Picture this: Robert De Niro squaring off against a precocious eight-year-old in America’s favorite holiday comedy. Or comedian John Mulaney outsmarting burglars with elaborate booby traps. These aren’t plot points from alternate universe fan fiction—they’re casting decisions that almost changed the face of Home Alone forever.
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The beloved 1990 Christmas classic, which dominated box offices for 12 weeks straight and held the title of highest-grossing live-action comedy for 27 years, nearly looked vastly different from the version we know and love today. Before Joe Pesci donned his burglar’s beanie as Harry, the role was first offered to his Goodfellas co-star Robert De Niro. “It was talked about a little internally, but when Pesci said yes, I was stunned,” director Chris Columbus revealed to back in 2020.
The role of Harry proved particularly hard to cast. After De Niro passed, the production approached comedian Jon Lovitz, who made a decision he’d later regret. “I didn’t want to play second fiddle to some kid,” Lovitz admitted in an interview with Huff Post. “Then it became the biggest comedy of all time. Oops.”
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But perhaps the most surprising near-casting involves a future comedy legend. Before Macaulay Culkin secured his iconic role as Kevin McCallister, an 11-year-old Mulaney almost had his shot at silver screen stardom. Mulaney was performing in a children’s sketch comedy troupe when a talent scout spotted him and requested an audition. However, his parents put the kibosh on his potential Hollywood breakthrough, refusing to let him “audition for a movie.”
Years later, Mulaney harbors no bitterness about missing out on the role. He told Vogue back in 2015 that the original Home Alone is “an almost perfect film,” and that he didn’t “think anyone could do it as well as Macaulay.” The comedian has even incorporated his missed opportunity into his stand-up material, particularly in his Netflix special The Comeback Kid.
The casting carousel didn’t stop there. Frasier star Kelsey Grammer was the first choice for Uncle Frank, while Saturday Night Live legend Chris Farley auditioned for the role of Santa but didn’t make the cut. Even the final cast required some adjustment periods—Joe Pesci, fresh from his dramatic roles, struggled so much with avoiding profanity on set that Columbus advised him to say “fridge” instead of his usual four-letter words.
The success of Home Alone proved these casting decisions were ultimately spot-on. Culkin’s performance, in particular, demonstrated why he was the perfect choice for Kevin. His portrayal struck exactly the right chord, creating a character that audiences still connect with over three decades later.
This became especially apparent when the franchise attempted to continue without him. The third installment, starring Alex D. Linz, became “one of the most hated Christmas movies,” while even the 2021 Disney+ reboot Home Sweet Home Alone failed to recapture the magic of the original.
While we’ll never know how De Niro might have handled a paint can to the face or what comedic energy Mulaney could have brought to Kevin’s schemes, the film’s phenomenal success—including a record-breaking 12-week run at number one and international earnings exceeding $500 million—suggests the casting gods knew exactly what they were doing.
As for Mulaney, missing out on Home Alone didn’t derail his entertainment career. He’s found his own path to family film success through voice acting, starring in hits like Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse and Puss in Boots: The Last Wish. It just goes to show you that there are times when not getting the part can be a good thing.