‘Home Alone’ Director Finally Reveals What Kevin’s Parents Did For Work In Iconic Movie

Home Alone has become a Christmas classic in the decades since it was released in 1990. Fans have long wondered how the parents of Kevin McCallister (Macauley Culkin) could afford the beautiful Chicago mansion in which they lived with their many children.

Now, Home Alone director Chris Columbus is finally revealing what the parents, who were played by Catherine O’Hara and John Heard, did for a living.

Columbus Reveals All

Not only did the McCallisters live in a mansion, they were also able to pay for a trip to Paris, France for 15 people.

Clearly, the McAllister’s are well-to-do Chicago folk.

“Back then, John and I had a conversation about it, and we decided on what the jobs were,” Columbus revealed. “We thought the mother, at the time, because we used mannequins in the basement — I do remember having a conversation — she was a very successful fashion designer. The father could have, based on John Hughes’ own experience, worked in advertising, but I don’t remember what the father did.”

Columbus went on to shut down the rumor that the father worked in organized crime. He explained that “even though there was, at the time, a lot of organized crime in Chicago,” the father was definitely not involved.

Related: The Definitive List Of Best Christmas Movies

Columbus Initially Didn’t Want Culkin For Home Alone

Home Alone made Macauley Culkin a movie star at just 10 years of age. However, Columbus wasn’t initially in favor of casting him as the lead. Thankfully, he eventually conceded that Culkin “was obviously the right kid.” However, he had to get over “the ego” he had as a director to recognize it.

“This is why John Hughes was a great producer for a director, and I learned a lot from him,” Columbus continued. “He said, ‘Will you take a look at meeting Macaulay?’ I said, ‘Yeah, I’d like to meet Macaulay, but I’d like to meet everyone else, too.’ I ended up meeting 300 other kids, too. Total colossal waste of time, because then I met Macaulay again, and it was magical.”

As for casting the Home Alone villains, Columbus knew that Joe Pesci and Daniel Stern were perfect for the roles as soon as he saw them together. Columbus went on to reveal that the late great Saturday Night Live! comedian Chris Farley was initially up for a role in the movie.

“Farley was just starting out at the time,” Columbus recalled. “This guy came in at 7 a.m. for our first reading for the guy who played Santa Claus in the movie. He was not in any particularly great shape. He had just come out from all night being in Chicago. We had to say, ‘Well, not this time.'”

Related: Candace Cameron Bure To Play Army Reservist In New Christmas Movie

Home Alone Mansion

The actual house used in Home Alone has five bedrooms and six bathrooms. It recently hit the market at an asking price of $5.25 million. The mansion sold just before Christmas. Earlier this month, Culkin admitted that he was considering buying it.

“I had half a mind to buy it — just for giggles,” confessed Culkin, now 44.

Home Alone is a true Christmas classic that still holds up to this day. If you haven’t seen it, be sure to check it out!