Bringing a classic to life takes the work of an entire team dedicated to making the most out of a great opportunity. It’s tough work making a successful movie, and the cast and crew involved should all be compensated for their tireless work. It’s common to hear about actors making millions for appearing in movies, but sometimes, stories emerge about actors making nearly nothing for a role.
John Candy played a memorable character in Home Alone, and most people just assumed that he stacked cash from this role. The truth is that he made far less than Macaulay Culkin did.
Let’s take a look back and see just how little John Candy made for his performance in Home Alone.
John Candy Was Featured In ‘Home Alone’
Home Alone is one of the greatest movies of the 90s and easily one of the greatest Christmas movies ever made, and the film is filled with one amazing and memorable moment after the next. John Candy’s larger than life presence truly stood out in the movie, and most people assumed that director John Hughes had to shell out the big bucks to bring Candy on board. In truth, Hughes got Candy for a bargain.
Prior to landing the role in Home Alone, John Candy had already collaborated with John Hughes multiple times. This meant that there was a level of familiarity there, and this was great news for Hughes, who was able to land the comedic legend in the film. Candy and Hughes worked together on projects like Uncle Buck and Planes, Trains, and Automobiles prior to Candy’s appearance in Home Alone.
From his first scene to his last, John Candy was brilliant in the movie, and his chemistry with Catherine O’Hara really shines during their interactions. Of course, it certainly helped that the duo spent years working together on SCTV up in their native Canada, and while American audiences might not have known about the duo’s history, they sure saw how dynamic they were with one another on the big screen.
Now, with how hilarious Candy was in the film and the fact that he was a star, most assumed that his salary would have been impressive, but this was not the case.
He Was Only Paid $414
In what has proven to be one of the more shocking salaries in movie history, it was revealed that John Candy only made $414 for appearing in Home Alone. Yes, the legendary John Candy only made scale for appearing in one of the most loved and timeless movies of all time. Talk about getting the short end of the stick.
Now, some might be thinking that John Candy was obviously okay with getting this amount, but the truth is that he was not happy about showing up to film while making the bare minimum. He agreed to work at this rate, of course, but it did not change the fact that he was unhappy about not receiving larger compensation for his work.
Director Christopher Columbus talked about Candy’s feelings about his compensation, saying, “There was certainly a little resentment on John's part. It was a deal between him and John Hughes at the time. I never met John Candy before he came on the movie. I don't know if John ever got any kind of compensation from Fox. We did a movie together after that, "Only the Lonely," and there were a couple times on set when he would make a cutting remark about Fox and what he was paid.”
His Scenes Are Legendary And Largely Improvised
Despite not getting paid much, John Candy still did an incredible job in the film. In fact, most of his lines were totally improvised!
Director Christopher Columbus would talk about this, saying, “He was on the movie for only one day, but it resulted in so much great improvisation. None of that stuff was in the script. The funeral-parlor story, that was all improvised at 4:30 in the morning. We could barely keep a straight face on set just listening to John.”
As sad as it is that John Candy did not make a whole lot for appearing in the classic, fans still got to enjoy his comedic brilliance in the film. Home Alone has endured after 30 years, and Candy is a huge reason why people still watch the film each year.
It’s shocking that John Candy only made $414 for Home Alone, but this didn’t stop him from turning in an incredible performance in a timeless classic.