I’m Daniel Stern. You might know me as Marv from Home Alone (or from City Slickers, The Wonder Years or some other stuff). AMA!

Hello Daniel, I always laugh hard from your scream in Home Alone. Out of all the traps set in Home Alone, which one was your favorite?

Hello to you too! They were all a ton of fun my favorite was having the tarantula crawl on my face. Not only was it really fun and funny to do but it was a personal challenge to overcome my fear of having something that ICKY and deadly crawling on my face. It was even freakier because I had to do that scream, which meant my mouth was wide open too - and I was afraid the little bastard might take a detour down my throat! AAAAAAAAAH!

The scream. The one with the tarantula. Was that real? If so, how?

It was most definitely real. It came from a place in my soul that I've never before touched and never hope to again!

I introduced my kids to Home Alone just last night! Thanks for that! They laughed at all of your physical gags, so I've got to ask, just so I can tell them, what were your favorite and least favorite moments shooting the movie? Happy holidays!

Happy Holidays to you and your family. So your kids have joined the Home Alone club. Be careful, they could be addicted for life. I'm so glad they enjoyed the movie. When my kids first saw it they got a little scared. I'm glad to see yours found it to be mostly funny. I loved all my stunts but I'd love to see pictures of your kids reenacting their favorites as long as nobody gets hurt! No children were harmed in the making of this film!

Wow, I knew we were going to have a great time but that was ridiculous. Can’t thank you enough for sharing a bit of your holiday with me.

If you're on any of the following platforms feel free to come say hi. I've really enjoyed talking to you guys. Merry Christmas you filthy animals... let's keep in touch!

www.facebook.com/realdanielstern www.instagram.com/realdanielstern www.twitter.com/realdanielstern

I don't know which was a funnier role from you in my childhood--Marv in Home Alone or Brickma in Rookie of the Year. But in a no-holds-barred arm wrestling contest, who do you think wins?

Hahahaha, that is a hysterical concept... one I've never imagined before. Boy, they're both such physical specimens... yeah... that's like asking who'd win between Muhammad Ali and Mike Tyson. But, in a pinch Marv probably had a little more of what it would take to win a contest like that.

How much difference is acting on set compared to voice-acting?

Loved you as Dilbert. :)

The beauty of voice acting is that you can do it in your pajamas. It takes a particular acting style to focus your character just in your voice.... and I loved doing that on Dilbert, and especially The Wonder Years.

Dilbert was so underrated! My wife and I happened to be watching it now when I stumbled across your AMA. When I first saw the show when it aired , you really made the character. It's what I imagined when reading the comic. Thank you!

So glad you loved it!

Hi Daniel!!

At what point did you realise the film (Home Alone) had become a Christmas movie juggernaut and did you ever expect the appeal to last as long as it has?

Hello Zoidboob - is the same zoidboob I grew up with in Maryland? You know when the movie first came out I was in the middle of shooting City Slickers. Billy would come in the trailer once a week with The Hollywood Reporter telling me the movie was #1 again. I'd never been in a commercial success so I didn't even know what that meant... but I soon found out. It's unbelievable the movie has lasted as long as it has and I'm incredibly grateful to the fans for staying interested.

Now that you're 58 (according to IMDB) do people on the street still recognize you as the guy from home alone?

your information is correct, I am 58, and yes, people still recognize me from home alone every time I go out. I guess I haven't aged a bit.

Not home alone related, but I loved you in City Slickers.

Did any of you get to keep the calf?

Yes! Billy not only took Norman home but he took home his horse Beechnut as well. Billy, being the show business icon he is, eventually ended up using Norman in a few stage appearances as well as in the sequel... and Billy rode Beechnut on his grand entrance at the Academy Awards. I'm a little resentful because Billy used Beechnut in his movies more than me.

Hey! What is/are your favorite movie(s) of all time?

I mean, it should be a tough choice between ANGELS WITH FILTHY SOULS and ANGELS WITH FILTHIER SOULS. Right?

My daughter just came into the room excited that the legendary Victoria popped in on my Reddit AMA. That's too good of a joke... wish I would've thought of it myself. If you ever decide to make a cameo reappearance to the AMA world, I hope I'm your first. Merry Christmas.

Hey, thanks for coming to Reddit. Enjoy your stay.

Something that has always puzzled me: Did you ever get an injury from home alone? If so how bad was it?

So happy to be on Reddit. My daughter Sophie has been on for years telling me I have to join the conversation. Now about your question... oddly, the most bruising stunt I did was in Home Alone 2. There's a scene where I have to climb a tower of old TV sets, bookcases, and other seemingly simple bits of debris... but it turned out to be a lot more complicated that I imagined. I must've hit every corner of every chair and table, take after take. When I was getting out of my costume at the end of the day I noticed a lot of bruising on my legs... and three days later, both legs were purple to toes to you know where...

