Cautionary Facts About Macaulay Culkin, The Child Star Survivor
Macaulay Culkin is a bundle of contradictions. His parents raised him poor in America’s most expensive city. On film he was left home alone, but in his real life he was crowded with his six siblings in a tiny apartment.
He was, at one point in his career, the highest-paid child movie star, and yet he received seven nominations for worst actor of the year. His best friend was an alleged predator, but Culkin claims he didn’t get harmed.
Let’s dive deep into these Macaulay Culkin facts, and get to know the man who grew out of this child star legend.
1. He Took A Wrong Turn
In 1974, before Macaulay Culkin was even born, his father took a wrong turn. Christopher Cornelius “Kit” Culkin was in Sundance, Wyoming when a traffic controller stopped him. Kit fell hard for the traffic controller, Patricia Brentrup, and the two hooked up and moved to New York City. They had two children and then, on August 26, 1980, little Macaulay came along.
Yes, they lived in glamorous New York City, but they weren’t exactly taking a bite of the big apple.
2. It Was Small
Early life for the Culkins was difficult. They lived in a one-bedroom apartment in Yorkville Manhattan, which is quite the swanky neighborhood. Yes, the surroundings were posh, but money was extremely tight.
Mom worked as a telephone operator and dad, who was once a stage actor, took care of a nearby Catholic Church. Mr. and Mrs. Culkin, however, seemed to have another occupation: making babies.
3. They Filled It Up
Culkin remembers the apartment in Manhattan simply as a hallway. He doesn’t remember there being any doors except on the bathroom—which lacked a functioning lock.
As the third child, he simply remembers a succession of babies arriving and the apartment just growing smaller and smaller. The Culkins, once they hit magic number seven, stopped having kids.
With seven kids and two adults, the small apartment was quickly becoming a pressure cooker.
4. Life Was Tense
Life in the tiny apartment was even more tense than it needed to be because of Culkin’s father Kit. Kit ran the home, which he called his kingdom, like the captain of a ship. He terrorized his children. When he didn’t get his way, Kit used humiliation and even physical assault to keep the family in line. To make matters worse, it seemed that the Culkins had had so many children for a selfish reason: They wanted to put them to work.
