‘Home Alone’ star Daniel Stern finds peace after Hollywood

Daniel Stern has opened up about “stepping away” from Hollywood.

Speaking with PEOPLE magazine, the actor, best known for his role in Home Alone, has expressed gratitude for the support he received in his new life away from Hollywood.

“What I love about social media is you can tell your story. And it feels good to tell it. And sort of that’s the final step of any artistic creation is giving it to an audience. So it’s a wonderful world, and I’m so tickled people have discovered some of my stuff through the TikTok thing there,” he told the outlet.

Stern’s pivot to a quieter life was possible due to his career’s financial success in the 1980s and 1990s.

He said, “I made enough money that I didn’t have to work. 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.’ That was like, ‘Okay, Dan, now you’re going to put your money where your mouth is.’ … ‘What am I going to do with it? Am I going to keep chasing another part or that?'”

“At this point … I love being in nature. I love being away. I love my solitude, and I love being able to focus on what I’m making. So the farm world is a great place for me,” Stern added.