Kieran Culkin entered show business at an early age.
As the 39-year-old Succession actor explained to The Hollywood Reporter, it all started when he was 6 years old and a neighbor who worked for Light Opera of Manhattan in New York told his family they needed some kids for a production. He then began trying out for auditions with his older brothers and sisters.
"I just liked it," he told the publication for its latest cover story. "It was fun for me."
Kieran was born fourth to father Kit and mom Patricia, right behind Macaulay Culkin. Their siblings include Shane, Quinn, Christian, Rory and Dakota, the latter of whom was killed in a car accident in 2008. They also had a half-sister named Jennifer, who died from a drug overdose in 2000.
Kieran landed his first role at age 7. He acted in Home Alone and played a kid named Fuller, the cousin to Macaulay's lead character Kevin. By age 9, he was cast as Matty Banks in Father of the Bride.
Macaulay was also booking gigs. In addition to the Home Alone movies, he appeared in films like My Girl and Richie Rich and quickly became one of the biggest child stars. Kieran saw firsthand the challenges Macaulay faced while living life in the public eye.
"He would get harassed on the street," he recalled to THR. "One time, a woman pulled off his hat and looked at him and said, 'Yeah, it's him! You're not that cute.' And then handed the hat back and walked away."
In addition to aggressive fans, Macaulay, 41, has accused their father Kit of being abusive. While Kieran told THR, Kit was never abusive toward him, he did say "he wasn't a good person and, yeah, probably not a good parent." Patricia and Kit broke up in 1995 and Kieran told the publication the last time he saw him was at a performance of his play This Is Our Youth in 2014. THR attempted to reach Kit through his sister actress Bonnie Bedelia but did not receive any comment.
While Kieran continued to appear in a number of movies and TV series over the years, he said there were three projects that "have defined my life." The first was This Is Our Youth, and the second was the film Igby Goes Down, which earned him his first Golden Globe nomination. While more job offers followed, Kieran wasn't prepared for the attention that followed the 2002 movie.
"I was definitely not ready," he said. "I would not have been able to handle it, and I think I knew that. I would not have been able to handle whatever kind of success or attention came from that. So I quite literally ran away from it."
So it would be another 16 years before he found his third defining project: Succession. His role as Roman Roy earned him an Emmy nomination, and the show won Outstanding Drama Series last year. The third season of the HBO hit premieres this month.
"I'm trying to remember the exact moment it hit me," he said. "I think it was at the end of the first season. I remember coming home and thinking, ‘This is what I want to do with my life. I think I want to be an actor.' I was, like, 36. I'd already been doing it for 30 years."