Macaulay Culkin fans suggest ‘Nursing Home Alone’ sequel as actor celebrates 40th birthday

Former child star’s milestone birthday made the internet feel incredibly old

Macaulay Culkin’s 40th birthday has made the internet feel incredibly old, with fans suggesting he star in “Nursing Home Alone”.

The actor, who shot to fame in seminal children’s movies including Home Alone, Uncle Buck, My Girl and Richie Rich, celebrated his milestone birthday with a self-deprecating joke.

“Hey guys, wanna feel old?” Culkin tweeted. “I’m 40. You’re welcome.”

He continued: “It’s my gift to the world: I make people feel old. I’m no longer a kid, that’s my job.”

In a further tweet, he also suggested that he is due a midlife crisis, and pondered whether he should take up surfing.

Culkin’s fans were quick to express their horror at the former child star hitting 40, with one joking that he ought to star in “Nursing Home Alone”, and another being forced to come to terms with their own age.

“You’re 40?!?!? Jesus, then what does that make me???!!!” a fan tweeted in response.

Thor actor Kat Dennings joked: “Please post your skincare routine.”

This Is Spinal Tap star Michael McKean also took the opportunity to riff on Culkin’s tweet, replying: “Have a happy one, gramps.”

Culkin arrives at the American Music Awards in 2018 (VALERIE MACON/AFP/Getty Images)

Culkin became one of the most recognisable child actors of all time courtesy of his early-1990s wave of hits. Home Alone 2, released in 1992, earned him a $4.5m (£3.4m) salary at the age of 12.

Following years of semi-retirement from acting, in which he fronted the comedy rock band The Pizza Underground, Culkin revealed earlier this year that he had started auditioning for parts in film and television again.

While he claimed that his audition for Quentin Tarantino’s Once Upon a Time in Hollywood was a “disaster”, he will soon appear in the 10th season of American Horror Story.