Home Alone and Goodfellas actor Joe Pesci has opened up about the injuries and physical damage he sustained while playing one of the Wet Bandits in Home Alone.
Fans of the movie will be all too familiar with the fact that Kevin McCallister shows the two burglars who's boss when they attempt to infiltrate his home at Christmastime, not holding back as he clobbers them with makeshift flamethrowers and burning door handles.
Some of the traps go to the extreme, with one seeing Marv literally turn into a skeleton, but most of the time we expect injuries and stunts seen in movies to be faked for the camera.
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As it turns out, though, Pesci really had to put himself through some painful experiences for our entertainment in Home Alone.
Pesci reflected on his role as Harry in an interview with People this week while celebrating the sequel's 30th anniversary.
After starring in both the original and Home Alone 2: Lost in New York, Pesci explained: "The Home Alone movies were a more physical type of comedy, therefore, a little more demanding."
The first movie sees Kevin set a booby trap to shoot flames towards Harry as he opens the door, setting his hat on fire.
It's a memorable scene for fans, but even more so for Pesci due to the injuries he received from it.
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The actor explained: "In addition to the expected bumps, bruises, and general pains that you would associate with that particular type of physical humour, I did sustain serious burns to the top of my head during the scene where Harry's hat is set on fire."
It's certainly a lot to go through for your craft, but Pesci lived to tell the tale, and to explain that he was thankfully 'fortunate enough to have professional stuntmen do the real heavy stunts'.
The experience hasn't put him off the possibility of returning to the role for a reprisal of the series in future, though Pesci admitted it would be 'difficult to replicate' the innocent aura of those beloved first films.
"While you never say never, I think that it would be difficult to replicate not only the success but also the overall innocence of the originals," Pesci explained. "It's a different time now; attitudes and priorities have changed in 30 years."
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Considering that star Macaulay Culkin is now 42 years old, the prospect of him returning to the role of Kevin and being left home alone again isn't quite as dramatic as it was when he was a child. However, maybe he could have turned into a forgetful dad with kids of his own?
Topics: Christmas, Celebrity, Film and TV