Many people, myself included, can never get enough of Home Alone, one of the best Christmas movies of all time. Eight-year-old Kevin McCallister taught audiences that being left at home alone can have its fun moments if you like jumping on beds, “watching rubbish” and engaging in epic prank battles with adults. However, I’m left completely shook at its star, Macaulay Culkin, revealing one long-standing Home Alone scene rumor I didn’t see coming.
The stuntwork in Home Alone certainly didn’t look easy. You have getting hit with flying paint cans, stepping on a nail, a tarantula to the face and more cringeworthy schemes. Even Joe Pesci got “serious burns” on his head during the memorable blow torch scene. However, there’s been a long-standing rumor that one of Macaulay Culkin’s stunt guys in one of the best 1990s flicks was a short 30-year-old. While downing hot wings on First We Feast, the former child star confirmed the rumor to be true, and declare me shocked:
Yeah, his name was Larry, and I saw him in the wardrobe department for the first time. I get changed, and I walk out and there’s this guy, Larry, dressed exactly like me, because we’re both trying on the same outfit. I’m like, ‘Hey, Larry, how you doing?’ He goes [takes on gravely voice] ‘Hey, doing good. I’m Larry, your stunt guy.’ And he kind of like looks at me and goes, ‘How old do you think I am?’ That’s a loaded question, I know he’s much older than me, because I was 9. I go, ‘13,’ much older than me. He thought that was funny.
Based on the gruff impersonation Macaulay Culkin was sporting as the stuntman, that doesn’t sound like a 13-year-old! But hey, he was nine. At that age, everyone above a teenager is old.
I’m still in disbelief that the then-child actor had a stunt double that was his height but around the age I’m at now. With his height being so similar to the movie's star, you'd never know. I always assumed that a brave kid took care of the grunt work for Culkin. Never an adult doubling for a kid. So it looks like the rumor was true. Imagine what a strange experience it must have been for the Uncle Buck actor to have seen a grown man don the same Kevin McCallister garb as him.
If you’re curious where you can find Larry in the funny Christmas movie, it would be the hilarious scene when Kevin sneaks into his brother’s room to steal his money. Located on the top shelf, Kevin climbs up only to fall with the furniture. The My Girl actor had a wild story about Larry doing that scene that’s worthy of an award right there:
My memory of Larry [is] he’s climbing the shelf, trying to reach that thing at the top, and the whole shelf collapsed. It was viscous, that first take, it was viscous. And then they do it again, there’s another take. Just ‘Boom!’ And they didn’t like the way everything fell. And they do it again, and they do it again, and they do it again. I’m going, ‘Please take it easy on Larry! He’s only 13 years old!’
I still find it hysterical that little Macaulay still kept shouting out that the adult stuntman Larry was "only 13!" I’m still wrapping my head around him actually being 30. But yes, I do feel bad for the poor guy who had to subject himself to more falling and getting pieces of a wooden shelf landing on him. That would seem like a concussion waiting to happen. At least precious Culkin cared enough about his stunt double to ensure his safety.
Just when I thought I had heard about all of the unbelievable BTS facts of Home Alone, it’s revealed that Macaulay Culkin’s stunt double was 30-year-old Larry. Movie magic really does come from unexpected places. Or in this case, talented people willing to fall multiple times for their young actors. You can watch Larry in action with Home Alone available with your Disney+ subscription.
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