One of the Home Alone movies nearly cast a Hunger Games star in a major role, likely Kevin McCallister. Starting in 1990, the franchise is best known for following Macaulay Culkin as Kevin, an eight-year-old troublemaker who gets left behind in his Chicago home while his family travels to Paris for Christmas. While stuck at home, he must protect his house from a pair of cat burglars who intend on robbing it. Home Alone became a pop culture phenomenon, spawning five sequels and reboots, and skyrocketed Culkin to fame.
Speaking with Buzzfeed during a puppy interview, Hunger Games star Josh Hutcherson reveals he was nearly cast in the Home Alone franchise. Though he doesn’t explictly state which installment he auditioned for, or which character, it was likely 2002’s Home Alone 4, which centered on Kevin but recast the role. Hutcherson said:
“Yeah actually, when I was pretty young there was one of the Home Alone’s, but I was probably eleven, I think, when I auditioned for it. And it got down to me and the other guy, and that was the first time that I tasted rejection, so that was really hard.”
Hutcherson Has Done Well For Himself – Even Without Home Alone
Culkin’s performance as Kevin in Home Alone cemented his status as a rising star, so it stands to reason that the same could’ve happened for Hutcherson, even despite the negative reception that Home Alone 4 received. However, while he might’ve lost the part, Hutcherson’s career has still flourished. In the year after Home Alone 4 was released, the actor appeared in a trio of family-friendly movies: Kicking & Screaming, Zathura, and Little Manhattan. He worked steadily as a young actor before scoring his biggest role yet as Peeta in The Hunger Games.
Hutcherson is back in the spotlight recently after taking a hiatus from mainstream films. He starred in 2023’s Five Nights at Freddy’s movie, which became a major horror hit from Blumhouse Productions. It is Blumhouse’s highest-grossing movie of all time despite receiving negative reviews from critics, and Hutcherson confirmed a sequel is on the way. His starring role led to renewed attention on social media. Many online have recognized and celebrated his previous roles, his advocacy for the LGBTQ+ community, and his genuine personality.
Hutcherson has a few notable roles coming up. His new film The Beekeeper, an action-thriller by director David Ayer, was released on January 12. Beyond that, he will be reunited on-screen with his Hunger Games costar Isabelle Fuhrman, who played Clove, in Littlemouth, an upcoming science fiction mystery. There is also Five Nights at Freddy’s 2 which, while not explicitly greenlit, seems very likely. While Hutcherson missed out on joining Home Alone, it’s clear his career didn’t suffer from the loss.
Home Alone
Home Alone tells the story of Kevin McAllister, an eight-year-old who is left behind in his Chicago home when his family flies to Paris for the holidays. Not only must Kevin keep himself safe while his mother flies back across the world, but he must protect his home from the Wet Bandits – serial burglars who are targeting the McAllister House. Kevin must use every trick in the book to keep the Wet Bandits from stealing Christmas before his mother returns.
- Release Date
- November 16, 1990
- Director
- Chris Columbus
- Cast
- Macaulay Culkin , Joe Pesci , Daniel Stern , John Heard , Roberts Blossom , Catherine O’Hara
- Runtime
- 103 minutes
- Writers
- John Hughes
- Budget
- 18 million
- Studio(s)
- 20th Century
- Sequel(s)
- Home Alone 3 , Home Alone 2: Lost in New York , Home Alone 4
