The Role You Forgot Kieran Culkin Played In The Home Alone Movies

Kieran Culkin may be best known to fans for his role as Roman Roy in "Succession," but much like his older brother, Macaulay Culkin, he was also a child actor. During the '90s Kieran appeared in films such as "Father of the Bride" and "Nowhere to Run," but also remained fairly grounded. "I managed to avoid being a child star. I just did the thing and I was a kid. I went home, played video games," he told The Guardian in 2019. After starring in 2002's "Igby Goes Down" — and already with over a decade of acting experience under his belt — Kieran decided to step away from Hollywood. 

As the "Succession" star reasoned, "I didn't know what I wanted to do with my life." Eventually, Kieran chose to pursue acting as his full-time career as an adult and began appearing in films again in the late-2000s. By 2018 he landed his star-making role in "Succession," which led to Kieran hosting "Saturday Night Live" in 2021. During his opening monologue, the actor recalled being on the sketch show at the height of Macaulay's fame back in 1991.

In fact, Kieran even popped up in a few sketches on the episode that his brother hosted. It wasn't the only time Kieran shared the screen with Macaulay either. His onscreen debut was playing Fuller McCallister in "Home Alone" — the bed-wetting cousin of Macaulay's Kevin McCallister. However, Kieran later admitted he had little idea that the film even starred his older brother.

Kieran Culkin reprised his role as Fuller McCallister in "Home Alone 2: Lost in New York." He was actually the character who pointed out that the family had once again forgotten Macaulay Culkin's Kevin McCallister during the Christmas holidays. While the "Succession" star has some fond memories of working on the movies, Kieran admittedly was a little confused about his brother's role in the first installment. "I didn't really know what the movie was about when I was filming it, so it was a fresh movie for me when I saw it," the actor acknowledged on "The Late Late Show with James Corden" in 2020. 

When they were filming, Kieran mistakenly believed the movie starred a child actor who had one line with the family. It was not until the premiere that Kieran figured out that the film starred his brother. "Oh, that makes sense 'cause Mac was on set all the time," the TV star remembered thinking. To be fair, Kieran was only seven when he worked on the Christmas classic. One special aspect of "Home Alone" that was obvious to Kieran while shooting was meeting John Candy. 

"I remember going in the trailer and seeing him and was just starstruck," Kieran told Esquire in March 2023, while adding that Candy was a lovely guy. Not fully understanding the movie while filming ended up being a positive for Kieran in the end, too. He and his brother may have worked on "Home Alone," but Kieran was also able to appreciate it purely as a holiday romp.

In January 2019, Kieran Culkin was nominated at the Golden Globes for his work on "Succession." During an interview on the red carpet, the discussion veered towards "Home Alone," and the actor revealed that even though the film starred Macaulay Culkin, it was still a holiday favorite for their family. "It was a movie for us too, growing up [...] Yeah, I watch it," he confirmed with Entertainment Tonight. 

The "Scott Pilgrim vs. the World" star spoke about a friend being surprised that the Culkins would watch a film starring one of their own, but he asserted, "It's a good Christmas movie, what do you want me to say." That same year, when Kieran and his wife were expecting their first child, he was asked again about watching "Home Alone." "[It] still holds up. It still makes me laugh and I can't wait to show my kids," Kieran confirmed to The Guardian. 

Even though Kieran can watch it with a sort of nostalgic detachment — and not just as a star-making vehicle for his brother — the film's massive success irrevocably changed things for their family. In particular, Kieran recalled how difficult it was for Macaualy to navigate child stardom. "Even at that time, as a kid, I remember thinking, 'That sucks for him,'" Kieran told Esquire. "He was little and having to try to accept that level of fame as reality."