One of the Most Iconic Moments on ‘Home Alone’ was Actually a Mistake

One of the most iconic moments on Home Alone was improvised by the lead actor Macaulay Culkin.

Home Alone is a cherished bit of holiday content revisited by almost every household during the Christmas season, but many of its beloved viewers may not be aware one of its most iconic moments was, in fact, an accident.

In an extensive interview with Insider, director Chris Columbus clarified how Macaulay Culkin improvised the scene where he placed cologne on his face before screaming.

Macaulay Culkin improvised one of the iconic moments on Home Alone.

Macaulay Culkin improvised one of the iconic moments on Home Alone.
Source: Mental Floss

The director was asked the precise moment he felt the scene should make it into the final cut. Columbus said:

Kind of on set, because he wasn’t supposed to do that. If you put something on your face that burns, most people move their hands right away.

So my direction to him was when you pat your face, move your hands and scream. And I think it was the first take, he kept his hands on his cheeks. We all started laughing hysterically.

He added,

We did it a couple more times with his hands off his face, but my editor, Raja Gosnell, he cut that take into the first cut that I saw and it was in there forever. It’s funny, the iconic moment from Home Alone was an accident.

The movie turned 30 years old this year, but Home Alone remains a true Christmas classic to this day. However, it hasn’t deterred Disney from wanting to reboot it, although the proposal was swiftly rejected by Columbus.

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