Director Chris Columbus has described Trump's cameo as a "curse". Credit: Steve Jennings/Getty Images
More than 30 years after Home Alone 2 debuted
Director Chris Columbus admitted he regrets one scene—Donald Trump’s cameo.
In an interview with the San Francisco Chronicle, Columbus said Trump’s appearance has haunted him ever since.
Director called the cameo in Home Alone 2 an “albatross” and admitted, “I just wish it was gone.”
The seven-second scene shows Trump giving Kevin directions in the Plaza Hotel, which he owned at the time.
Columbus said the cameo wasn’t his choice.
In 1992, while preparing to film in New York, Columbus said Trump only allowed them to use the Plaza if he appeared in the movie.
Director said Trump let them film at the Plaza only if he got a cameo, so they agreed.
Columbus originally wanted to cut the scene, but test audiences loved it and cheered during the screening.
He admitted he didn’t expect people to find it funny and now sees the cameo as a long-standing “curse.”
Trump later claimed Columbus was “begging” him to appear, which the director denies.
Trump claimed he was too busy and only agreed to the cameo after persistent requests.
Calling it a “rocket” moment and accusing Columbus of chasing publicity.
Columbus fired back, saying Trump lied and that he never begged a “non-actor” to be in a film.
He clarified they included Trump only because they were desperate to use the Plaza Hotel.
Matt Damon backed up Columbus’ story, telling The Hollywood Reporter in 2017 that Trump demanded a cameo in exchange for filming in his buildings—just like he did for Scent of a Woman, though that scene was eventually cut.
Columbus joked that cutting Trump from Home Alone 2 might get him deported, saying, “I’ll probably be sent out of the country.”
Still, Home Alone 2 was a hit, earning nearly $360 million worldwide on a $28 million budget, despite the baggage. Columbus’ career soared afterward, with hits like Mrs. Doubtfire, the first two Harry Potter films, and 2024’s Nosferatu.
