Director spills the beans

Biggest secret about “Kevin” cult film revealed

The cult film "Kevin Alone at Home" is as much a part of the Christmas program as Santa Claus and Rudolph the Reindeer. And ever since the comedy hit cinemas in 1990, there has been one unanswered question that fans have been asking themselves: What did Kevin's parents do for a living that they could live so lavishly? The answer to this question has now been revealed 24 years later by director Chris Columbus.

The McCallisters - played by Catherine O'Hara and John Heard - not only lived in a mansion in Chicago, they also had the money to afford a trip to Paris for 15 family members. Probably the most popular theory among supporters was that father McCallister must have been a member of the Mafia.

"Not a member of organized crime"
But Columbus has now denied this in the podcast "Awards Chatter" of the industry bible "The Hollywood Reporter": "Kevin's father was not a member of organized crime, even though it was still widespread in Chicago at the time."

According to the filmmaker, he had come up with a "background story" about the McCallisters' jobs with producer and screenwriter John Hughes before filming: "We thought that Kevin's mother - because there were mannequins in the basement - was a very successful fashion designer."

When it came to his father, Hughes was guided by his own original job and decided that he "worked in the advertising industry".

Comedy legend didn't get the role
For the few people who have never seen the movie: The McCallisters travel to Paris for Christmas - only to discover that they have forgotten their youngest son Kevin (Macaulay Culkin) at home in America. In the meantime, he has to successfully defend his home against a duo of burglars - played by Joe Pesci and Daniel Stern.

According to Columbus, a later comedy legend was originally supposed to play a part in the movie: Chris Farley. But the time of the audition - 7 a.m. - was apparently too early for him.

Columbus: "He had pulled an all-nighter in Chicago and was in a very bad state. Because he wasn't very well known at the time, we sent him away again."