Michael Maronna began acting in commercials and went on to play Macaulay Culkin’s brother in the first “Home Alone” movie. Maronna is most renowned for his role as Big Pete Wrigley in Nickelodeon’s “The Adventures of Pete & Pete,” but has also starred in movies like “Slackers” and “40 Days and 40 Nights.”

Weekender: How have you been?

Mike Maronna: I’ve been well. Thank you very much.

WE: Where are you? Are you in New York?

MM: Yeah. I was just in a movie theater in the village, and I’m still in the village.

WE: What were you doing in the movie theater?

MM: Oh, I was watching a samurai. I think it was called “Sword of Doom” by Okamato, I think.

WE: Do you have a favorite overall samurai or martial arts movie?

MM: I think I’m a fan of the “Lone Wolf and Cub” series. Are you familiar with those? You know, the man pushing the baby cart of death. I actually used to cut my hair like the child in that film, and then while I was in Japan, a friend of mine told me not to do that because the actor who played the character grew up and became a criminal.

WE: Wow. That’s pretty interesting.

MM: Yeah, child actors go bad, even in Japan.

WE: Do you get recognized on the street often?

MM: Yeah. It’s really freaky. A friend of mine, who I used to bartend with, just sold a bunch of his stuff and moved to New Orleans a couple months ago, and he left New Orleans Sunday night before the hurricane got there. I saw him back at the bar we used to work at together and he had a couple of refugees with him. One of them looked at me, did a double take and then said, “Hey, it’s Pete!” He just journeyed [a] thousand miles from his house, so he was pretty surprised to see me.

WE: What was it like working with actors and musicians on “Pete & Pete” like Iggy Pop?

MM: Danny [Tamberelli] had an amp in his dressing room at the time and Iggy was there, and he taught us how to play “TBI,” which is a really simple song which he does. We were rocking out and Iggy blew Danny’s amplifier in a Catholic school in Jersey. It was great. Iggy Pop is crazy. Michael Stipe scared my mom. I don’t think she realized [who he was]. Maybe she knew who he was. We were younger then. It was a while ago. He scared the heck out of my mom.

WE: [One of] our humor columnists prepared some random questions for you. Are you ready?

MM: I don’t mind, but there are some cars whizzing by so I won’t be able to respond as quickly. Actually, that guy was on a motorcycle.

WE: If you have to serve dinner to Teddy Roosevelt, what would you serve?

MM: Something from Panama. I’d try him on something vegetarian. Probably ate a lot of moose, that guy.

WE: Well, thank you, that was the random question.

MM: That was the random question?

WE: Well, there’s a couple others if you want to try.

MM: Let’s do them all in one minute. Lightning round. Go!

WE: If you could travel back in time to the day where your parents named you, would you change your name?

MM: No, I would yell at Jimmy Carter. I would save the trip to Brooklyn and go yell at Jimmy Carter. Tell him in a couple years there’s going to be a hostage crisis [and] you [have to] get tough.

WE: If you were a food, what would you taste like?

MM: Oh gosh, probably a Greek roll, like some sort of crazy sushi roll. I don’t know. Quickly, pick a cool deep-fried fish. Oh wait, there is none. Oh well. Like tuna, avocado and maybe some marinated eel, some pickled ginger. I would taste like that.

WE: Left or right?

MM: Left.

WE: Left?

MM: Left, thank you.