Daniel Stern Says Joe Pesci Is 'a Scary Dude' as He Reflects on 'Dear Friend' Biting Macaulay Culkin inHome Alone

Mar. 15, 2025

Daniel Stern in 2020, and Stern and Joe Pesci as Home Alone villians Marv and Harry.Photo:Matt Winkelmeyer/Getty; Album / Alamy

Matt Winkelmeyer/Getty; Album / Alamy

Daniel Sternadmits it wasn’t just the villains inHome Aloneto be feared!The actor, 67, reflected on playing mischievous but mindless criminal Marv in the hit holiday classic while speaking toEntertainment Tonight. Among his memorable moments on the set was whenJoe Pesci— who played Marv’s lawless counterpart Harry — bitMacaulay Culkin, who starred as the child protagonist Kevin McCallister.As the other half of the “Wet Bandits,” Harry was both rash and the brains of their clumsy operation.In one scene, Harry threatens to bite Kevin’s fingers off — but when Pesci took it a little too far and actually bit the then-10-year-old,Culkinwas left with a scar on his hand.Pesci and Stern behind Macaulay Culkin, as Harry, Marv and Kevin, respectively.Century Fox Film Corp"Joe is wonderful, and I love him — he’s a dear friend," Stern gushed, before adding, “But he’s a scary dude!““He was carrying it all,” he continued. “We were trying in the first movie to try to actually be scary to start with and then you realize we’re idiots.“Stern told ET that their aim for the movie, which premiered in 1990, was to build up the “fear factor” to set the drama. It then gradually breaks down asKevinexecutes his various pranks — like placing a tarantula directly on Marv’s face.Stern’s assumption that they would use a “great prop spider” for filming was wrong.“The wrangler told me, ‘he’s not going to bite you, you’ll be fine,'” he said, adding, “So I let him crawl around on my face for about five minutes, just so we both got used to each other.“The tarantula literally called the shots, Stern said — if it crawled too far to one side of his face, the camera crew just had to wait for it to return to position.The tarantula was used in the iconic scene in which Marv flings the spider over onto Harry, who is lying on the floor beside him. Marv had one goal — kill the spider — and was totally okay with attacking his partner in crime to do it.Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human-interest stories.“I got to hit Joe Pesci with a crowbar, so that was fun too,” Stern said of the moment his character swung at the spider.Home Alonewas — and remains to this day — a “kid empowerment movie,” Stern said, which is why its popularity is still seen 34 years after its release.

Daniel Sternadmits it wasn’t just the villains inHome Aloneto be feared!

The actor, 67, reflected on playing mischievous but mindless criminal Marv in the hit holiday classic while speaking toEntertainment Tonight. Among his memorable moments on the set was whenJoe Pesci— who played Marv’s lawless counterpart Harry — bitMacaulay Culkin, who starred as the child protagonist Kevin McCallister.

As the other half of the “Wet Bandits,” Harry was both rash and the brains of their clumsy operation.

In one scene, Harry threatens to bite Kevin’s fingers off — but when Pesci took it a little too far and actually bit the then-10-year-old,Culkinwas left with a scar on his hand.

Pesci and Stern behind Macaulay Culkin, as Harry, Marv and Kevin, respectively.Century Fox Film Corp

Century Fox Film Corp

“Joe is wonderful, and I love him — he’s a dear friend,” Stern gushed, before adding, “But he’s a scary dude!”

“He was carrying it all,” he continued. “We were trying in the first movie to try to actually be scary to start with and then you realize we’re idiots.”

Stern told ET that their aim for the movie, which premiered in 1990, was to build up the “fear factor” to set the drama. It then gradually breaks down asKevinexecutes his various pranks — like placing a tarantula directly on Marv’s face.

Stern’s assumption that they would use a “great prop spider” for filming was wrong.

“The wrangler told me, ‘he’s not going to bite you, you’ll be fine,'” he said, adding, “So I let him crawl around on my face for about five minutes, just so we both got used to each other.”

The tarantula literally called the shots, Stern said — if it crawled too far to one side of his face, the camera crew just had to wait for it to return to position.

The tarantula was used in the iconic scene in which Marv flings the spider over onto Harry, who is lying on the floor beside him. Marv had one goal — kill the spider — and was totally okay with attacking his partner in crime to do it.

Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human-interest stories.

“I got to hit Joe Pesci with a crowbar, so that was fun too,” Stern said of the moment his character swung at the spider.

Home Alonewas — and remains to this day — a “kid empowerment movie,” Stern said, which is why its popularity is still seen 34 years after its release.

source: people.com