This Actor Looked Out for 'Home Alone' Star Macaulay Culkin When His Dad Was Being a 'Monster'

It was a set filled with laughter — but behind the camera, one child star was suffering in silence.

Now, more than three decades after their unforgettable on-screen pairing, Macaulay Culkin is peeling back the curtain on what really went on while filming "Uncle Buck" — and the unlikely guardian angel who saw through the fame, the money, and the carefully staged smiles of John Candy.

The 45-year-old actor, forever etched into pop culture as the clever, abandoned Kevin McCallister in "Home Alone," appears in the powerful new documentary "John Candy: I Like Me," directed by Colin Hanks. And what he reveals about his tortured childhood and John's subtle but lifesaving support is both heartbreaking and profoundly moving.

The documentary premiered on Thursday, September 4, at the 2025 Toronto International Film Festival. The project traces the actor's career and personal life, while highlighting his impact on those he worked with, including Macaulay, who co-starred with him in the 1989 John Hughes film "Uncle Buck."

A Watchful Eye On A Child In Crisis

In the documentary, Macaulay reportedly describes John Candy not just as a comic icon, but as a rare source of compassion in a childhood marred by manipulation and emotional neglect.

"I think he always had that really great instinct," Macaulay says. "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. All of a sudden, the fame and the money came, and he became an infamous monster. He was already not a good guy."

John, he says, noticed everything. "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 [sic],'" Macaulay remembers, "I remember John caring when not a lot of people did."

He describes John's presence as "paternal," noting it stood in stark contrast to the way he was usually treated as a child star. "I wish I got more of that in my life. It's important that I remember that [sic]," he adds.

A Father and Son at Odds

Macaulay's relationship with his father, Kit Culkin, has long been described as volatile. The elder Culkin, once a stage actor himself, managed Macaulay's skyrocketing career with iron-fisted control, pushing the boy through back-to-back film shoots and tight promotional schedules — at times 14 movies a year, according to reports.

Even more chilling? Macaulay said he often never even read the scripts before stepping on set. And while rumors once swirled that Macaulay emancipated himself from his parents, he clarified in the film that that wasn't the case.

Instead, he made a decisive legal move to protect his future by legally removing their names from his trust after the fierce custody battle between his parents in 1995. That battle was the breaking point. The "Uncle Buck" star, emotionally bruised and financially vulnerable, took control of his own life before he could even vote.

A Childhood Stolen – And A Life Reclaimed

The Culkin family's internal strife only deepened in the years that followed. Neither Macaulay nor his brother, Kieran Culkin — now a Golden Globe winner for "Succession" — has maintained contact with their father.

Despite this painful past, Macaulay has carved out a radically different life from the chaos he once endured. With longtime partner Brenda Song, he shares two young sons, Dakota and Carson, and has chosen to raise them far from the spotlight, with no nannies, a house full of pets and pajamas, and something he never had as a child: peace.

Remembering The Man Behind The Laughs

John Candy, whose roles in "Planes," "Trains and Automobiles," "Cool Runnings," and "Uncle Buck" turned him into a household name, died tragically young of a heart attack in 1994 while filming in Mexico. He was just 43 years old.

But in "John Candy: I Like Me," friends and co-stars, including Steve Martin, Catherine O'Hara, Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd, Eugene Levy, and Mel Brooks, come together to honor the man they all adored — not just for his talent, but for his immeasurable heart.

As Macaulay reflects, the magic of "Uncle Buck" was more than just performance. It was personal. "That's why Uncle Buck is one of my favorite performances," he says. "I think he put a lot of himself into it."

John battled both weight-related health problems and a family history of heart disease, but those who knew him say his kindness, not his challenges, defined him.

And in a world where so many looked the other way, John saw a child in pain — and showed up. "John Candy: I Like Me" premieres on Prime Video on October 10.