Kieran Culkin Didn't Realize 'Home Alone' Starred His Brother Macaulay

Home Alone is a Christmas classic. The beloved 1990 holiday film turned a then 10-year-old Macaulay Culkin into a household name. Soon after the film was released, everybody recognized the child actor as the Home Alone kid. Well, except for Macaulay's younger brother—and Home Alone co-star—Kieran Culkin.

During an interview on The Late Late Show with James Corden, Kieran revealed that, while filming Home Alone when he was just 7-years-old, he didn't realize his older brother was actually the star of the film. "I didn't even know what the movie was about when we were doing it, so it was a fresh, brand-new movie when I saw it," he explained.

"There's a part in the movie where there's a kid who gets his head counted incorrectly and he goes, 'Bye, bring me back something French!' I thought the movie was about that kid," Kieran continued. "And it made sense when I saw it. I remember seeing it in the theater at the premiere and I was dying laughing and I was like, 'Oh, that makes sense 'cause Mac was on set all the time.'"

Even though both Culkin brothers appear in the film, that doesn't stop them from watching every Christmas like the rest of the world. "Every Christmas that's just on," he said. "I think we used to watch it a bunch even as a kid, so it just has that same sort of nostalgia."

At the Golden Globes back in 2019, Kieran spoke about revisiting Home Alone during the holidays, as well. "You would think that because he was in it, because it was such a big thing, that we wouldn't be able to enjoy it like a Christmas movie. But over the years we have been able to. Yeah, we watch it!" the Succession star told Entertainment Tonight. "I haven't watched it in the last couple Christmases, sort of like A Christmas Story, I used to watch it every year and it's like I need a break every couple years before I can watch this one again." 

Photo: Getty