Macaulay Culkin thanks John Candy for noticing his father was a ‘monster’

‘I remember John caring when not a lot of people did,’ said star

Macaulay Culkin has expressed gratitude for the late actor John Candy noticing that his father was a “monster”.

The former child actor starred alongside Candy in Uncle Buck (1989) and Home Alone (1990), and said that he felt his on-screen Uncle was a real “paternal” presence in his life as he went through a difficult relationship with his now-estranged father, Kit Culkin.

In a new documentary about Candy’s life, John Candy: I Like Me, Culkin offered his reflections on the actor’s support and empathy. The film premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival on Thursday (4 September).

“I think he always had that really great instinct,” he said, according to Entertainment Weekly.

“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.”

Now 45, the actor shot to fame for his portrayals as left-behind child Kevin McCallister in Home Alone and Home Alone 2 and said his father’s behaviour became worse with his rising stardom.

Candy starred as Uncle Buck in the 1989 film (Universal Pictures)

“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.’ “

Culkin said that Candy’s check-ins were a “testament to the kind of man he was” and that the Splash star “was just looking out for” him while filming.

The actor added that people appeared less concerned about him as time went on and wished he had had more care and concern as a child.

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“It doesn't happen that often. It actually happened less as time went on,” he said.

“I wish I had 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.”

Candy passed away in 1994 (Getty Images)

Culkin has previously expressed his difficult relationship with his father, petitioning to remove his parents as legal guardians when he was 15. He recently admitted that he hadn’t spoken to him in over 30 years.