Joe Pesci recalls staying away from Macaulay Culkin on Home Alone set

’I intentionally limited my interactions with him,’ the ‘Goodfellas’ actor said

Joe Pesci has recalled avoiding Macaulay Culkin on the set of the Home Alone films.

The Goodfellas actor appeared opposite the child star in the Christmas comedy and its sequel, Lost in New York, in 1990 and 1992, when Culkin was 10 and 12.

In the first film, Pesci played Harry, one of the two robbers attempting to break into the house of Kevin (Culkin), a child who is left behind when his family go missing.

The sequel, set one year later, finds Kevin stranded in New York City with the robbers in pursuit.

Despite Culkin’s age, Pesci, who is known for his method acting style, opted to stay away from his young co-star when they weren’t filming.

In a new retrospective on the sequel, Pesci told People: “I remember Macaulay as being a really sweet kid and, even at his age, very professional.”

However, the actor says he “intentionally limited my interactions with him to preserve the dynamic between his character, Kevin, and my character Harry.”

Macaulay Culkin and Joe Pesci in ‘Home Alone’ (20th Century Fox/Kobal/Shutterstock)

According to Pesci, the reason for his his decision was due to not wanting “it to come across on the screen that we were in any way friendly”.

“I wanted to maintain the integrity of the adversarial relationship,” he said.

Pesci’s other credits include My Cousin Vinny, Casino and The Irishman.