Home Alone actor Macaulay Culkin reveals John Candy was first to notice his abusive father: "He always had that really great instinct"

Macaulay Culkin talks about John Candy

Home Alone actor Macaulay Culkin has previously revealed that his father was abusive and how his whole life has been affected due to his childhood trauma.

However, Macaulay has recently revealed that John Candy was the first person who noticed his abusive father.

In a recently released documentary, John Candy: I Like Me, which premiered at the 2025 Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF), Macaulay talked about the late actor.

Macaulay shared about his on-screen uncle, “I think he always had that really great instinct.”

He further said about John Candy, “I think he saw. Listen, 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.”

“All of a sudden, the fame and the money came, and he became an infamous monster," Culkin continued. "He was already not a good guy. I think John was looking a little side-eyed, like, 'Is everything alright over there? You doing good? Good day? Everything's alright? Everything good at home? Alright,’” the actor continued.

"He further recalled, “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.”

John Candy and Macaulay shared the screen space in the 1989 John Hughes film Uncle Buck.

Also Read: Exclusive - Fighter actor Rishabh Sawhney on choosing Echoes Of Valour: 'I didn't want to play only terrorists or negative characters''

John Candy passed away in 1994 after suffering a heart attack. He was 43.

Meanwhile, Macaulay often talked about his abusive father. In the 2018 episode of  WTF with Marc Maron, Macaulay admitted about his father, “He was abusive, physically and mentally…I can show you all my scars if I wanted to.”

On the work front, Macaulay Culkin rose to fame with his appearance in the Home Alone franchise. He also starred in The Pagemaster (1994), Getting Even with Dad (1994) and Richie Rich (1994), among other popular movies.