Advertisement
Chris Columbus, the director of Home Alone 2: Lost in New York, recently opened up about his regret over the film’s infamous cameo by then-businessman and future President Donald Trump. Despite the movie’s widespread success, Columbus admitted in an interview with the San Francisco Chronicle that he wished the scene with Trump had been cut out.
Columbus shared that he considers Trump’s cameo to be a “curse” and a “burden” that he now wishes had never been included. “It’s become an albatross for me,” the director said, expressing his discontent with the decision. He explained that the cameo, which features Trump directing Macaulay Culkin’s character Kevin McCallister to the lobby in the Plaza Hotel, has gained so much attention over the years that he now regrets it. At the time of filming, Trump was a well-known public figure, and his cameo was meant to be a quick, fun moment for fans of the film. However, Columbus revealed that Trump himself “bullied his way into the movie,” persistently requesting a cameo.
Despite his personal feelings about the cameo, Columbus acknowledged that at the time of filming, Trump’s presence on screen was seen by audiences as a memorable moment. Columbus recounted how, during the film’s initial screening, the audience cheered when Trump appeared, prompting the team to keep him in the film. “That cameo helped make the movie a success,” he added, though he seems to feel conflicted about the long-term implications of Trump’s inclusion.
Interestingly, Columbus also joked that, given the political climate and his public stance on Trump, cutting the cameo could lead to repercussions for him, suggesting that he might even face deportation for taking such a drastic step, given his Italian heritage.
The decision to include Trump in the film is now being revisited with some regret by Columbus, who notes that the scene has been part of the film’s cultural footprint for over 30 years. Yet, his desire to remove it is more about how the cameo has evolved over time rather than any negative reflections on the movie itself.
Home Alone 2 remains a holiday classic, and while the Trump cameo is still talked about, the film’s charm and humor continue to resonate with audiences. The conversation about whether to keep or remove the scene represents just one of the many complexities directors and creators face when working on projects that end up having decades-long cultural impacts.