Winnetka, Illinois.
“Back then, John [Hughes] (writer) and I had a conversation about it, and we decided on what the jobs were,” Columbus said. “We thought the mother, at the time, because we used mannequins in the basement – I do remember having a conversation – she was a very successful fashion designer. The father could have, based on John Hughes’ own experience, worked in advertising, but I don’t remember what the father did.”
Todd Strasser, who wrote the official Home Alone novelizations, offered his own interpretation.
In a New York Times interview, he said he imagined Peter as a businessman and Kate as a fashion designer – “it was a safe bet,” Strasser explained.
“Upper middle class,” but not “super rich.” He added, “I don’t know how much the McCallisters made, but it sure did a lot for my bank account,” Strasser said.
After years of speculation, Culkin has weighed in.
In a recent interview with the Toronto Sun, the actor, now 45, shared what he has long believed the characters’ professions were.
“I think his father was a corporate lawyer, that’s how they were able to afford such nice things and live in a nice neighbourhood,” Culkin said in his December 2025 interview with the outlet. “His mother was an interior decorator, that’s why the house was so nice.”
