by a lot of people, but not me. And I think he likes that.”
He Sings A Christmas Carol In A Deleted Scene
Video: YouTube
In a deleted scene from the first Home Alone movie, the Wet Bandits sing "Santa Claus Is Coming To Town" with lyrics that describe how they'll rob the McCallister house. In real life, Pesci is a vocalist (he largely retired from acting to pursue this passion).
Pesci released a naughty album in 1998, Vincent LaGuardia Gambini Sings Just for You, singing as his character from My Cousin Vinny. The album includes “If It Doesn’t Snow For Christmas," a song about a Santa who is too obese for his sleigh.
Pesci's Head Wasn't Really On Fire
Video: YouTube
One of the booby traps set for the Wet Bandits is a blowtorch rigged to light with the opening of a door. When Harry steps into the McCallister kitchen, he's met with a blaze that burns his hair through his hat. He puts the fire out by burying his head in the snow outside. In reality, Pesci was not close to any flames when shooting the scene.
Production designer John Muto used a 19th-century illusion called Pepper's ghost to create the effect. He pointed his camera at a piece of angled glass - behind him sat a mannequin head with the blowtorch on it. Pesci stepped in front of the camera at the mark where the mannequin head was reflected on the glass.
Muto says if you freeze the movie you can see that Pesci was a little off his mark - there's a slight matte line around his head.
Pesci Swore A Lot On-Set
While Pesci didn't swear on film, off-camera was another story. Neither he nor co-star Daniel Stern were used to working with kids and both suffered slips of tongue frequently. Director Chris Columbus is such a huge fan of Goodfellas, he asked Pesci to perform his expletive-laden "how am I funny?" monologue several times during filming.
Kids Wanted Pesci To Rob Their Houses
During the filming of Home Alone 2: Lost In New York, Pesci confessed, "When I see kids in the airport, they give me their address. They want me to rob their houses, so they can beat me up."
Co-star Daniel Stern admitted his character Marv also resonated with audiences in unexpected ways. "Some of them are happy to meet me, some of them are really scared of me, and most of them just want to beat the crap out of me."
Pesci Was Pummeled With Pigeons In 'Home Alone 2'
Video: YouTube
The Wet Bandits endure an equal share of mishaps in Home Alone 2: Lost In New York, one of which includes hundreds of pigeons.
To make the pigeons fly towards the duo, filmmakers coated the actors with seed from head to toe. When the pigeons were released, Pesci said, "Three hundred pigeons were turned loose to just attack us and eat off our faces."
Pesci Reprised His Home Alone Character For A Super Bowl Ad
Pesci starred in a Google ad during Super Bowl 2019. He appears as himself fondly watching an ad featuring Macaulay Culkin as grown-up Kevin using the latest in Google tech to his benefit while "home alone."
During the ad, entitled “Joe Pesci Watches Home Alone Again,” Pesci comments on the Culkin commercial (which went viral when it aired in December 2018) and notes the use of his voiceover to a cheering room.
