In a new documentary, Macaulay Culkin shared that the late John Candy looked out for him on the set of Uncle Buck, sensing that the child star’s father was difficult before anyone else.
Canadian actor Candy was one of the biggest comedy stars of the ‘80s and early ‘90s, famous for films such as Planes, Trains, and Automobiles, Spaceballs, and Cool Runnings. He died in 1994, aged just 43, from a heart attack, and remains a beloved figure in film.
Colin Hanks, whose father Tom starred with Candy in 1984’s Splash, has directed a documentary on the actor’s life called John Candy: I Like Me, which had its world premiere on Thursday (September 4) as the opening film of this year’s Toronto International Film Festival.
One of the interviewees in the film was Macaulay Culkin, who starred with Candy in 1989 comedy Uncle Buck (he would also cameo in the younger actor’s breakthrough success, Home Alone).
“He showed a lot of respect”, Culkin said of the star (via EW). “When you’re eight years old, you don’t really get respect, whether it’s in a workplace or just from adults and grown-ups in general. You felt invited in.”
He then touched on how Candy identified problems with his father, Kit Culkin, whose behaviour would lead to him becoming estranged from his children.
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“I think he always had that really great instinct. I think he saw.” Culkin recalled. “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.”
He continued: “All of a sudden, the fame and the money came, and he became an infamous monster. 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 described the act as “a testament to the kind of man he was,” saying: “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.”
At the age of 15, Culkin petitioned a court to remove his father Kit and mother Patricia Brentrup as his legal guardians, blocking them from his $40million trust fund. The trust was then managed by his family’s accountant until he was 18.
In April, he revealed that he hadn’t spoken to his father in 30 years. “He’s a man who, he had seven kids, and now he has four grandkids. Yeah. And, none of them want anything to do with him” he told the Sibling Revelry podcast.
Recently, Culkin recalled the time he missed out on the lead role in Wes Anderson’s Rushmore after misplacing the script.
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