Former child star Macaulay Culkin has made a startling revelation about the filming methods used during the heartbreaking bee scene in the 1991 classic My Girl, admitting the techniques employed would be completely unacceptable by today's standards.
The Shocking Production Methods
During a recent appearance on the On Film podcast with Kevin McCarthy, the 45-year-old actor disclosed that producers actually released thousands of real bees on him when he was just ten years old to create the film's most memorable and tragic moment. Culkin portrayed Thomas J in the coming-of-age drama alongside Anna Chlumsky's Vada, with his character meeting an untimely end after being swarmed by bees while searching for his friend's mood ring.
The Home Alone star explained the disturbing details of how filmmakers ensured the bees would cooperate for the scene. "They put this stuff on my fingertips that smelt like the queen bee, so they were attracted to my hands," Culkin revealed, noting this made him appear non-threatening to the insects.
Multiple Takes With Real Bees
When podcast host Kevin McCarthy expressed disbelief, asking "Are you joking?", Culkin confirmed he was completely serious about the production using genuine bees. The actor recounted how he was instructed to wave his hands in front of his face to make the bees appear more dramatic on camera.
Remarkably, despite the dangerous conditions, Culkin revealed they completed four separate takes with the swarming bees, though he only received one sting to his neck throughout the entire process. After each take, the production team had hot soapy water ready for him to plunge his hands into before he had to "dart into the woods" to escape the remaining bees.
Safety Concerns and Modern Standards
Culkin emphasised that such filming practices would never be permitted in contemporary film production, stating unequivocally that "That would not fly nowadays." He shared an amusing anecdote about the bee handler's advice, recalling: "He said 'Human beings can run faster than bees fly' and I was like 'But I am 10, how fast do you think I am?'"
The revelation comes as Culkin also addressed potential future projects, including the possibility of reprising his iconic role as Kevin McCallister in another Home Alone sequel. The actor teased that he's "not completely allergic" to the idea but insisted it would have to be "just right." He even developed his own concept for a potential continuation of the beloved holiday franchise.
It's been 35 years since Culkin first portrayed the eight-year-old defending his home from burglars in 20th Century Fox's 1990 comedy Home Alone and its 1992 sequel Home Alone 2: Lost in New York, which together earned an impressive $835.7 million at the global box office.
