Home Alone fans are only just realising Robert de Niro turned down one of the film's most iconic roles.
The 1990 Christmas favourite stars Macaulay Culkin, Joe Pesci and Daniel Stern alongside a number of high-profile supporting cast members including John Heard, Catherine O'Hara, and John Candy. But the film could have been very different had Niro taken on the role of one of the villainous Wet Bandits duo.
The Godfather and Taxi Driver star was initially meant to play Harry Lime, a role that was initially taken on by his Goodfellas co-star, Pesci – who would win an Academy Award for his role in Goodfellas that same year.
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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.
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."
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.
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English (US) ·