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“Home Alone” Fans Stunned To Learn Kevin’s Mom, Catherine O’Hara, Was 36 Y.O. In The Film
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“Home Alone” Fans Stunned To Learn That Kevin’s Mom Was Only 36 Years Old Despite Having 5 Kids

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It’s been over 30 years since the first Home Alone film was released, which makes all of us millennials who grew up watching this Christmas classic every year feel old.

The feeling only gets worse once we look at where Macaulay Culkin, AKA Kevin McCallister, is today, as he was nine years old at the time of filming, and now he’s 43, engaged, and a father to two boys.

But amidst the holiday season being in full swing this month, movie fans have now turned their focus to Catherine O’Hara, who played Kate McCallister, Kevin’s mom.

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Catherine O’Hara, who played Kate McCallister, was a lot younger than many people remembered in Home Alone

Image credits: 20th Century Fox

In Home Alone, Kate was also the mom of Kevin’s two brothers, Jeff (Michael C. Maronna) and Buzz (Devin Ratray), and two sisters, Megan (Hillary Wolf) and Linnie (Angela Goethals).

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The size of the McCallister family was so big that it resulted in poor little Kevin being forgotten from a Christmas trip, twice.

Kevin and his close family lived in a beautiful and massive house somewhere in an affluent suburb of Chicago.

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Image credits: 20th Century Fox

Viewers don’t learn of Kate’s supposed age, but we can assume she was around the same age Catherine was at the time of the filming.

Considering the number of siblings and the luxurious house, viewers today might be surprised to learn that the Schitt’s Creek star was only 36 years old when the first Home Alone was released.

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Catherine recently appeared alongside Macaulay, who was just honored at the Hollywood Walk of Fame with a star.

In Home Alone, Kate was also the mom of Kevin’s two brothers, Jeff (Michael C. Maronna) and Buzz (Devin Ratray), and two sisters, Megan (Hillary Wolf) and Linnie (Angela Goethals)

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Image credits: 20th Century Fox

The 69-year-old actress gave a speech looking back at the Home Alone days, praising Macaulay’s “perfect performance”.

She stated that her on-screen son brought his “sweet and twisted, yet totally relatable” sense of humor to all of his work.

Macaulay was seemingly moved to tears by Catherine, as she said: “Home Alone was, is and always will be a beloved global sensation … the reason families all over the world can’t let a year go by without watching and loving Home Alone together is because of Macaulay Culkin.”

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The actress went on to note Macaulay’s young age at the time of filming, as the actor was only nine at the time of Home Alone.

Image credits: 20th Century Fox

She said: “I know you worked really hard, I know you did, but you made acting look like the most natural thing in the world to do.

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“It’s a sign of intelligence in a child and a key to survival at any age.”

Before hugging Macaulay, Catherine concluded: “Macaulay, congratulations.

“You so deserve your star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

“And thank you for including me, your fake mom who left you home alone not once but twice, to share in this happy occasion. 

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“I’m so proud of you.”

The size of the McCallister family was so big that it resulted in poor little Kevin being forgotten from a Christmas trip, twice

Image credits: 20th Century Fox

Movie fans were stunned to learn the young age of many famous characters

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In the movie, written by John Hughes and directed by Chris Columbus, Kevin is forgotten at his home in Chicago when his family goes on holiday for Christmas. 

At the beginning of the film, Kevin has a big argument with his family the night before their trip to Paris.

The film, which premiered 33 years ago, follows Kevin as he is forgotten at his home in Chicago when his family goes on holiday for Christmas

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Image credits: Variety

When Kate sends Kevin to sleep up in the attic as a punishment, she says she doesn’t want to see him “for the rest of the night”, to which Kevin replies: “I don’t want to see you again for the rest of my life, and I don’t want to see anybody else, either.”

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Kate then replies: “I hope you don’t mean that – you’d feel pretty sad if you woke up tomorrow morning and you didn’t have a family.”

Which, as we know, is exactly what happens.

Catherine recently appeared alongside Macaulay Culkin, who was just honored at the Hollywood Walk of Fame with a star

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Image credits: Variety

Catherine had reportedly struggled “deeply” with the line regarding Kevin being faced with his family’s disappearance.

While delivering the speech at the Hollywood Walk of Fame on Friday she said: “The scene where I had to drag him upstairs to sleep in the attic ‘cause he’d misbehaved, he’s mouthing off about the family and I say, ‘Well, you’d be pretty sad if you woke up tomorrow morning and you had no family,’ and he says, ‘No, I wouldn’t.’ And I was supposed to say, ‘Then say it again – maybe it’ll happen.’

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“I can’t tell you how much that killed me – I could not wrap my head around saying something so horrific to this beautiful child.” 

She then admitted: “Of course, I was not yet a mother at the time and I had no idea the kind of things would come out of my own mouth with my own two sons.”

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People noted that the perception of age was different than it was today

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Andréa Oldereide

Andréa Oldereide

Writer, BoredPanda staff

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I’m a journalist who works for Bored Panda’s News Team. The team, which has been launched on the website fairly recently, produces stories focused on pop culture. Whenever I get the opportunity and the time, I investigate and produce my own exclusive stories, where I get to explore a wider range of topics. Some examples include: “Doberman Tobias the viral medical service dog” and “The lawyer who brought rare uterine cancer that affects 9/11 victims to light”.

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Andréa Oldereide

Andréa Oldereide

Writer, BoredPanda staff

I’m a journalist who works for Bored Panda’s News Team. The team, which has been launched on the website fairly recently, produces stories focused on pop culture. Whenever I get the opportunity and the time, I investigate and produce my own exclusive stories, where I get to explore a wider range of topics. Some examples include: “Doberman Tobias the viral medical service dog” and “The lawyer who brought rare uterine cancer that affects 9/11 victims to light”.

Karina Babenok

Karina Babenok

Author, BoredPanda staff

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As a visual editor in the News team, I look for the most interesting pictures and comments to make each post interesting and informative through images, so that you aren't reading only blocks of text. I joined Bored Panda not that long ago, but in this short amount of time I have covered a wide range of topics: from true crime to Taylor Swift memes (my search history is very questionable because of that). In my freetime, I enjoy spending time at the gym, gaming, binging Great British Bake Off and adding yet another tattoo artist that I would love to get a tattoo from to my pinterest board.

Read less »

Karina Babenok

Karina Babenok

Author, BoredPanda staff

As a visual editor in the News team, I look for the most interesting pictures and comments to make each post interesting and informative through images, so that you aren't reading only blocks of text. I joined Bored Panda not that long ago, but in this short amount of time I have covered a wide range of topics: from true crime to Taylor Swift memes (my search history is very questionable because of that). In my freetime, I enjoy spending time at the gym, gaming, binging Great British Bake Off and adding yet another tattoo artist that I would love to get a tattoo from to my pinterest board.

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zora24_1 avatar
Trillian
Community Member
6 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I think it's mostly the clothes and haircuts. They don't actually look older, but the frumpy clothes and blow-dry hair dos are something I associate with much older people.

poppycorn avatar
Nikole
Community Member
6 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Doesn’t this fact come as a “shock” to people every holiday season? I swear I’ve read the same article each December for like the past 5-10 years.

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zora24_1 avatar
Trillian
Community Member
6 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I think it's mostly the clothes and haircuts. They don't actually look older, but the frumpy clothes and blow-dry hair dos are something I associate with much older people.

poppycorn avatar
Nikole
Community Member
6 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Doesn’t this fact come as a “shock” to people every holiday season? I swear I’ve read the same article each December for like the past 5-10 years.

Load More Comments
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