Tim Curry Auditioned for Marv in HOME ALONE Before Joining HOME ALONE 2

Tim Curry could have been one of the Wet Bandits in Home Alone. Instead, he had to wait for Kevin McCallister’s next adventure to get his shot at making the kid miserable.

During a visit to the Academy’s Margaret Herrick Library before he passed away, Curry was shown casting material revealing that he had been considered for Marv in the original Home Alone, the role that eventually went to Daniel Stern.

Curry remembered meeting director Chris Columbus when he tried out for the part, and apparently Columbus was already a fan of his work outside of acting.

“I actually met Chris Columbus, who apparently had the only two albums of mine and was a bit of a fan. Nobody else had ever bought them.”

Curry then summed up the outcome of the audition, saying: “I didn't get it.”

While it would have been fun to see Curry running around with Joe Pesci and getting destroyed by Kevin’s traps, things ultimately worked out. Two years later, Curry joined Home Alone 2: Lost in New York as Mr. Hector, the suspicious concierge at the Plaza Hotel who becomes determined to figure out what Kevin is up to.

It’s a great Curry role. Mr. Hector treats catching an unsupervised kid using a stolen credit card like he’s uncovering an international criminal conspiracy, complete with suspicious glances and that fantastic Grinch-like smile.

Curry also remembered that the cast stayed at the Plaza Hotel during production, although his accommodations didn’t exactly come with a spectacular New York City view.

He said: “Everybody just stayed at the Plaza Hotel. It wasn't particularly fun. I had a view of a brick wall.”

Curry also shared a memory of working with Macaulay Culkin, who was still a kid dealing with an enormous production schedule and the attention that came with being one of the biggest young movie stars in the world.

“Mac used to stay up watching late night movies and fall asleep in the makeup chair. I liked him. He was a very nice kid.”

Curry may have missed his chance to play Marv, but Mr. Hector ended up being a much better fit for him. The role gave him room to use his wonderfully suspicious expressions, impeccable comic timing, and ability to make something as simple as inspecting a credit card feel hilariously sinister.