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It seems to be a common, albeit sad, story among actors who find success as children: they burst onto the scene, steal our hearts (and sometimes awards!), only to disappear from the big screen. The stories about them are hard to hear, as they’ve often fallen in with the wrong crowd, gotten hooked on drugs or alcohol, or otherwise seem to struggle with growing up in the Hollywood limelight.
Macaulay Culkin, the adorable, hilarious boy who made us laugh in Uncle Buck, then hit the big time with Home Alone, was no exception to this rule – though I am happy to report that these days, he seems to have left the troubled part of his life in the rearview mirror!
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You may or may not recall meeting young Macaulay in Uncle Buck, but it’s surely the performance that proved to casting directors that the kid could hold his own among comedy powerhouses like John Candy.
You surely WILL recall his cheeky, smart-ass performance in Home Alone, though! We all fell in love with Kevin McCallister as he did surprisingly well caring for himself after his family took off on a Paris holiday without him.
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After that, the roles were in no short supply, and Culkin became one of the better known actors of the 1990s. He starred in My Girl, The Pagemaster, Only the Lonely, and Home Alone 2 in quick succession.
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Sadly, easy street was about to end for the young lad.
After his role in 1994’s Richie Rich, Culkin disappeared from public life. In fact, for the next decade, he was nowhere to be found.
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Then, he reappeared in a guest role on Will & Grace, along with roles in several small films. Even so, people noticed that he seemed…different.
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Due to extreme weight loss and an overall unhealthy appearance, rumors began to circulate about drug and alcohol use, health issues, and even psychological problems.
It wasn’t only his appearance that caused fans to worry. The art projects he completed also seemed like cause for concern, as he continuously chose to portray mentally unstable characters.
Just months after that video that scared fans and the public in general, Macaulay is back and apparently dedicated to getting his life back on track. He looks healthier and the bags are gone from under his eyes. He’s been eating well, exercising, and perhaps most exciting, back to practicing marginally good hygiene!
He seems to be on the comeback trail, and should he make it all the way back to making us laugh on the big screen, what a star-worthy story that would be! Here’s to hoping!
