HOME ALONE Turns 35, But This Star Will Skip Celebrations for Farm Life

Published: December 5, 2025

By Mallory Mattingly

HOME ALONE star Daniel Stern revealed why he doesn’t plan on attending any of the iconic Christmas movie’s 35th anniversary events.

“I don’t leave my farm,” Stern, who played Marv, told PEOPLE. “It’s no offense to the movie. I’m just…a phone call, Zoom call, I’m in, but…I’m a bit of a homebody.”

The actor decided to leave Hollywood years ago and never looked back. He now resides in Ventura County, California, on a farm “where he and his wife now tend to cattle and citrus trees — and he works as a sculptor.”

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Ever since HOME ALONE debuted in 1990, fans have told Stern about their love for the movie, and he’s a bit surprised by it’s longevity.

“I love knowing that everybody loves it, but like, actual people come at me and say, ‘We love it.’ It’s a little overwhelming sometimes,” he admitted.

“I did know that it was a gem of a movie,” Stern continued. “John Hughes wrote the funniest script I’ve ever read. I mean, I was rolling on the floor, laughing, reading it. It was so funny, but it was also full of heart, and you know — the kid and the neighbor saves him, and he and the mother reunite … I mean, it was so emotional.

“It was so funny, it was so true, and so I did know that. I was hopeful that we were making a great movie. I had no idea, obviously — no one could — of the longevity of its life,” he added.

A part of Moveiguide®’s review for HOME ALONE reads:

HOME ALONE has a strong message of reconciliation and portrays a fairly close-knit family. Furthermore, Kevin appears to be in the habit of attending church. Best of all, Kevin learns from his experience. He learns not to be afraid and to be thankful for his family.

While the transition from Hollywood to farm life might seem like a strange career change, it’s not really surprising, considering Stern’s life, which he chronicled in his 2024 book Home and Alone.

“Inspiring as it is humorous, Stern weaves a compelling tale of an artistic hippie-child of the 60’s, who by age thirteen had hitchhiked his way across the Eastern half of the U.S.A. By age seventeen he had dropped out of high school and was living on his own in New York, and by nineteen he was starting a family of his own,” a synopsis reads.

“His insights into marriage, children, parents and parenting are not only hilarious, but packed with subtle wisdom. But the real surprises are in Stern’s off-screen roles as a bronze sculptor, cattle rancher, avocado farmer and public servant,” it continues. “The hard work and commitment he has put into his on-screen successes are applied with the same intensity to every aspect of his life. From creating monumental public art projects and founding a Boys & Girls Club to visiting troops in Iraq and learning to birth a cow, he has lived it all. Home and Alone is for anyone who needs reminding that nothing is impossible if you put your mind to it.”

While Stern won’t be attending HOME ALONE’s 35th anniversary events, he certainly has plenty to keep him busy.

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