The flip side of Macaulay Culkin's fame: Why the star of the movie "Home Alone" tried to commit suicide

2024 Author: Richard Flannagan | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-15 23:55

In the early 1990s, when one of the most popular Christmas films, Home Alone, was released, 10-year-old Macaulay Culkin was hit with worldwide fame. Then he was called the most beloved child of the planet, who charmed all countries and continents. However, ahead of the young actor, a fall awaited, which was even more rapid than takeoff. This year, Culkin will turn 40, and he could say that he managed to live at least two lives during this time. Once he found himself at the very bottom, he tried to commit suicide, but after that he was able to start everything from scratch …

He had no chance to choose another path from birth: his father, Christopher Cornelius Culkin, performed on Broadway in his youth, but his acting career did not work out. He directed his unfulfilled ambitions to the children of whom he had seven. The third child, Macaulay Carson Culkin, was named after British politician Thomas Macaulay and American general Christopher Carson. From childhood, great hopes were pinned on him, and the boy justified them in full.

From the age of 4, Macaulay Culkin studied choreography and acting in a theater studio, at the same age he made his debut on the stage of the theater. He later said that in those days the stage seemed so huge to him that he was afraid to remain unnoticed on it, so he uttered his lines loudest in order to attract attention. The charming little actor fell in love with the public, and he was teased with flowers and soft toys.

At the age of 5, Macaulay began acting in films, and at 6 - in commercials. At the age of 9, he starred with John Hughes in Uncle Buck, and when work on Home Alone began a year later, Hughes, who was a screenwriter and producer there, advised director Chris Columbus to take Culkin in the lead role. Several hundred children participated in the casting, but Macaulay managed to bypass all competitors.

The director doubted his choice for only one reason: the boy's father turned out to be too assertive and insisted that his other children should be included in this film. As a result, Macaulay's younger brother Kieran Culkin, who has been on stage since the age of 2, played the brother of the protagonist in the film "Home Alone".

The film was released at the end of 1990 and was a huge success around the world. With a budget of 18 million box office receipts amounted to almost 500 million, and "Home Alone" was in the top three in the ranking of the highest grossing projects. People with whole families went to the cinemas several times to once again laugh heartily at the adventures of a charming and direct young hero. Macaulay Culkin won several awards for Best Comedy Actor, was named Child of the Year and was named in the Guinness Book of Records as the Highest Paid Young Actor in Hollywood. He was showered with offers for new roles, and the decision to take part in the filming was made by his father, who demanded fees that were incredible for his son's age.

The second part of the project "Home Alone 2: Lost in New York", which came out in 1992, was also a great success. In the theater, tickets for performances with Macaulay Culkin's participation rose sharply in price, they were scattered several months in advance. And Christopher Culkin from the boy's dad turned into his manager. The family business took off. The father negotiated with the producers and handled all of his son's financial affairs, paying much more attention to the size of the fees than the level of the scripts.

The higher were the fees of the young actor, who received in the mid-1990s. $ 8 million per role, the worse his film career progressed. He was nominated several times for the Golden Raspberry anti-award, which was awarded for the most dubious achievements in art. The father, meanwhile, was actively trying to turn his younger children into movie stars, putting forward one of the main conditions when signing contracts with Macaulay Culkin to participate in the filming of his brother and sister. The press called this the attack of the Culkin clan on Hollywood, and soon the producers simply did not want to contact them, deciding that the requests that were increasing every day did not justify the results obtained.

At the age of 10, Macaulay Culkin became a global star, and at 15 he experienced the decline of his fame. At the same time, his parents divorced. The mother said that her husband broke the fate of the children, depriving them of a normal childhood, and insisted that her son never act in films again, his father had a completely opposite opinion. Macaulay later said about him: "". The litigation for the custody of the children lasted for several years. It cost the boy's mother mental health.

In the second half of the 1990s. Macaulay Culkin stopped acting in films, and his name flashed in the press only in connection with another scandal. By the age of 20, the glory of a rowdy and drunkard was entrenched in yesterday's idol, and soon they began to talk about his addiction to illegal drugs. In the actor's personal life, a streak of failures also began: at the age of 17, he decided to marry actress Rachel Miner, but after 2 years the marriage broke up - both were too young and not ready for family life. The relationship with actress Mila Kunis lasted 8 years, but fell apart due to the addictions of Macaulay Culkin.

In 2008, his sister Dakota's life was cut short by an accident when she was hit by a car. The actor fell into depression, which only intensified after breaking up with Mila Kunis in 2011. The following year, Macaulay Culkin made an attempt to commit suicide. Fortunately, there were people next to him who managed to call a doctor on time.

Rumors that Macaulay Culkin passed away appeared in the press more than once - in recent years he did not act in films, and when he appeared in public, he shocked others with his appearance. Everyone who communicated with him believed that he did not have much time left. His creative endeavors were unsuccessful: the music group he created was booed on the very first tour, forcing them to leave the stage after 15 minutes of performance. Attempts to return to cinema were not successful. Nobody expected the return of Macaulay Culkin, but then he again surprised everyone.

Having sunk to the very bottom, the actor pulled himself together and was able to return to normal life. In 2017, he starred in several TV series, a year later he launched his own show. Happy changes have also taken place in his personal life - for 3 years he has been dating actress Brenda Song and admits that he thinks about children and family life. Positive changes have also taken place in his appearance - now no one will say that he looks unhealthy. He again makes plans for the future, gives interviews and negotiates with producers. It is hoped that Macaulay Culkin will never again be on the edge of the abyss and will be able to return to the screens!

This film still does not lose popularity and makes us draw unexpected conclusions: Why the heroes of the movie "Home Alone" in real life could go to jail.