Robert De Niro may have starred in Home Alone, but Chris Columbus “doesn't think” the actor was seriously considering a role in the Christmas comedy
We almost saw Robert De Niro in Home Alone, who was considered for one of the leading roles. However, the actor was not interested in it.
Home Alone is a cult comedy that you have to watch at Christmas. The film has certainly been watched by many viewers even several times, which may make it difficult to imagine other actors in leading roles. And yet, not everyone was the first choice of the filmmakers, and other actors were initially considered for some characters.
This was the case, for example, with Harry played by Joe Pesci. Chris Columbus, director of Home Alone, revealed during an interview with Business Insider that they had talked about casting Robert De Niro in the role. Apparently, they also managed to get in touch with him, as the filmmaker reported that the actor never seriously thought about taking on the role. De Niro himself, however, has not confirmed the information and has not discussed the possibility of starring in the Christmas comedy.
You guys went to Robert De Niro for the role of Harry. Did he ever seriously consider taking the role?
No, I don't think so. It was talked about a little internally, but when Pesci said yes, I was stunned.
As you can see, even though it didn't work out with Robert De Niro, Columbus was pleased that they were able to get Pesci, who was phenomenal as Harry in Home Alone. The actor excelled in the role of a burglar outwitted by a child.
And De Niro, as he revealed during an interview with Cinemablend in 2020, had never seen a cult Christmas comedy in which he had a chance to star.
I’ll be honest with you, I never saw Home Alone. I would see it but I just didn’t. Maybe I’ll see it with one of my kids.
Whether in this case anything has changed since then, we don't know. We also don't know how Harry would have looked like in Robert De Niro's version, but it would certainly have been a different character that would have also changed the dynamics of the film. After all, actors' approaches to roles can vary.