In a surprising but honest reflection, actor Daniel Stern, best known for his role as the bumbling burglar Marv in the Home Alone series, has said that Donald Trump’s brief appearance in Home Alone 2: Lost in New York “actually added a lot” to the film.
Speaking during a recent podcast interview, Stern was asked about the many celebrity cameos that appeared in movies during the 1990s. When the topic of Trump’s iconic hallway scene at the Plaza Hotel came up, Stern smiled and said, “Look, for a movie that’s so much about New York City, having Trump in there just made it feel more real. At the time, he was just this big-name real estate guy—his face was everywhere in the city. It added authenticity, whether people want to admit it now or not.”
The cameo, which lasts just seven seconds, shows a young Kevin McCallister (Macaulay Culkin) asking Trump for directions inside the lavish Plaza Hotel, which Trump owned at the time. Trump points him in the right direction and walks off—a blink-and-you-miss-it moment that has since become one of the most talked-about cameos in movie history.
Stern, known for his comedic timing and heartfelt performances, admitted that he understands the controversy that sometimes surrounds Trump’s cameo today, especially given the former president’s political career. But he insists the moment should be judged in the context of the film’s time.
“People forget that in 1992, Trump was a symbol of New York wealth and extravagance,” Stern said. “We were shooting in the Plaza. He owned the building. It would’ve been weird not to have him pop up somewhere.”
While the actor didn’t go as far as saying the movie depended on Trump’s appearance, he acknowledged that the moment stuck with audiences. “It’s funny. I’ve had fans bring it up to me at conventions—people from all over the world. That short scene became part of the pop culture memory of the film. So yeah, in a way, it added something.”
The discussion about Trump’s scene has reignited in recent years, with some TV versions of Home Alone 2 cutting the cameo entirely. But fo
“The movie is what it is—funny, heartfelt, a Christmas classic. Trump’s cameo is just one of t