Home Alone actor who earned millions from clause explains why he stepped away from movies to live different life

After starring in Home Alone and its sequel, one of the main actors who helped make the iconic films what they are stepped away from movies.

This was probably helped in part by the unique clause he placed in his contract which earned him millions for the role.

Daniel Stern, who played Marv, was originally offered $300,000 to star in the original film, and ended up tenporarily pulling out after they extended the shoot dates by a couple weeks before producers tempted him back.

Upon being asked to return for Home Alone 2, he had found out his Wet Bandit co-star Joe Pesci was earning significantly more, $3 million (£2.36 million), so Stern fired his agent and asked for a pay bump.

Stern (left) was one half of the iconic Wet Bandits (20th Century Studios)

He said: “I knew they couldn’t do the movie without me, but I was also insecure, since I almost blew it the first time.

“I didn’t want to be too greedy when I loved the movie and the part so much."

He ended up getting the studio to agree to $1.5 million (£1.18million), but more importantly got them to agree to being paid 1% of the gross of the film.

This blossomed into a $3.59 million slice of a $359,000,000 pie.

Now, I know what you’re thinking.

Stern now lives a much more quiet life (Daniel Stern via Instagram)

So he stepped away from movies because he made a load of money and ran off into the sunset, right?

Wrong. Kind of.

Stern opened up about the experience of Hollywood on his website, revealing that he was married and a father by the age of 23, and so ‘obviously had to just focus on [his] show business career’.

He went on to say that he ‘needed’ to step away from films.

He said: “I did a lot of great movies but there came a point where I missed being away from my family.

“I decided to stop traveling so much, stay home and focus on my family and my other artistic passions.

"The result of that decision is that I have a wonderful family life and this body of work."

The body of work in question is varied.

As well as a few roles here and there, he has worked as an artist, focusing particularly on creating bronze sculptures.

Stern with one of his sculptures 'Roberto' (Daniel Stern via Instagram)

He also documents his life on social media, including showing his life living on a farm.

He said in a recent TikTok: “I live on a farm and we grow tangerines here.”

Stern also described a cute interaction with his son in a recent interview with the New York Times, saying: “My son said to me: ‘You’re a seasonal superstar’. Every year you come around.”

Regarding the documenting on social media of his quite life of farming and art, the Wet Bandit said in a recent interview with Entertainment Tonight: “The social media thing is interesting in that it's much more intimate and much more me and I can do silly things on it.

“We've got pickers and growers. We're job creators that way you know, it's wonderful to see it.

“We give a portion of it to food banks and stuff like this. It's a wonderful life and just for me personally, I need the solitude myself. I just need the solitude, and I got it."