One of the biggest cult classic holiday movies, Home Alone, is set to celebrate its 35th anniversary since its original premiere. Fans may be disappointed to learned Home Alone star Daniel Stern won’t attend any of the anniversary events.

While Stern hasn’t appeared on red carpets or events in a few years, his reasoning for skipping the 35th anniversary is simple.

“I don’t leave my farm,” explained Stern to 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 68-year-old actor stepped away from Hollywood compared to his movie co-stars. He, his wife, and family moved to Ventura County, California, to live a simpler farm life, tending to cattle and citrus trees. Besides being an actor, he’s also a sculptor and is active on Instagram.

Stern had previously told People last year that he had made enough money to shift away from acting and to disconnect from the “overwhelming” reality of Hollywood.

“I made enough money and I’m kind of frugal … I bought the house in cash. I bought the cars in cash. I bought everything straight up because as an artist, I never knew if [I was] going to make any more bread. And I said to my wife, ‘How much money do I need to sock in the bank so that we can live off the interest and so that I don’t have to work?’ She said, ‘We hit it,'” he said.

Home Alone is one of Stern’s most recognized roles as one-half of the “Wet Bandits” as the hapless criminal Marv, alongside Joe Pesci.

As the movie celebrates a big milestone, Stern admits he had no idea it would be the success it has become.

“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 said.

He adds that it’s a “gem” of a movie with a script that had him “rolling on the floor” laughing, and one that fans still praise him for.

This story was originally published by Parade on Dec 3, 2025, where it first appeared in the News section. Add Parade as a Preferred Source by clicking here.