Joe Pesci Was Seriously Injured Filming His Best Movie
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Joe Pesci says he was seriously injured while filming Home Alone 2. The legendary actor made the revelation while celebrating the movie’s 30 year anniversary. “In addition to the expected bumps, bruises, and pain you would associate with that particular type of physical humor, I sustained serious burns to the top of my head during the scene where Harry’s hat is set on fire,” the actor told People.
In Home Alone 2 the 79-year-old reprised his role as Harry Lime alongside Daniel Stern, who returned as Marv Murchins, as the set of burglars who broke into Kevin McCallister’s home in the original Home Alone film. Although Joe Pesci did the required stunt work for that particular scene, professionals stepped in for the rest of them. “I was fortunate enough to have professional stuntmen do the real heavy stunts,” he added.
When asked about working with Macaulay Culkin, Joe Pesci says he was a really sweet kid. “Even at his age, he was very professional,” he told the publication. The actor also explained that he intentionally limited his interactions with the child star to preserve the dynamic between Kevin and Harry.
“I didn’t want it to come across on the screen that we were in any way friendly,” he said.
By doing so, the pair was able to maintain the integrity of the adversarial relationship in the film. Joe Pesci only appeared in the first two Home Alone movies. The four sequels made after 1992 featured new casts and storylines. While the Goodfella’s star would be open to returning for a third movie he doesn’t think it would work.
He says it would be too difficult to recreate the innocence of the original films.
“I think that it would be difficult to replicate not only the success, but also the overall innocence of the originals,” Joe Pesci told People. “It’s a different time now, attitudes and priorities have changed in 30 years.” Home Alone 2: Lost in New York is currently available on Disney+ as part of the streamer’s Happy Holidays collection.
Home Alone 2 followed Kevin McCallister’s second run in with Harry and Marv after he accidentally boards a flight to New York, as his family heads to Florida for the holidays. Written and directed by Chris Columbus, the movie served as a sequel to the 1990 film. Along with Macaulay Culkin, Joe Pesci, and Daniel Stern; it also starred John Heard, Tim Curry, Brenda Fricker, and Catherine O’Hara.
Home Alone 2: Lost in New York was released in November 1992 and received mixed reviews from critics. While the acting performances from the trio of Macaulay Culkin, Joe Pesci and Daniel Stern were praised; the film’s darker tone, heavy use of violence, and similarities to the original were its critical downfall. Still, the movie earned over $359 million at the global box office, becoming the third highest-grossing film of 1992.
Following the box office success of the Joe Pesci starrer, several video games based on Home Alone 2 were released for Sega Genesis, the Nintendo Entertainment System, the Super Nintendo Entertainment System, Game Boy and personal computers. A separate hand-held game was also released by Tiger Electronics, along with board games and a close emulation of the classic Mouse Trap.
