Macaulay Culkin opened up about working alongside John Candy, sharing that he was one of the only people to check in on his tough family life.
The 45-year-old shot to fame as a child star in the late ’80s, thanks to roles in Uncle Buck, Richie Rich and the first two Home movies.
He faded from the spotlight soon after and had a strained relationship with his estranged father, Christopher ‘Kit’ Culkin, later claiming he was emotionally and physically abusive.
Appearing in a new documentary to celebrate John’s career before his death in 1994, Macaulay spoke about the close bond they shared and how his late co-star stepped in to support him.
In John Candy: I Like Me, which premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) on Thursday, he told People magazine: ‘I think he always had that great instinct.
I think he saw it. Even before the crest of the wave and the house alone, it wasn’t hard to see how difficult my father was.
‘It was no secret. He was already a monster.
Suddenly, fame and money arrived, and he became an infamous monster.
‘He wasn’t a nice guy already. I think John was a little side-eyed, like, “Is everything okay over there? Are you doing okay? Good morning? Everything okay? Everything good at home? All good.”‘
Macaulay is reported to have declared that this was ‘a testimony to the kind of man [John] was’.
‘It doesn’t happen that often. In fact, it’s happened less as time has gone on,’ he added. ‘I wish I had more of that in my life. It’s important that I remember that. I remember John Caring when many people don’t.’
His parents separated in the 1990s, resulting in a bitter custody battle over their children – including the actor and his brothers, Kieran, Rory, Dakota, Quinn, Shane and Christian.
The rising musician’s star shot to superstardom as a child, thanks to his early role in the 1990 classic House, and its sequel, Lost in New York.
His last part as a young actor came in 1994 with the comedy Richie Rich, after which he took a much-needed long break from the spotlight until Party Monster in 2003.
Macaulay sued his parents for control of his acting fortune when he was a teenager and has publicly stated that he no longer has a relationship with his father.
Lifting the lid on their grueling relationship in 2018, he said on Marc Maron’s WTF podcast: ‘He was a bad man.
He was abusive. Physically and mentally. I could show you all my scars if I wanted to.
“Everything he tried to do in life, I excelled at before I was 10,” he insisted, describing his decision to remove his father from his trust fund as “one of the best things that ever happened.”
In April, the saved! Star appeared on his brother’s carnival podcast and revealed that he hadn’t been in contact with the kit for decades.
“I haven’t spoken to him in, what, 30-something years?” he said. He deserves it too. He has seven children, and now he has four grandchildren, and none of them want anything to do with him.
‘He’s one of those crazy narcissistic people. He and I were always butting heads. Like I said, he was a bad man.
Kit has lived a reclusive life away from his family, but previously issued a rare statement about his relationship with Macaulay, telling the Daily Mail in 2016: ‘I don’t consider him a son anymore.’
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