Macaulay Culkin is revisiting one of the most complicated chapters of his childhood — and the man who quietly tried to shield him from it.
In a new documentary about the late comedy legend John Candy, Culkin, now 45, reflected on the protective, paternal presence the actor brought to the set of Uncle Buck in 1989. The comments came during the world premiere of John Candy: I Like Me, directed by Colin Hanks and unveiled this week as the opening film of the 2025 Toronto International Film Festival.
Candy, who died suddenly of a heart attack in 1994 at just 43, left behind a towering legacy of warmth, humor, and humanity. For Culkin, he left behind something more personal: an early recognition of the toxic home life the child actor was enduring.
“He was already a monster”
Culkin recalls that Candy seemed to instinctively grasp the cruelty of his father, Kit Culkin, long before the child star’s fame exploded with Home Alone.
“I think he always had that really great instinct,” Culkin says in the film. “Even before the wave crested and the Home Alone stuff was happening, it was not hard to see how difficult my father was. It was no secret. He was already a monster.”
The actor remembers Candy offering small but meaningful check-ins on set. “John was looking a little side-eyed, like, ‘Is everything alright over there? You doing good? Everything good at home?’” Culkin recalled. “It was just him looking out for me.”
That sense of care, he says, was rare. “It doesn’t happen that often. It actually happened less as time went on. I wish I got more of that in my life. It’s important that I remember that. I remember John caring when not a lot of people did.”
A paternal presence on set
Culkin described Candy as “paternal,” a quality that stood out at a time when many adults around him were complicit or indifferent.
The young actor, then just 9 years old, said Candy’s kindness extended not only to him but also to his fellow child actor Gaby Hoffmann, who played his sister in Uncle Buck.
“Some actors don’t know how or don’t like to work with kids — we’re tricky to work with,” Culkin explained. “But John was always really kind, and really good with us. I think that’s why that’s one of my favorite performances, because he put a lot of himself into it.”
The shadow of Kit Culkin
Macaulay Culkin, along with his brother Kieran — now a star in his own right with A Real Pain — has spoken before about their father’s controlling and abusive behavior. Kit Culkin allegedly mismanaged his children’s careers, manipulated finances, and created a hostile environment that haunted them for decades.
“All of a sudden, the fame and the money came, and he became an infamous monster,” Culkin recalls in the documentary.
The actor has long kept distance from his father, choosing instead to focus on healing and raising his own children with fiancée Brenda Song. But revisiting Candy’s presence offers a bittersweet reminder of the adults who tried to offer compassion amid the chaos.
Remembering John Candy
The new documentary paints Candy as more than just a comedic powerhouse — it highlights his decency and his ability to notice pain in others, even when hidden behind the Hollywood machinery.
Candy’s death in 1994 devastated fans and colleagues alike. His warmth on and off screen made him one of the most beloved figures of his generation, with films like Planes, Trains and Automobiles, Cool Runnings, and Uncle Buck cementing his legacy.
For Culkin, that legacy is deeply personal. “It’s a testament to the kind of man he was,” he says. “John cared when not a lot of people did.”