Hey Daniel! Merry Christmas.

I read on IMDb that Joe Pesci deliberately avoided Macaulay Culkin while on-set because Pesci wanted him to think he was mean. Did you do the same thing, or were you more friendly towards Macaulay?

Merry Christmas to you Quarteg... Joe didn't keep his distance from me and I was incredibly scared of him! I'm a big softy when it comes to kids and I loved hanging out with Mac. On the 2nd Home Alone my kids visited me much more than on the first one... and we all had a great time taking Mac to Central Park, playing tag and catch. In any way, I think my character was much more of a softy than Joe's.

Hi Daniel,

My favorite film of yours was Very Bad Things where you killed that hooker named Tina and tried to cover it up. Bravo. What's your favorite and why?

Different parts of me love different films, and Very Bad Things is my favorite bad film in that twisted dark place inside. It was so sick, funny, and outrageous. It was Peter Berg's first movie and he had the actors so invested and wound us up so tight that the energy on set was electric. I think the film captured it all.

Oh, and nothing says merry christmas like killing a hooker!

what is your favorite restaurant to eat at? will you also be getting drunk for christmas?

hahaha, I've eaten in some of the finest restaurants in the world when I've been fortunate enough to be on publicity tours and locations... and I can honestly say the finest restaurant I've ever been in is my own kitchen. I've been married to my wife for 35 years... I've lived with her since I was 19 years old... and she is a professional chef. So night after night I am treated to one surprise after the other and I guess that makes me the luckiest man in the world. I don't drink anymore, but I might after this AMA, so who knows what's going to happen on Christmas.

In 1985 you played the character Joey Nathan in a series called Hometown. I truly missed this series when it got canceled. I loved it and I loved the premise of it.

As we regain contact with those with whom we grew up in this Facebook age, I can see us confronting all sorts of issues that we thought were cut and dried as teenagers (gosh, do they have the moral high ground.) That's exactly what these people were confronting: issues that had arisen that they never thought could happen to them, failing to meet expectations, changing potential, coming to terms with life as it happened rather than as you dreamed it to be. They were learning to live with the realization that potential was something you had in college, reality was now.

Clearly I was very impacted by this series, but Would you say you were really impacted by the moral lessons in this series as well?

you just sent chills down my spine. I've done so many things I forget the things I've done... and for you to remind me of this in such a deep and eloquent way is amazing. You made me tear up. Nothing to add to that... you captured the hope and dream of the show and thank you for tickling that part of my brain again.

Hello Daniel,

I wanted to ask what the most fun you've had on a set was? Which movie can you look back on and remember filming it fondly?

you know my career has been more than I ever dreamed. I got to play baseball at Wrigley field, I got to ride horses with Billy Crystal, I got to ride the rabbit in Bushwhacked... so many fun experiences it's hard to pick out the best. But I have to say some of the best experiences were in the smaller films - I'd really grown as an actor by getting to work with great directors... Woody Allen, Robert Redford, and Barry Levinson. As you can see, I can't pick just one.

Hi! Congrats on having a long and memorable career. Among your many films is Rookie of the Year. Do you have any fun memories of doing that movie? Again, congrats and happy holidays.

Happy Holidays to you too C_Me... Rookie was one of the greatest experiences of my life because it was the first film I got to direct. I had directed The Wonder Years before but this was an enormous jump. I was always a huge baseball fan - the kid empowerment story hit me in the heart... and the whole experience was a fantasy come true. The actors, the baseball players, playing catch with my son Henry in the middle of Wrigley field... stepping in against major league pitchers was all too good to be true... and then to get to play Brickma on top of that? When the movie came out I was very proud but it was hard to recover from the sadness of it ending.

Was it fun to hang out on set with the guys from workaholics when you played Travis Rockne?

I was dying to be asked to be on Workaholics from the first time I saw the show. Those boys are the next level of comedy teams. When the called to ask me to be on the show... and then I saw the part I got to play I was over the moon. Those boys are just as fun off screen as they are on... the only difference being that they're actually brilliant filmmakers and storytellers. Please start a campaign to bring back Travis!

Merry Christmas Daniel Stern! Do you have a story about John Hughes you could share?

