Chris ColumbusHe director the first two films of “My poor angel“, remembers, one of the conditions that Donald Trump The decision imposed on him to shoot a scene in one of his hotels was to include him in the filming, and although the filmmaker reluctantly agreed, he recalled that the audience reacted positively when they saw the former US President Maculay Culkin interacted with Kevin McCallister, the character he played.
33 years ago, Home Alone was released, a film that tells the adventure of Kevin McCallister, a little eight-year-old boy who is accidentally left home alone on Christmas night after being forgotten by his family, who are on their way When he travels to Paris, he witnesses two thieves trying to loot his house and fearlessly prevents them from doing so.
After its premiere on December 21, 1990 and through its final day at the box office, the Columbus film grossed $476,684,675 worldwide, giving the 20th Century Fox filmmaker the green light to film a second installment. It's about Culkin's character spending Christmas alone again a year after the events, but this time on the wrong flight as his family lands in Miami to enjoy the holidays; In the meantime, he boards a flight to New York.
Also read: Home Alone actor is asking for donations to help pay for tumor removal from his mouth
In this regard, the film's director told Business Insider that not everything was under his control during filming, because although it was his idea, he agreed to shoot in the reception of the Plaza Hotel, one of the most emblematic New York hotels make , the appearance of its then owner was out of his hands; Donald Trump.
According to Chris, when he wanted to film on location, the production contacted the venue officials and requested a permit, for which they had to pay a fee, and began work. In the same way, he turned to Trump, who owned the hotel from 1988 to 1992, to make the same request, and although the politician accepted and put a number on the table, he also conditioned Columbus by asking him to convert it one of the characters in his film.
“Like most places in New York City, you just pay a fee and you can film in this location. We approached the Plaza Hotel, which was owned by Trump at the time, because we wanted to film in the lobby, and (Trump) said yes, we paid the agreed price, but he also said, “-The only option you can use. “ “The Plaza is when I’m in the film,” explained the filmmaker.
Therefore, Chris, not very convinced, agreed to the request to continue with the vision of the film that he had in his head. However, when the film was shown to a group of spectators before it was released in cinemas, he feared a negative reaction from the audience, because although the businessman did not harbor any political ambitions at that time, he had already earned the enmity of a large part of society drawn in.
But to his surprise, the opposite happened because when viewers saw the scene in which he exchanged dialogue with Culkin, they exploded with emotion.
“When we first showed the film, the strangest thing happened: people were cheering and applauding when Trump appeared on the screen, so I said to my editor, 'Leave it in the film, it's an audience moment,'” he remarked.
Also read: How much should the McCallister family earn today to live like they did in Home Alone?
During the scene, Kevin and Trump say:
Kevin McCallister: -Excuse me, sir.
Donald Trump: -Yes?
KM: -Where is the reception?
DT: -Behind the waiting room, left.
KM: Thank you.
However, the director of other box office hits such as “Dad Forever” and “Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone” said that this demand created a kind of tension during filming: “She used intimidation to get her way into the film.”
This wasn't the only or last time Trump made it a condition to appear in a film while it was being filmed at his hotel, as the same year saw Scent of a Woman director Martin Brest and his screenwriter Bo Goldman had to write a special role for the businessman who interacts with Al Pacino in one of the scenes.
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