Home Alone director Chris Columbus has finally addressed one of the film's most enduring mysteries — how the McCallister family could afford their opulent Chicago residence . During a conversation on The Hollywood Reporter's Awards Chatter podcast , Chris Columbus shed light on this and shared intriguing anecdotes about the film's journey to becoming a beloved Christmas classic. According to Columbus, he and Home Alone writer John Hughes decided on the McCallisters' professions while working on the script.
“Back then, John and I had a conversation about it, and we decided on what the jobs were,” Mr Columbus said, adding that Kate McCallister, played by Catherine O'Hara, “was a very successful fashion designer,” citing the mannequins in the family's basement as a subtle hint. As for John Heard's Peter McCallister, Chris Columbus admitted he wasn't entirely sure. “The father could have, based on John Hughes' own experience, worked in advertising, but I don't remember what the father did.
” Chris Columbus dismissed one popular fan theory about the McCallisters' wealth, which suggested it might have been tied to illegal activities. “Not organised crime — even though there was, at the time, a lot of organised crime in Chicago,” he clarified, addressing speculation that this could have attracted the burglars to the family's home. Home Alone , released in 1990, features a young Macaulay Culkin as Kevin, a resourceful boy who is mistakenly left behind during Christ.