John and I got to really know each other during the second Home Alone. John had written me such funny stuff to do and this time he came out of his writing cave to see it for himself. John and I became great friends and loved to make each other laugh. About halfway through the filming John gave me a script he wanted me to direct called "The Bee". It was a hysterical comedy about a man trapped in his house with a bee. John and I worked on the script over the course of the rest of the movie. After Home Alone 2 wrapped John invited me up to his farm. I brought my daughter Sophie and we hung out at his place for a couple of days working on the script and getting to know each other's families. I still saddened by the loss of John. I was recently in touch with his son, James, who is also a writer. I'm hoping one day to get my hands on some of those gems that I know John left in his secret library of scripts.

Hi Daniel,

What would you imagine the backstory for the Wet/Sticky Bandits to be? And if they were to make another heist, what would their new monikor be?

the question is, why is Harry with Marv? Why would someone of his great intelligence take on a nitwit like Marv? It must have to do with family. If I was to take a guess I'd say Harry's ex-wife owed her cousin's sister's brother a favor for something unmentionable, and Marv was the payback.

Hey Dan. What are you doing now for work? Do you ever see Macaulay?

My artistic endeavors are quite varied these days... I've been acting, directing in the tv show Manhattan, about the building of the nuclear bomb... it's an incredible show, a great part and a blast to be behind the camera again. Also on HBO "Getting On" with my dear friend Laurie Metcalf, but I'm also a sculptor. I've been doing monumental pieces for various public art projects in California, including Temple City, Coronado, and a new one from Monrovia. I also do private commissions and galleries and it all keeps me really busy in between the showbiz stuff. In terms of seeing Macaulay again, I haven't seen him face-to-face in years, but I did catch his new video, which was outrageously funny, also somewhat threatening, and therefore I felt the need to respond. You can see the response on my facebook page if you want to , or you can just click here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hSmGxRGut6w&feature=youtu.be

What are you doing for Christmas and New Years?

Starting last week my daughter from Portland came and visited. She was a paramedic for two years and is now going to medical school... so we got to hang out for a week. My daughter Sophie is now visiting me with her husband David Greenbaum... they are crazy good musicians. Check out the new release of Sophie and the Bom Boms: https://soundcloud.com/sophieandthebbs/big-girls - Sophie's a songwriter for Britney Spears, Dr. Luke and other pop stars. David just won 3 grammies for his work on Beck's album and that's called Morning Phase... so we all get to hang out for the next week and mostly sit around, play music, and eat my wife's cooking.

Hi Daniel, I loved you in C.H.U.D. I don't really have a question to ask besides saying I loved that movie. So...what is your favorite way to eat an egg?

thank you C.H.U.D. brother! Funny you should ask about my egg preference since that's the only time I'm allowed in the kitchen. How do you like 'em? I've got four specialties: Scrambled. Sunny-side Up. Over-easy (50/50 shot of the yolk surviving). Or an Omelet.

Hi Daniel! Dilbert is a criminally underrated TV show that has only gotten better with age. You did a great job of brining the character to life too. Are there any challenges or notable experiences you can recall from working on that particular series?

Merry Christmas Flame_Sniper. Playing Dilbert was a huge responsibility. He was so well known to so many people, but his voice was different in everybody's head. I think the connection I made to the audience on The Wonder Years gave the producers the idea to use me in the role and I was flattered. Larry Charles is a genius as you can see by all the work he's done, from Curb Your Enthusiasm to The Comedians. His comedic sensibility is second to none and we had a great time working together.

What was it like meeting Larry Bird?

Larry Bird was one of my idols. I happen to be an outstanding basketball player, if I do say so myself (although I'm not sure if anyone else would say so). My nickname on the court was "bird". I was always hoping they were referring to Larry Bird, not Big Bird... so meeting Larry was such a thrill. He's such a humble man... during the lunch break I was walking with my tray of food, past Larry's trailer, and he was sitting inside all by himself. He waved me in and invited me to join him. I can't remember one word of the conversation because my heart and head were pounding in disbelief. I have a picture of me making Larry laugh, which is one of my most cherished possessions. I'll see if my wife will snap a picture so I can share it with you. Stand by people of Reddit.

Hi Dan, When are they going to release a good, un-cut version of Get Crazy?? It's always been one of my favorite movies! Thanks for doing this AMA. Merry Xmas and Happy New Year!

Merry Christmas to you EvilRobbyD! Get Crazy was a BLAST. All those crazy rock and rollers. How many guys can say they did a movie with Lou Reed? Malcom McDowell was a wild man and I still have the t-shirt. It was originally called something else but I can't remember the name. We'll see how big a fan you are if you can remember that!

