20th Century Fox/Disney
Chris Columbus, the director of Home Alone and Home Alone 2: Lost in New York, has major regrets about the infamous Donald Trump cameo in the film. Columbus regrets it so much, in fact, that he wishes he could cut it from the movie.
Home Alone 2: Lost in New York was released in 1992, two years after the massive success of the original film. Columbus returned as director, as did writer John Hughes, with Macaulay Culkin, Joe Pesci, Daniel Stern, John Heard, and Catherine O’Hara all reprising their roles from 1990’s Chicago-suburb-set Home Alone.
With the sequel being set in New York City, specifically The Plaza Hotel, that opened the door for a Trump cameo, as he was the owner of The Plaza at the time.
Now, not only does Columbus wish he could delete it from the movie, but he believes it to be a ‘curse’ and an ‘albatross’.
“It’s become this curse. It’s become an albatross for me. I just wish it was gone. I can’t cut it. If I cut it, I’ll probably be sent out of the country. I’ll be considered sort of not fit to live in the United States, so I’ll have to go back to Italy or something,” Columbus said in a recent interview with the San Francisco Chronicle.
Home Alone 2: Lost in New York was another hit at the box office, as its $359 million (against a $28 million budget) made it the third-highest grossing film of 1992. This would be the last Home Alone film with this creative team, however.
In addition to directing the first two Home Alone films, Columbus is also known for directing Mrs. Doubtfire, Nine Months, the first two Harry Potter movies, and the film adaptation of Rent. He also wrote hit 1980s films such as Gremlins and The Goonies.