Home Alone is a beloved holiday staple, known for its humor and lightheartedness, but not every moment behind the scenes was as carefree as it seemed. Joe Pesci, the Oscar-winning actor who played Harry, one-half of the bumbling Wet Bandits, brought an unexpected intensity to the film. In fact, one scene turned a little too real when Pesci accidentally bit Macaulay Culkin's finger during a take.

Daniel Stern, who portrayed Harry’s partner in crime, Marv, recently reflected on the incident in an interview. Stern explained that while the film ultimately leaned into comedy, the actors initially aimed to make the villains genuinely menacing. “Joe is wonderful—a dear friend—but he can be intimidating. He carried that energy into the role because we wanted to set up some real fear before revealing just how inept we were,” Stern shared.

Pesci’s commitment to his role led to an unintended moment during a scene where his character tries to intimidate young Kevin. Pesci bit Culkin’s finger for real, a moment that left both the actor and the young star shocked. Stern recalled Pesci’s immediate apology: “Joe was like, ‘Oh crap, I didn’t mean to!’ That might have been the only time you saw Joe Pesci genuinely flustered.”

Years later, Culkin still remembers the moment vividly, even pointing out that he has a scar as a lasting reminder. Speaking at an event, he joked about the experience: “I’ve never seen Joe Pesci scared before, but he looked genuinely freaked out when he realized he’d just bitten a kid!”

Though it’s a humorous anecdote now, the story adds an unexpected layer to the making of Home Alone—a reminder that even in comedy, things don’t always go as planned.