About 7 or 8 years ago, I worked at a Guitar Center in Visalia, CA, and my coworkers there swore up and down you came in to make a purchase. Being the argumentative type, I never fully believed them, but held out hope that this actually happened (mostly because if you did happen by, I missed it by being in the warehouse at the time).

Any chance you happen to remember this trip, or if it happened at all?

Hey there ding_dang_dongers... I love your handle. It's true. I was your store. About 15 years ago I bought a cattle ranch right up the road from there (I guess I bought into the City Slickers a little too much). We raised beef cattle, some oranges, and my wife loves her horses (I prefer my ATV). But we spend as much time up here as we can - it's nice to get out of the Hollywood scene, recharge the battery, and live the American dream of owning a little piece of property. I hope I see you the next time I need new strings!

Daniel, I freakin love you man!! I still enjoy Bushwhacked as an adult and watch it with my daughter now. Can you share something about the making of Bushwhacked that is little known?

Bushwhacked was a blast to film. I loved being surrounded by all those kids and their energy. The stunts... the jokes... it was great. I'm really proud of that movie. But here's a little known fact. The director had to leave the movie right after to shoot another movie he'd previously committed to... so as the producers, Paul Schiff and I ended up cutting and scoring that movie together. It was the second time I got to edit a feature film and it was an amazing and creative experience. As much fun as I had shooting it, it was just as much fun putting the finishing touches on it.

did you and Fred Savage interact at all on The Wonder Years?

Yes, when I took the job part of the contract said that I would be able to direct the show as well as narrate. I had never directed anything before and in order to be prepared for both my directing job and my narrating job, I was on the set every day of the shooting of the pilot. It gave me a chance to really bond with the cast and the crew. I went on to direct 10 episodes and loved working with Fred as an actor. He was brilliant on that show. We also did Little Monsters together, so Fred and his brother, Ben, are like surrogate kids to me.

Like Daniel, oved you in city slickers how fun was that to do with the cast members?

I made friends for life in that movie... especially Billy.... and it almost didn't happen. Rick Moranis had been cast in my part but sadly his wife got sick and he had to drop out. I came in at the last minute but Billy embraced me like I was a long lost friend. We've gone to each other's Bar Mitzvah, weddings, New Year's Eve's... in fact Billy and his wife just threw a big fundraiser for my son Henry who's running for State Senate in California's 27th district (Proud papa here... please check him out at: http://www.henrysternforsenate.com/ ). But the other great icon on the set was Jack Palance. Not only was he a brilliant actor, but he was a rancher, a poet and a painter as well. We became friends on the sequel, by which time I had a cattle ranch too and a fledgling sculptor career. He was a great mentor and friend... he's sorely missed.

Daniel,

The first movie I saw you in was Blue Thunder, you played "JAFO". I saw it in the Drive-In, age 9, and waited through "The Big Chill" to see it. I had no idea what I was in for! My question to you is, did you get to do any actual flying? And what was it like working with Roy Scheider?

Loved doing Blue Thunder and I DID get to fly. I'd never been in a helicopter before and I got to go out with the real police under the guise or "research". If you watch the movie there's a scene when Roy crashes our helicopter. For the filming of that they put the camera on the outside of the bubble, facing me... took me up in the air.. and then the pilot swooped and swerved, pretending to crash. I think I screamed, laughed, cried, and everything in between, none of which were appropriate for the scene I was shooting or the character I was playing. We had to do it two more times before I could do the scene with the actual dialogue I was supposed to say without screaming. Loved shooting the movie... Love Roy Scheider... and another great experience with my buddy Malcolm McDowell.

Hi Daniel. Have you ever been confused for Clancy Brown, and if so, did you attempt to take advantage of it?

I'm an artist... I'm confused all the time!

My four year old has been repeatedly asking to watch the Home Alone films this Christmas season. He wants to know, did it hurt when you were shot through the doggy door?

It's important to make sure that everyone knows that this is all pretend. These kinds of questions are real to children and actually led me to develop and teach a course on Media Literacy. Kids have to become critical thinkers and explaining how media is made is important for critical thinking. That being said, you can tell I did get hurt in the doggie door scene when I tried to pull my face out of the doggie door. My nose was so big it hit the bottom of the door, it bled for about a half an hour. But the stunt itself was a piece of cake.

Happy holidays, /u/thedanielstern. You and Joe Pesci gave us kids of the 80s/90s the wonderful gift of an appreciation for slapstick comedy.

I have a quick question for you, if I may. From what I've read, you started acting at the Washington Shakespeare Festival. When you started out, did you see yourself becoming a movie star, or were you interested in becoming a Shakespearian actor, or...? (My girlfriend is a Shakespearian scholar, so I thought she'd be interested to know your answer.)

