These days, there are dozens and dozens of one-time child actors who are now all grown up, producing records and making movies and probably trying to pretend like their embarrassing childhood roles didn’t exist. But there was one nineties child star that we consider to be the OG of them all, the lovable moppet who stole our hearts by making his family disappear. That’s right: We’re talking about Macaulay Culkin, the adorable *Home Alone* star that went on to make sequels, headlines, and eventually arrive in the land of ex-child stars who still manage to look pretty cute. Culkin has been up to a lot over the past couple of decades (and not all of it has been easy to deal with), and it’s time we revisit exactly what happened when the former child star disappeared off the face of the earth, only to reemerge like a phoenix from the child star ashes. You won’t believe how different he looks — but don’t worry, he’s still got the same expressive eyes he had when he was a kid.The star of Home Alone, Culkin set the bar for child stars everywhere. He gave the performance his all, and his personality turned what could have been a corny kids movie into one that adults loved, too.
His very first major movie part was in a comedy called Uncle Buck (another classic you probably love), where he played opposite of the late, brilliant John Candy.
After that movie became a massive blockbuster, Culkin’s face was literally everywhere. People loved the fact that he was irreverent — and he got away with it, being a kid and all.
Even if you didn’t have aftershave, basically any soap or lotion that went on your face as a kid called for a reenactment of this scene.
My Girl, The Pagemaster, Only The Lonely and Home Alone 2 — you name it, and Culkin was in it. Still, we’d say that Kevin McAllister was by far his most memorable role.
But after this movie somewhat flopped, Culkin seemed to disappear from Hollywood. He stayed out of the papers, and many speculated that this child star’s light had finally burned out.
Around 2004, he started popping up again. Small roles in film featured the former child star, and he was also in a recurring guest spot in the hit sitcom Will & Grace.
Many felt that Culkin looked very unhealthy, and wonder if he’d taken his known drug and alcohol abuse too far. Fans began to worry that he really did have a serious problem.
Despite the rumors of drug addiction and psychological distress, Culkin has risen from the ashes and seems to be doing pretty well.
In addition to having a lush crop of hair, he’s gained some weight and actually looks healthy again.
However, it seems like his health and well-being are a far more important priority to fame.
And we have to admit, it’s working for him. Culkin looks better than he has in a long, long time.
Even if he’s had some setbacks in his life, there’s no denying that the man can act. One can only hope that his newfound commitment to wellness will lead to him getting some serious dramatic roles.
Like we said, that long blond hair (not to mention those studious glasses) are an unexpected look that really, really works for this guy.
Macaulay Culkin forever.
