Child star
“I never have to work again” – Macaulay Culkin lives off his hit movie to this day
Macaulay Culkin still looks like little Kevin McAllister at the age of 41
© Jordan Strauss // Picture Alliance
He became a celebrated child star overnight, then came the crash: Macaulay Culkin struggled – and thanks to “Kevin – Alone at Home” lives without financial worries.
It is now a Christmas classic. Not only in Germany is “Kevin – Alone at Home” regularly on television on the holidays. The film from 1990 is shown with pleasure and frequently around the world on public holidays. For its leading actor, the comedy is both a curse and a blessing at the same time.
“I had made so much money by the age of 12 that I never had to go back to work,” says Macaulay Culkin. The child star played Kevin McAllister in the comedy directed by John Hughes. The 41-year-old has been approached about this role to this day. Among other things, he should repeatedly imitate the famous scene in which he grabs his cheeks with both hands. “I don’t do that anymore,” he said in an interview with Ellen DeGeneres.
After the success as a child star, numerous other films followed for Culkin – and then the crash. His career came to an abrupt end after a few failures. Culkin made headlines with drug and alcohol abuse. But now the actor leads a contented life as a family man. Also thanks to his previous success.
Kevin Home Alone grossed over $ 470 million
Even today he can live well on the income from “Kevin – Alone at Home”. “I’ll never have to work for my food again,” said Culkin, whose net worth is estimated at $ 15 million. The film grossed a staggering 476 million US dollars at a production cost of just 18 million dollars and is still one of the most successful comedies today.
Culkin has been in a relationship with actress Brenda Song since 2017 and had a son in April 2021. In addition to a few supporting roles as an actor – including in “American Horror Story” – Culkin passes the time as a musician and artist. Commercially without resounding success so far. But Culkin’s cash register rings thanks to “Kevin – Alone at home”. Every year again.