Joe Pesci Suffered Serious Burns Filming Home Alone 2 — The Painful Backstory That Will Change Your Christmas Rewatch

Home Alone 2 is one of those movies you can put on every December and still laugh at the same ridiculous gags. But the slapstick that made it a holiday staple was not exactly gentle on the people making it. Case in point: Joe Pesci literally got burned for our entertainment. And yes, he also accidentally bit Macaulay Culkin. For real.

Pesci vs. the flaming hat

Pesci, who plays thief Harry Lime, told People that the infamous moment where Harry’s hat catches fire did not end with a harmless yelp and a cut to the next shot. He says the physical comedy on these films came with the usual knocks and bruises, but that gag left him with actual burns on his scalp.

"Along with the usual bumps, bruises and aches you expect from that kind of physical comedy, I did end up with serious burns on the top of my head during the bit where Harry’s hat is on fire."

It’s the kind of old-school stunt you can feel just watching it, and a reminder that slapstick, when done for real, has a cost.

The bite heard round the set

As if fire wasn’t enough, Pesci and Culkin had another mishap. During rehearsals for the scene where Harry threatens to chomp down on Kevin’s finger, Pesci actually did. Culkin talked about it in a New York Times Q&A: he and Pesci kept their distance off-camera so their characters wouldn’t read as pals, and in the heat of prepping the moment, Pesci accidentally bit him hard enough to leave a mark.

"I have a scar. I saw his face — and I’ve never seen Joe Pesci actually look scared — because he’s like, 'I just bit a kid!'"

It’s a wild story, but Culkin took it in stride even then, which tracks with how his co-stars talk about him. Catherine O’Hara, who plays Kevin’s mom, praised him as a joy to work with when he got his star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, and you can see that professionalism all over the Home Alone movies. Also worth noting: the film has reportedly earned Culkin millions in residuals over the years, so yes, he has plenty of reasons to still love it.

Why you can’t bottle this movie’s magic in 2025

Part of what makes Home Alone 2 so specific to its era is baked into the premise. A kid loose in early-90s New York is a different story than a kid with a smartphone in Midtown today. Beyond that:

• The humor leans hard into slow-build, full-body slapstick — the kind that leaves actors sore and the audience howling. That style is rarer now, and fewer productions commit to doing it practically.
• New York itself has changed, and so has the way we move through it. The movie’s geography and vibe are a time capsule.
• Chris Columbus’s earnest tone plus Culkin’s mix of vulnerable and devious is a tricky combo. It makes the mayhem feel weirdly innocent and believable. That balance is harder to hit than it looks.

Home Alone 2: quick refresher

For the stats people:

• Title: Home Alone 2: Lost in New York
• Director: Chris Columbus
• Main cast: Macaulay Culkin, Joe Pesci, Daniel Stern, John Heard, Catherine O’Hara
• Rotten Tomatoes: 35% critics, 62% audience
• IMDb: 6.9/10
• Box office: $358 million worldwide
• Where to watch (US): Streaming on Disney+ and Hulu

So yeah, the movie that made you cackle at paint cans and bricks was powered by real bruises, a singed scalp, and one very unfortunate rehearsal bite. Hazard pay would not have been out of line. Still hilarious though.