Lanky comedian who stands out in a crowd

Actor Daniel Stern has a sophisticated, serious and dandy air about him - worlds away from Marv, the hapless Home Alone burglar for which he is probably best known.

It must be the immaculate cream suit and matching hat he dons during the filming of a scene from Clarion's Call in Mdina's elegant Misrah il-Kunsill.

"A nice mix of drama and comedy, it is a very well-written script, which I really like", he simplifies, when describing the romantic comedy he is currently working on.

Mr Stern's comical role in the Canadian/UK/Maltese co-production is that of a cuckold...

Not that he is only a comedian. On the contrary, Mr Stern seeks variety in acting and is not too keen on the idea that he may have been pigeon-holed into the comedy genre due to his role as the bumbling burglar, trounced by young Macaulay Culkin, in the 1990 mega hit and its 1992 sequel.

He is bothered by it, he admits. Some international hit movies have been good for his reputation in some ways but they have also defined him and "part of being an actor is not to be defined. It's tricky!"

"Home Alone was a little, $15 million movie, which went on to be something, so you never know what's going to happen," and which role is going to define you.

In his case: "It's an odd way to be defined... as a big, stupid man! But it's been a good way to meet people...", he says, looking at the positive side.

Thanks to his role as Marv, the children know him and the proof of that was during the procession in the Three Cities on Easter Sunday. They were very friendly and took pictures of the actor, which "is to be expected," he says, modestly putting it down to the fact that he is "about six feet taller than anybody else" and, therefore, has no choice but to stand out in a crowd.

Anyway, the reality of the matter is that Mr Stern hardly notices whether he is recognised, or not, and goes about his life, happy to talk to anyone who approaches him.

"The Maltese are so sweet," he stresses, having been on the island for about a month now. "It has been great," he continues, listing as assets "the most fantastic people and swimming in the ocean almost every day". He has driven around and established good friendships; he goes to the store and rents a little house.

Mr Stern, who has been acting professionally since the age of 17, has appeared in Woody Allen's Stardust Memories (1980) and Hannah and Her Sisters (1986). City Slickers (1991) - in which he played the part of a depressed, ineffectual grocery-store manager, regenerated during a cattle drive - is another of the prolific actor's popular movies.

It has been said that Mr Stern may not be leading-man material but he rates high on the list of able supporting players... and the actor does not deny it, although he is currently playing one of the principal roles in Clarion's Call, alongside Juliet Stevenson (Mona Lisa Smile) and Tchéky Karyo (The Patriot).

He almost prefers supporting roles anyway. "They are more fun in many ways. You don't have the pressure and you can be more of a character as opposed to being the audience; you're allowed more eccentricities in supporting roles."

Following Clarion's Call, which wraps next week after five weeks of shooting in locations ranging from an Attard villa to Dingli Cliffs and the Xara Palace Hotel, Mr Stern's plan is to direct a movie he wrote.

"Over the summer, when I get back home, I'm planning to get my money together."

He had already tried his hand at directing almost a decade ago but had not pursued the path after that. Neither is it going to be his first attempt at scriptwriting. He had penned a play that ran in New York for about six months last year.

"Acting is a boring job. You just sit around and wait for your turn. You've got to think of something else to do," he smiles.

"My kids were still growing up (when he directed Rookie of the Year) and directing is a very engaging job. I loved it, but it was just too intense. I couldn't focus on anything else. Now my kids are moving out of my house, so I'm ready to go again."

As a doting family man, Mr Stern has mixed feelings about the fact that they are leaving the nest. "I miss them, but it is time...," he says as he dashes away to see off his visiting wife.