‘Home Alone’ star recalls the only time he saw Joe Pesci Break character

On By Littum

In the almost 35 years since Alone at home was released, the 1990 Christmas comedy has enjoyed enduring popularity, thanks in no small part to the chemistry between then-child star Macaulay Culkin as Kevin McCallister and Joe Pesci and Daniel Stern, who played would-be robbers Harry and Marv.

But Pesci’s dedication to the role was so committed that in an attempt to come off as menacing, he accidentally bit Culkin’s finger in one scene, resulting in an actual scar. Culkin has spoken about the chomp before, and in a recent interview with Entertainment tonightStern was also asked about the incident.

“I completely forgot. Joe is — he’s wonderful, I love him, I mean, he’s a dear friend, but he’s a scary guy, and you know, he bore it all,” Stern recalled. “Because he was—we tried in the first movie to actually be scary to start with, and then you realize we’re idiots. But there was a fear factor that created the drama of the thing.”

“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,'” the 67-year-old continued. “Joe said, ‘Ah, sorry I did.’ But only when you see Pesci break.”

“Everybody had their own little thing that we did, me being my goofy guy, Joe being the cartoon character that he was, a really funny comedy duo, and so we just had fun,” Stern added.

In a 2004 performance Late Night with Conan O’BrienCulkin proudly showed off his Pesci scar. “It’s actually one of the scenes, you know, they hang me up on the closet door or something, they said, ‘I’m going to bite off each one of your fingers one at a time,'” he explained. “And during the rehearsal he actually bit me and it broke the skin and everything! I’m a little nine-year-old boy and he goes around biting (me).”

“Yeah I did, I got really mad at him,” Culkin said when asked if he was angry with Pesci. “I was like, ‘I don’t care how many Oscars you have or whatever — biting a nine-year-old! What the hell is wrong with you?!’

Well, at least Pesci felt bad enough about it that it got him out of character. And for what it’s worth, Culkin might have the coolest scar ever.