Macaulay Culkin reveals why he hides his ‘home alone’ role from his kids

Macaulay Culkin reflected on his iconic role in “Home Alone” during a Q&A with director Chris Columbus, sharing that his kids love the film.

However, the actor revealed that he kept his role in the film a secret from them. He also spoke about his unusual childhood, his estrangement from his father and his childhood stardom.

Becoming a parent reshaped Macaulay Culkin’s perspective, helping him appreciate the film and his own family in a new way.

Culkin recently reflected on the lasting impact of one of the films that defined his career. The 45-year-old actor joined director Chris Columbus for a Q&A after a special screening of the beloved holiday classic at the Academy Museum, celebrating the film’s 35th anniversary.

He shared that his own children became devoted fans of the film, but in their own way.

“They don’t even call it ‘Home Alone,’ they just say ‘Kevin,'” he shared with The Hollywood Reporter. “They say to me, ‘Wow, Kevin is really funny,’ ‘I say, ‘He’s as handsome, someone as your mother [Brenda Song] might be interested. “

The actor and Song share two sons: Dakota, 4, and Carson, 3, and despite their enthusiasm for the film, Culkin didn’t reveal that he was playing Kevin, explaining, “I’m trying to keep the magic alive.”

He remembers showing his eldest son an old family photo, provoking a hilarious reaction: “He looks right at me and he says, ‘Who is that?’ Looks like Kevin,’ I say, ‘Oh, no, no one, here’s your aunt.'”

Culkin also admitted that becoming a parent changed his perspective on “Home Alone.”

He now identifies more with the character of Catherine O’Hara, appreciating her desperate efforts to find her son.

When asked if he watches “Home Alone” with his kids, he says, “Of course, that movie is great. But I don’t watch the film, I watch them. I look at their eyes. I listen to them laugh and things like that. And it makes me really proud to be a part of something like this. So it resonates now. Now I can see it through their eyes.

“You grew up with it, now you raise your kids with it, right? So now I’m raising my kids with it. It means something completely different,” he noted during the Q&A session. “That’s how I see the film today.”

Culkin, who received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in December 2023, reflected on his experience making the film as a child.

He said Fox News Digital at the time, “I always knew my lines. I always found my light and just tried to be professional and charming at the same time. That’s the best I could do.”

During the ceremony, he paid tribute to Song, calling her his “champion” and saying: “You are the only person happier for me today than me. You are the best woman I have ever known. You are the best person I have ever known.”

He added: “You gave me my whole purpose. You gave me a family. And after our two boys were born, you became one of my three favorite people.”

The couple met in 2014 through a mutual friend and became romantically involved again in 2017 while working on the comedy “Changeland.”

They got engaged in January 2022, and sources describe them as “excited about their future together.”

Culkin also reflected on his unconventional childhood in a recent episode of “Mythical Kitchen.”

“I knew what I was doing was different than other kids. For me, I didn’t know how weird my life was until I grew up and moved away from it,” he said. People Magazine.