Home Alone director Chris Columbus finally answers huge question

The director of the iconic Christmas classic has finally addressed a persistent question about Kevin McAllister’s parents.

It all makes sense now, ya filthy animals.

The director of the beloved 1990 Christmas classic Home Alone has finally revealed what Kevin McCallister’s parents did to afford their massive Chicago mansion.

“Back then, John [Hughes] and I had a conversation about it,”

Chris Columbus explained to the Hollywood Reporter in an interview published on Tuesday, “and we decided on what the jobs were.”

As the 66-year-old filmmaker explained, the movie actually included a few hints, reports the New York Post. Take the dancing mannequins Kevin (Macaulay Culkin) placed in the window to ward off the criminals Harry (Joe Pesci) and Marv (Daniel Stern), for example.

Well, those actually belonged to Catherine O’Hara’s character Kate McCallister, who “was a very successful fashion designer,” according to the director.

As for John Heard’s Peter McCallister? His job description wasn’t written in stone.

“The father could have, based on John Hughes’ own experience, worked in advertising,” Columbus said, “but I don’t remember what the father did.”

Kevin McAllister, played by Macauley Culkin.

His mother (Catherine O’Hara) was apparently a very successful fashion designer.

But one thing was certain: Peter’s activities were all above board.

“Not organised crime,” Columbus added, “even though there was, at the time, a lot of organised crime in Chicago.”

The creative also spoke about how he came to cast Culkin in the iconic role, sharing, “This is why John Hughes was a great producer for a director, and I learned a lot from him.”

“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,’” Columbus continued. “I ended up meeting 300 other kids, too. Total colossal waste of time, because then I met Macaulay again, and it was magical.”

The McAllister’s home.

After 34 years of the beloved film being on everyone’s watch list come Christmas, Culkin’s own sons are now part of the phenomenon.

“He thinks he’s Kevin,” Macaulay told E! News of his oldest Dakota, 3, who he shares with Brenda Song. “I’m like, ‘Do you remember going down that down the stairs on the sled?’ He’s like, ‘Mmhmm, yep. Sure do.’ I’m like, ‘Do you remember when he had yellow hair?’ And he’s like, ‘Uh-huh, yep.’”

“‘You’re a lying liar who lies,’” he recalled joking to his oldest child. “That was me!’”

Meanwhile, Macaulay’s brother, Kieran Culkin, who has daughter Kinsey, 5, and son Wilder, 3, with wife Jazz Charton revealed last month that he had yet to introduce his kids to the film.

“There’s still some scary parts,” the 42-year-old told the outlet. “For the 3-year-old, there’s the tarantula [and] there’s the guy at the end who said, ‘I’m gonna bite off all your fingers.’ That’s scary for a 3-year-old.”

However, that may have all changed over the holidays.

“We think they might be ready for Home Alone this year,” the Succession star revealed. “If not, next year.”

This article originally appeared in the New York Post and was reproduced with permission.

Originally published as Home Alone director Chris Columbus finally answers huge question