British actor Tim Curry’s vaunted career led him to star in such enduring hits as “Clue” and “The Rocky Horror Picture Show,” in which he created the role of Dr. Frank-N-Furter. But it was on another film that he encountered none other than Ivana Trump. Curry, who is now 79, ran into Donald Trump’s first ex-wife when he was shooting “Home Alone 2: Lost in New York” in 1992.
Curry, who has since left the spotlight, appeared in the sequel to 1990’s “Home Alone” as the concierge of the Plaza Hotel, which required him and the cast to move in at one point. At the time, Donald Trump owned the hotel, and Ivana, who died in 2022 at the age of 73, was its manager and had recently overseen its renovation. So Curry found himself having to tell a white lie to her when she checked up on him.
“She knocked on my door and said, ‘Are you happy in your room? Do you like the way it looks?'” Curry told The Guardian while promoting his memoir, “Vagabond.” Curry was polite at the time, but in reality, he said, “I loathed it actually.” Clearly, Curry wasn’t a big fan of Ivana’s over-the-top style of decorating.
Curry also ran into Donald Trump on set
Curry also ran into Ivana’s ex, Donald Trump, while shooting the film. Although Trump had a brief cameo in the film in which he gives directions to Kevin McCallister (Macauley Culkin), he told Curry it was his girlfriend at the time, Marla Maples, who was the real talent. Curry remembered, “[Trump] was very anxious to find Chris Columbus, the director … He said: ‘I’ve got to get Marla to meet Chris Columbus because she’s a brilliant actress.'” Curry didn’t quite believe him though, adding, “And I thought: ‘Yeah, I’m sure.'”
Trump was just a New York City real estate mogul at the time, but since his election as president of the United States, “Home Alone 2” has come under more scrutiny than anyone would have predicted over 30 years ago. Columbus has since said that Trump bullied his way into the movie, claims that Trump has fired back at.
As a result, Columbus is not happy that Trump’s in the film. In a recent interview with the San Francisco Chronicle, Columbus said of the cameo, “Years later, it’s become this curse. It’s become this thing that I wish it was not there … I just wish it was gone.” Still, “Home Alone 2” was a hit, making $359 million, and both Curry and Columbus went on to further success at the box office — while Trump moved on to higher office altogether.