Watch: Macaulay Culkin Says He Had “Unfinished Business” With Costar Catherine O’Hara Before Her Death
Macaulay Culkin wants to have one more conversation with his onscreen mom.
The former child star—who played the son of Catherine O’Hara‘s character in Home Alone—shared why he doesn’t have complete closure with the legendary actress, who died following a brief illness on Jan 30.
“I definitely feel like I had unfinished business with her,” Macaulay told The Gentlemen’s Journal in an interview published on May 12. “I feel like I owed her a favor—and I don’t like having an outstanding debt.”
The 45-year-old—whose character Kevin McCallister made him a household name at 9 years old—went on to explain how the loss affected him.
“When Catherine passed away in January, that hit me,” he shared. “That hit me pretty good, ’cause, you know, it was just too soon.”
Macaulay’s relationship with the Schitt’s Creek actress spanned decades before her death at age 71, and he doesn’t take it for granted that he had so many opportunities with her and other greats by beginning in Hollywood at a young age.
“My life is unique to me,” Macaulay said of growing up in the spotlight. “I don’t really have that many contemporaries when it comes to this stuff. I can’t look left and right and think: ‘Oh, those people have had a similar experience to me.’ But I try to cherish that as much as I can. I feel like I’m living a really uniquely wonderful life.”
For Catherine, she was able to see him grow as an actor and make a lasting impact on pop culture with their Christmas classic, as she explained during his Hollywood Walk of Fame ceremony in December 2023.
“Home Alone was, is and always will be a beloved global sensation,” Catherine said in a speech in front of Macaulay’s friends and family, including fiancée Brenda Song and their two children—Dakota Song Culkin and Carson Culkin, now age 4 and 3. “The reason families all over the world can’t let a year go by without watching and loving Home Alone together is because of Macaulay Culkin.”
(Photo by Amy Sussman/Getty Images)
Macaulay returned the warm words in honor of his movie “Mama” in the weeks after her passing. “I thought we had time,” he shared on Instagram at the time. “I wanted more. I wanted to sit in a chair next to you. I heard you but I had so much more to say.”
“I love you. I’ll see you later,” Macaulay wrote before continuing in the comments section, “I’m mad about this…”
Keep reading for more tributes to Catherine from her loved ones and former costars.
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