Tabloids said Culkin had a $6,000 a day heroin addiction, Culkin has been very vocal about denying that he was ever addicted to heroin
If you don’t know about Macaulay Culkin’s childhood other than “he was the richest child actor of his time” please take a minute to read this
When Home Alone was at the height of its fame I saw him on a talk show saying he slept on the couch at home. His dad, who’d insisted on being on the panel with him, laughed it off as “we’d fallen on hard times but we’ll be moving to a bigger place soon.” Macaulay later said “He wanted me to know and my brother to know that he was in charge and that if he didn’t want us to sleep on a bed, we weren’t going to sleep on a bed.”
His father, Kit, was also a child actor but never made it very far. He insisted on being Macaulay’s manager and simultaneously hated him for being talented and pressured him to be famous so he could get rich
Macaulay has said he has scars from his father’s physical abuse
All the kids were forced into acting but Macaulay and Keiran were the most successful. Thier father would book them for acting work without discussing it with them, and after long days on set they’d have to sit with their father for hours planning for the next day’s work. They rarely had any free time
When his parents filed for divorce the custody battle focused mainly on who would get to be the kids’ manager because that person got 15% of their earnings. It’s unknown if his mother’s motives were financial or trying to keep their father from having a position of power over them, but his father’s motives were definitely financial
Macaulay hasn’t spoken to his father in 25 years and doesn’t know if he ever will. In response, his father told reporters “I no longer consider him my son”
All the stuff about Macaulay being a has-been who can’t find work is untrue. He’s still persued for acting parts but is very selective about which projects he gets involved in. He’s turned down roles that went on to make millions, including a lead in The Big Bang Theory. He has no regrets about passing on those roles and says his happiness is worth more to him
I fully support Macaulay Culkin being a goofy guy who does the work he wants to do and uses what’s left of his childhood earnings to relax and enjoy life
