It's been over 30 years since Home Alone first graced our screens, and it's safe to say that the cast of the Christmas classic are looking pretty different these days. Kevin McAllister actor Macaulay Culkin is all grown up, for one thing.
Directed by Chris Columbus and written by John Hughes, the festive favorite follows the escapades of eight-year-old Kevin, who is accidentally left behind after his family leave their Chicago home to spend Christmas in Paris. Two home invaders believe the house to be empty and plan a break-in – but they don't know what's about to hit them… The movie held the record for the highest-grossing live-action comedy ever until 2011, when it was finally overtaken by The Hangover Part II.
Home Alone also features big names like Joe Pesci and Catherine O'Hara – but what are they up to now? We looked into how they've been filling their time since 1990.
Macaulay Culkin (Kevin McAllister)
Macaulay Culkin played the lead role of Kevin, which catapulted him to fame. In 1994, he took a break from acting – he’d filmed 15 movies in seven years and was still only 14 years old. Returning to acting in 1998, he had a range of smaller roles, mostly on TV. From 2013 to 2016 he was the vocalist in comedy rock band The Pizza Underground, which has now split up. Culkin hasn’t had many acting roles lately, aside from a Google Assistant advert and 2019’s Changeland with Seth Green, but he did have a role in American Horror Story season 10 in 2021.
Joe Pesci (Harry Lyme)
Joe Pesci was Harry, one half of the burglar duo trying to break into the McAllister home and facing off against Kevin and his plethora of traps. After Home Alone, he starred in movies like legal comedy My Cousin Vinny and Scorsese crime film Casino. Although Pesci retired from acting in 1999, he’s had a few cameos since then such as in Robert De Niro’s 2006 spy movie The Good Shepherd. In 2019, he officially came out of retirement to work with Martin Scorsese again in the crime epic The Irishman. In the same year, he also released an album, Pesci... Still Singing, his first in 21 years.
Daniel Stern (Marvin “Marv” Merchants)
The other half of the burglar duo was Marv, played by Daniel Stern. After Home Alone, he had made his directorial debut in 1993 with the sports comedy Rookie of the Year. He also roles in movies like comedy-Western City Slickers with Billy Crystal, comedy-drama Whip It alongside Ellen Page and thriller The Next Three Days with Russell Crowe. Between 2019 and 2021, Stern played the dad of protagonist Annie (Aidy Bryant) in the Hulu comedy series Shrill, and he's set to star in For All Mankind season 4. He also works as an artist, specialising in bronze sculpture, and he’s an artist in residence at a California arts centre – a man with many strings to his bow.
Catherine O’Hara (Kate McAllister)
Kevin’s negligent mum, Kate, was played by Catherine O’Hara. Her movie roles since Home Alone have included a number of Christopher Guest mockumentaries with Eugene Levy, including Waiting for Guffman and Best in Show. She’s also had several voice acting parts in animated movies, like Chicken Little and the English dub of Studio Ghibli flick When Marnie Was There. From 2015 to 2020, O’Hara reunited with Levy to play glamorous matriarch Moira Rose in the critically acclaimed sitcom Schitt’s Creek. O’Hara won an Emmy for the role, and the show set a new record for most Emmy wins by a comedy series in a single season. O'Hara's next role is in the upcoming Apple TV Plus spy movie Argylle, alongside Henry Cavill, Sam Rockwell, and Bryce Dallas Howard.
Kieran Culkin (Fuller McAllister)
Macaulay’s real life younger brother, Kieran, played Kevin’s cousin Fuller – his first big screen role. Post-Home Alone, he starred in comedies like Father of the Bride, before trying his hand at parts in indie movies like Igby Goes Down (for which he was nominated for a Golden Globe) in his teen years. He also had a part in cult classic Scott Pilgrim vs. the World. Since 2018, Culkin has played Roman Roy in Succession, the HBO series about a dysfunctional family in charge of a media empire. Culkin’s performance as the youngest Roy sibling has earned him several awards nominations, including two Golden Globe nods and an Emmy nomination.
For more festive cheer, make sure to check out the best Christmas movies of all time. And, yes, Home Alone does make the cut.
