Joe Pesci Bit Macaulay Culkin’s Finger, Says Daniel Stern

Veteran actor Joe Pesci somewhat committed to it also a lot when he accidentally bit Macaulay Culkin’s finger while filming the 1990 Christmas classic Alone at home.

In a new interview with Entertainment tonightstar Daniel Stern – who portrays the goofier half to Pesci’s more determined robber – recalled what happened: “I completely forgot about that. Joe is … he’s wonderful, I love him, he’s a dear friend, but he’s a scary guy and he carried it all We tried in the first movie to try to be scary to start with and so you know we’re idiots. But there was a fear factor that put the drama behind the case.”

He continued: “Yeah, I think he bit it while he was biting his finger and then he bit it – like, ‘Oh shit, I didn’t really mean that.’ Joe said, “Oh, sorry I did.” But only once you see Pesci wrestle.”

The hilarious tidbit comes just days after Culkin also shared his take on the behind-the-scenes story, as reported by New York Times. “He tried to scare me,” Culkin recounted Goodfellas Oscar wins. As Stern mentioned, Pesci leaned into the scare tactics that initially color the film, with Culkin adding, “he was like, ‘I want to be threatening to this kid.'”

While rehearsing the scene where Harry (Pesci) threatens to bite off Kevin’s (Culkin) fingers, he inadvertently cut a bit too far. “I have a scar,” he said. “I saw his face — and I’ve never, ever seen Joe Pesci actually scared because he’s like begging a child!” (Pesci declined to comment for the piece, according to Times.)

Written and produced by John Hughes, the irreverent and indelible Holiday follows an 8-year-old who must defend his family’s sprawling Chicago home from two foolish robbers after his family members accidentally abandon him while on their way to their Christmas vacation in Paris. (The real place in Illinois sold for over $5 million earlier this year after being listed on the market for a week. Culkin joked, according to times, that he considered buying it “just for giggles.”)

Asked why it’s still so popular a rewatch, nearly 35 years after its release, Stern said, “There’s so much heart in it. It’s so funny. You know, I think we’re really funny … and it has a great holiday, Christmas spirit about it. But I think what really stands out is that the kid gets us. It’s a kid empowerment movie.”