Christmas is right around the corner, and that means everybody can start to get excited by all the traditions that come with the festive holiday. For some people, this could be walking around the neighborhood and looking at all the over-the-top Christmas decorations. For others, it could mean driving down to the grandparent’s home to spend the holiday season with the family. But for everyone, it means watching Home Alone.

The 1990 movie has become a Christmas classic, which sees a misbehaving and misunderstood eight-year-old boy accidentally left home alone (get it?) by his family, as they jet off to Paris for the holidays. At the time, Home Alone became an instant blockbuster, and at the end of it’s run in theatres, became the third-highest-grossing film of all time worldwide.

Such success instantly made a star out of the movie’s adorable lead actor, the then 10-year-old Macaulay Culkin, who played the cunning Kevin McCallister. Culkin was described as the most successful child star since Shirley Temple and has been fondly remembered as one of the most successful and beloved child stars of all time.

However, like we’ve seen countless times before, it seemed as if Culkin was never going to be able to replicate the success he found as a child star, and the actor soon started hitting headlines for all the wrong reasons.

On September 17, 2004, the fun-loving actor we’d all loved in movies like Home Alone, Richie Rich and Home Alone 2: Lost In New York was arrested in Oklahoma City for the possession of marijuana and two controlled substances. He pleaded guilty to the possession and the world watched as the actor’s life started to spin out of control. 

For the next 10 years, images like the ones below repeatedly hit the press, as many people questioned the health and mental well-being of the once admired star.

By 2002 Culkin was already divorced after a brief marriage to Rachel Miner, and then the public witnessed the breakdowns of his relationships with Mila Kunis and Jordan Lane Price.

But at least he had his acting career, right? Well, no.

Culkin started appearing in cheap and embarrassing cameos as himself in both film and television, and any “real” acting roles were met with harsh criticism. (If you ever get a chance to see Sex & Breakfast, don’t. It’s awful.)

Then there was his band, The Pizza Underground. The comedy five-piece were active between 2012 and 2016, and covered popular songs, but replaced certain words with like “pizza”, “cheese” and “slice”. It was awful, and they were once famously booed off stage in Nottingham, England, as the crowd through full pints of beer at them.

But, recent pictures give all of us who still believe in Culkin hope.

It’s always a shame seeing people fall from grace, especially when it’s a person who made you laugh so much as a child. That’s why Culkin’s most recent outing has left his life-long fans with smiles on their faces.

And fans were excited and a little relieved to see the former child star looking so… normal!

Stepping out with his current girlfriend Brenda Song, whom he met on the set of their upcoming 2018 movie, Changeland, the pair enjoyed a meal with friends, including his goddaughter, Paris Jackson.

The group dined at some of the Paris’ (the city) most critically acclaimed restaurants, including the Joël Robuchon restaurant L’Atelier, which has two Michelin stars.

Paris Jackson and Macaulay have been close for many years now, after Culkin became friends with her father, the “King of Pop” Michael Jackson, following his appearance in his music video for ‘Black or White’. In fact, the pair even has matching tattoos:

 

Macaulay and Brenda began their relationship earlier this year when they were introduced to one another while shooting Family Guy star Seth Green’s directorial debut, Changeland, in Thailand.

The 29-year-old actress said previously”

“It’s been incredible. We spent five weeks in Thailand shooting this. 

Seth directed and wrote and starred in it, and this has been in the making for the last seven years, so he made it happen, it was incredible – it was like, Changeland for me.”

Seeing Culkin so happy, relaxed and healthy is amazing. No doubt, within the next few weeks a new generation of children will be introduced to the Home Alone series, and it’ll be great if their parents could tell them that young Kevin McCallister is doing just fine these days.

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