Joe Pesci came out on fire on the set of ‘Home Alone 2’

Just when the 30th anniversary of the premiere of Home alone, one of the best Christmas movies in history, Joe Pesci sees it difficult for the saga to return. And it is understandable that the actor, a regular in many of Martin Scorsese’s best films and unforgettable villain in the franchise starring Macaulay Culkin, does not find it entirely appealing to recover that story. The last time Pesci stepped on a set of Home alonefor the filming of the sequel —official title: Home Alone 2: Lost in New York— came out on fire.

This was recently recalled by the interpreter in an interview with People. In general, Harry, the thief played by Pesci, did not exactly have a good time in the movies of Home alone. Kevin McCallister, the kid who starred in the first two and most famous installments of the franchise, made the thieves he faced through real ordeals, first, in his own home, and then, in New York City. . However, one of those innocent traps and very influenced by the slapstick placed by the kid got out of hand and ended up with Joe Pesci’s head on fire.

“In addition to the expected bumps, bruises and other scars one would associate with that particular type of physical comedy, I suffered severe burns to the top of my head during the scene where Harry’s hat catches fire,” recalled the actor. at the interview. That moment in the plot was played by Pesci himself, who downplays the matter: “Luckily, I had professional stuntmen to do the really dangerous scenes for me.” A goodfella He doesn’t give in to anything.

The film took place a year after the events of the first Home alone, during the McCallister family’s Christmas vacation. Kevin’s parents lose the boy in a mix-up at the airport (yes, again) and Macaulay Culkin’s character ends up boarding an unaccompanied flight to New York. There, the boy dedicated himself to visiting emblematic places in the city, such as the World Trade Center, the Plaza Hotel or Central Park. By chance, Harry and Marv, the thieves from the first film, fresh out of prison, had also chosen New York as their destination for one last big heist and fled the country with the loot.

Although it did not achieve the success of the original installment, home alone 2 was a real box office success (it only grossed less than aladdin Y The bodyguard that year), largely due to Joe Pesci’s charisma as a villain suitable for all audiences. According to the actor, on the set of the sequel there was even “more spontaneity and creativity” than on the set of the first installment. Until then, the career of the actor, of Italian descent, had included comic roles, such as his role in lethal weapon, but none that required the physical resistance necessary to face the scenes of this saga. “The movies of Home alone they were a more physical type of comedy and, therefore, somewhat more demanding”, says the actor. So demanding that he ended up setting his head on fire.