Macaulay Culkin has opened up about how he interacts with fans, revealing that he values their support but has set clear boundaries for when they approach him in public.
The former child star recently reflected on stepping away from Hollywood at 14 to experience a normal life, later returning to acting as an adult.
Macaulay Culkin also shared that his kids love “Home Alone,” calling it “Kevin,” though he hasn’t told them he played the iconic role, preferring to preserve the magic.
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Macaulay Culkin Speaks On The Boundaries He Sets With Fans In Public
Speaking on the “SmartLess” podcast with Jason Bateman and Will Arnett, Culkin talked about the personal boundaries he has set when interacting with fans.
The former child star explained that while he appreciates the support he’s received over the years, there are moments he considers strictly off-limits.
In particular, Culkin said he doesn’t welcome interruptions when he’s eating out or spending time with his children.
“Don’t approach me when I’m at the dinner table. I don’t like that. Don’t approach me when I’m with my kids,” said the 45-year-old actor, who shares two young sons, Dakota, 4, and Carson, 3, with actress Brenda Song. He also made it clear that following him into private spaces, especially restrooms, is never acceptable.
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The “Home Alone” star noted that learning to set these rules came with age and self-awareness. Over time, he realized he had the power to control how and when he engages with fans outside of formal appearances.
“I just realized that I’m in charge of the social contract,” Culkin explained. “I’m in charge of the interaction. I can guide this interaction.”
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The Actor Took A Break From Hollywood At The Age Of 14
Culkin rose to global fame at a young age, becoming one of the biggest stars of the early ’90s thanks to “Home Alone” and its sequel, along with films like “My Girl” and “Richie Rich.”
But as his popularity soared, the former child star chose to step back from Hollywood at just 14 years old.
Looking back, he said traditional paths like college never truly appealed to him unless there was a specific passion driving it.
“Like if I wanted to study English literature or something like that, yeah, that would make sense,” he said. “But I didn’t have that necessarily — that kind of bone in my body.”
Instead, he took time away to figure out who he was outside of fame, eventually moving to London in his early 20s and returning to acting through theater.
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Macaulay Culkin Explains Why He Stepped Away From Fame At His Peak
In another recent interview, Culkin expanded on his decision to pause his career, explaining that he craved a normal adolescence, friendships, dating, parties, and experiences, which he felt he’d missed while working nonstop as a child.
“I wanted to go out. I wanted to date girls. I wanted to hang out with people my own age. I wanted to go to a party,” he said. “I can’t tell you how many bar mitzvahs I missed.”
Much of his early work, he said, placed him alone at the center of projects rather than as part of a group.
Culkin also reflected on how his acting career began almost unintentionally. He recalled being brought along when his father took his siblings to auditions, only to start booking roles immediately.
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“This is a line of work I didn’t find,” he said. “It found me. That’s kind of why I came back around to it.”
After years away from the spotlight, Culkin officially returned to acting in 2003 with “Party Monster.”
The Actor Says His Kids Love ‘Home Alone,’ Without Knowing He’s Kevin
More recently, Culkin shared a lighter reflection on his legacy following a special screening of “Home Alone,” marking the film’s 35th anniversary at the Academy Museum.
During a post-screening conversation with director Chris Columbus, the actor revealed that his children are big fans of the movie, though they don’t actually know its title.
According to Culkin, his kids simply call the film “Kevin,” frequently laughing at the character and praising how funny he is.
Culkin shared that their love for the character makes him joke to his kids that Kevin is also “handsome,” and that it’s the kind of person their mother, actress Brenda Song, might have liked.
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Despite their enthusiasm, Culkin said he has deliberately avoided telling them he played the iconic role, explaining that he prefers to “try to keep the magic alive.”
Macaulay Culkin Says His Oldest Son Almost Recognized Him As Kevin In A Family Photo
The actor recalled a moment when his eldest child spotted him in an old family photo and pointed out the resemblance to his Kevin character from “Home Alone.”
“I showed my oldest — he wanted to see a picture of me and my siblings, so I pulled up this old photo; it’s all my siblings, and he looks right at me, and he goes, ‘Who’s that? That looks like Kevin,'” he shared, per The Blast. “I go, ‘Oh, no, nobody, here’s your aunt.'”
Culkin also shared that becoming a parent has shifted how he views the movie. These days, he finds himself connecting less with Kevin and more with Catherine O’Hara’s character, a mother desperately trying to reunite with her child.