director Chris Columbus has spoken out about how Donald Trump “bullied” his way into making an appearance in the festive film.
As “Home Alone” fans will know, the 1992 sequel features a brief cameo from the man who would eventually go on to become president, and in a new interview, its director has explained how this came to be.
Speaking to “Insider,” Columbus explained that a condition for filming a scene in the Plaza Hotel would be that its then-owner, Trump, also appear in it.
Macaulay Culkin and Donald Trump in “Home Alone 2”
Macaulay Culkin and Donald Trump in “Home Alone 2″20th Century Fox
“We paid the fee, but he also said, ‘The only way you can use the Plaza is if I’m in the movie,’” Columbus said. “So we agreed to put him in the movie.”
The filmmaker went on to say he was surprised at how positive the initial audience reaction to Trump’s cameo was, which is how it ended up staying in the film.
“People cheered when Trump showed up on-screen,” Columbus recalled. “So I said to my editor, ‘Leave him in the movie. It’s a moment for the audience.’ ”
“But he did bully his way into the movie,” the d
irector added.