Boy, you're digging into my past. I love it! The Washington Shakespeare job was a fluke. I knew nothing about Shakespeare and actually applied for a job as a lighting technician. During my interview it came out that I was a guitar player. When I showed up for work it turned out I wasn't a lighting technician but a background player and musician in the play. My lines were "Aye Sir!" and "Aye Aye Sir!" That's the only Shakespeare I've ever done... I never set out to be in the movies at all... I only wanted to be part of the theater. I dropped out of High School at 17 and moved to NYC to pursue that dream. The movies came later and in them I found another lifelong passion.

Merry Christmas, Marve! Will you wish me a merry Christmas? I watch home alone 1 and 2 every year!

Merry Christmas Bansquirt. I hope you get that taken care of in the new year!

Any word on Season 3 of Manhattan? Love the show so far as well as your acting/directing in it.

I had a meeting with WGN a few weeks ago about directing other shows on their network. The execs couldn't say anything definitive, but were very positive about the chances of S3. Keeping my fingers crossed.

Hi Daniel! You are amazing and I love your scream. That electrocution scene in Home Alone 2 must be one of my favorites. I wonder, have you seen this clip and would you consider appearing as cameo in any coming episodes? ;)

I saw that clip and the kid finally showed his true colors. He's a psychopath. What'd I ever do to him besides turn on his faucet... and he came after us with all that firepower? Unbelievable. And the world thinks he's adorable! I put out a call for help tonight to my old buddy Harry. I'm scared that kid's coming after me... so pass along this message for Harry and tell him to come find me. I'm Home Alone: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hSmGxRGut6w&feature=youtu.be

i loved city slickers! of course i loved home alone.

who played 3rd base for pittsburgh in 1960?

Was Bill Mazeroski? I have no idea. I could google it but I'm not going to.

Hello Daniel, I was wondering if you got to meet John Candy?, and if so, what was he like?

Hey there fritoseater - John and I didn't have any scenes together in Home Alone, but I was such a fan I went to watch him shoot on my days off. A couple years later I cast John as the sport's announcer in Rookie of the Year. We'd finished shooting all the baseball stuff and I brought John in to be the throughline to connect all of the baseball stories. John improved for three days, yelling at imagined baseball plays... living and dying as the kid took the Cubs to the World Series. If you watch that film again, you'll see what an incredible contribution John made to it. Another comic icon that left too soon.

Howdy, I work in the film world too, albeit behind the camera.

If you weren't an actor, what job field do you think you'd be have pursued?

well, in fact, I am pursuing other things. Truthfully, my first love in film is directing. I love interacting with all the crew members. The talented people behind the camera who really make it happen. I love working with the actors, in essence, getting to play each part through them. The editing, the music... it's quite a creative endeavor. I'm also an almost full-time sculptor. I love the acting when good parts come along and in the meantime I'm totally satisfied.

Hi Daniel,

Did you manage to keep any props from Home Alone 1 or 2??

Also thank you for helping my childhood christmas's so special, hope Alone 1 & 2 are still my favourite movies to this day.

Merry Christmas

I have a box that has some of the Home Alone stuff in it. Now that I'm on this crazy social media train, I think I'm going to unpack it and see what I got. The one thing I'm curious about finding is a weird pair of rubber feet they made for me. I had to run barefoot through the snow and they made these feet to make sure the pampered actor didn't get frostbite. The problem was, my feet are already gigantic enough and these were like running with clown shoes on. I'd have to watch the film again to see if you could tell the difference. But it felt more dangerous in them than barefoot.

Merry Christmas Daniel! Hope you're enjoying the holidays. How many of the traps set by Kevin do you think would've been fatal in real life?

Excellent question sappas... it's hard to think of gags that wouldn't have been fatal. The iron screaming down on my face... backbreaking falls from great heights... electrocution... my partner was set on fire... I don't walking across the Christmas bulbs would've killed me, but nothing else comes to mind.

Hi Daniel! Loved you and Joe Pesci in Home Alone. So, to ask the hard hitting questions: which do you prefer, the wet bandits or the sticky bandits? Also, Joe Pesci surprised the hell out of me with his performances outside of Home Alone. What have you done in your life/career that would surprise us all?

Which do I prefer? I like my bandits wet and sticky! Joey's one of the great actors of our generation. In terms of surprising things I've done? Hmmm... I got cast in Sam Shepard's "True West" to replace John Malkovich in the iconic role of Lee. The casting choice was so odd that when I showed up for rehearsal on the first day I actually thought I was playing the other part of Austin. I don't if that surprised you but it sure surprised the hell out of me.