The tragic real-life story of Macaulay Culkin
Culkin, who became a movie megastar at the age of 10, struggled for many years to live in the spotlight and even more so when he tried to live outside of it.
Macaulay Culkin can always be identified as the lovable burglar star from "Home Alone" who protects the family home from him. The iconic and beloved Christmas movie was released over 30 years ago, and yet the actor really hasn't had a more memorable role than that of that precocious kid, Kevin McCallister.
Culkin, who became a movie megastar at the age of 10, struggled for many years to live in the spotlight and even more so when he tried to live outside of it. You've probably read the tabloid headlines about him. He may have seen the endless string of Twitter memes. He's been the butt of countless pranks, and he can with the best of them.
But when the cameras aren't rolling, Culkin's life has been filled with disappointment, heartbreak and tragedy. So forget what you've heard or think you know about the elusive star. We are here to set the record straight on all of this. So grab your popcorn and keep your tissues handy. This story will not have a Hollywood ending.
Macaulay Culkin's parents stole pennies
Macaulay Culkin and his six siblings grew up in a small New York City apartment, with all seven children sharing bunk beds in one room. "It was basically a long hallway separated by doors with no doors," he told New York Magazine. "I guess we couldn't afford doors or anything like that." Her mother, Patricia Brentrup, worked at "an answering service for a theatrical casting agency," while her father, Kit, worked at a Catholic church so children could go to school there for free, according to the account. Kieran Culkin in The Hollywood Reporter.
Billy Hopkins, the New York casting director who gave Macaulay his first role, told New York Magazine: "They were so poor... Macaulay would go under the theater bleachers to look for coins that had fallen out of his pockets. from the people". Hopkins, who described the family as "the Beverly Hillbillies," added that he would pay out of his own pocket to get Macaulay to and from rehearsals.
Macaulay's father, a child actor, saw an opportunity to capitalize on his children and became his full-time manager, according to The Telegraph. Macaulay told Joe Rogan that he really had nothing to say about his own career. «I never chose the projects. My parents essentially chose them for me." Rogan responded by jokingly imitating Culkin's parents: "Good news, Macaulay, you're going to buy us a new house!"
Macaulay Culkin's father 'was abusive'
Kit Culkin worked his child star son very hard, but Macaulay's problems with his father ran much deeper than that. He told Marc Maron's podcast that his father "was a bad man... he was abusive, physically and mentally... You know, I can show you all my scars if you want." Kit, who had a reputation as a manipulative manager in Hollywood , did the same with his son. Macaulay told CNN that Kit was "very controlling ... he played games with you, just to make sure you were still in your place."
Macaulay was not the only target of Kit's wrath. Patricia claimed that he was often drunk and beat her repeatedly while she was pregnant. Once, she told The Telegraph, "he punched me in the head and body... dragged me onto the balcony and threatened to push me over the railing... I suffered two black eyes and substantial bruising."
He filed for sole custody of the children and in 1997 won. Macaulay has been estranged from his father ever since, but Kit Culkin never felt like a real father to him in the first place. "My concept of father, almost, is one of those things that you get from TV shows and movies."
