Macaulay Culkin shot to stardom at the age of eight, playing the 10-year-old Kevin McCallister in the smash hit “Home Alone” shown in 1990 that necessitated a sequel two years later before becoming a film franchise.
Because of his soaring popularity as a child sensation back then, he made a lot of films and in the process also made a lot of money.
He retired from acting at age 14 but during an interview in later years, Macaulay Culkin said that he has made enough money when he was only 12 years old that he could already afford not to work again, notes Moviepilot.
A huge part of his decision to quit acting when he was in his prime was to spite his over-controlling father Kit, who after burying the huge Culkin brood in debt after moving from a one-bedroom apartment to a huge New York City house, was still unhappy.
Kit was still not satisfied despite the fact that it was Macaulay and his siblings who have been funding him and his new lavish lifestyle.
In the same interview, Macaulay said that his father was overbearing and very controlling. He said that his father was always the way he is even before his success as a child actor. He added that his father likes to play mind games to make sure that his children, including Macaulay, know their place.
Keeping his parents away from his money
When his parents divorced a few years later, both filed for custody of Macaulay to gain control of their son’s $11 million fortune back then.
But knowing his father and mother Patricia wanted his money more than care for him, Macaulay managed to stop his parents from getting their hands on his hard earned money, a move which led his father to decide not to communicate with him anymore.
He may have invested a good part of his money then and also added up to it over the years by doing some occasional acting or rock-and-roll gigs with his parody rock group, The Pizza Underground, that his worth is now estimated to be $20 million, notes Gazette Review.
That is likely the reason why he can afford to say that he is essentially retired from acting because he has pretty much mapped out his retirement plan while he was still young. He will be turning 36 in August so having a laid back lifestyle in New York City is more than enough for Macaulay Culkin.
More contented with life
While he has been getting some occasional acting assignments of late in a web series, a TV series, or a mini-movie, Macaulay Culkin says he is essentially retired as an actor.
But he appears to be more contented with himself these days compared to several years back when he has gone on a rough patch in light of his substance abuse.
Late last month, the former child sensation of “Home Alone” shown more than 25 years ago made a surprise appearance at Adam Green’s gig in Cambridge, England. The essentially retired actor managed to show off to the audience his dance moves while singing in front of the crowd at The Portland Arms.
Macaulay will be working again with Adam Green on the Kickstarter-funded project called “Aladdin,” which is coming after more than five years from their first collaboration on Green’s debut film “The Wrong Ferrari.”
Since first retiring from acting at the age of 14, Macaulay Culkin has been trying to keep away from the limelight by just laying low and preferring to go unnoticed and unrecognized in public, especially in New York City, where he now resides.
Of course, keeping a low profile back when his girlfriend was Mila Kunis for eight years was very difficult for Macaulay considering how popular Mila as an actress is. He also married another famous actress Rachel Miner for a couple of years before they divorced. Now, he’s already dating Jordan Lane Price.