'Home Alone' Director Doesn’t Remember Kate Hudson’s Tiny Credit in the Holiday Classic

Home Alone is the holiday movie that gave us booby traps, aftershave screams, and the iconic phrase “Keep the change, ya filthy animal.” It made Macaulay Culkin a household name, turned Joe Pesci and Daniel Stern into slapstick legends, and cemented Chris Columbus as one of Hollywood’s go-to family filmmakers.

And yet, nearly 35 years later, the franchise can still surprise—even its own director. 

While chatting with Entertainment Tonight on Friday, August 15, Columbus, 66, was asked if he remembered Kate Hudson’s brief involvement in the sequel. “I don’t remember her,” he admitted. “I can’t even remember seeing her on film.”

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That tracks—because the How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days actress was never actually on screen. Earlier this year, she laughed about the tiny gig on The Tonight Show. “I sang in the chorus of Home Alone 2,” Hudson, 46, told host Jimmy Fallon. “It was my first professional job.” 

When the SNL alum asked if she was visible in the movie, she clarified: “No, I’m just on the soundtrack.” Hudson explained, “So I went in and our chorus sang—there was a chorus there I think on the day, but I was not cast.” She went on to joke that the job still pays off… sort of. “I still get residuals,” Hudson said. “Every once in a while I’ll get ten cents.”

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Then in March, she revisited the story in a behind-the-scenes clip for CBS Mornings Plus while promoting Running Point with costar Brenda Song. After a producer off-camera connected the dots—Song, 37, is engaged to Culkin, 44, who played Kevin McCallister—Hudson confirmed, “It was my very first paid job… singing in the chorus of Home Alone, I think it was Home Alone 2.”

After Hudson reiterated that she wasn’t on camera, the Suite Life of Zack & Cody alum quipped, “Such a small world.” Hudson then added that the residual checks still trickle in—“little pennies” that probably cost more to mail than they’re worth.

Turns out, Hudson’s not the only one whose connection to the franchise comes with a small-but-mighty payout.

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Earlier this month on Hot Ones, Culkin said he actually prefers the sequel because he “got paid more,” adding he owns a slice of the net and a cut of merchandising. “If you buy a Talkboy I’m like, yeah, I’ll take 15% of that,” he joked, referring to the handheld voice recorder Kevin used in the movie, which became a hit toy in the ’90s.

As for fans hoping to see the Home Alone gang reunite, Columbus isn’t on board. “It was a very special moment, and you can’t really recapture that,” he told ET, adding that trying again would be “a mistake” and that the movies “should be left alone.”

While Columbus—who also directed Mrs. Doubtfire and the first two Harry Potter films—isn’t planning a reboot, the beloved classic turns 35 this November and remains a holiday staple on Disney+.