THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: THURSDAY, June 16, 1994 TAG: 9406160043
SECTION: DAILY BREAK PAGE: E1 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY MAL VINCENT, ENTERTAINMENT WRITER
DATELINE: 940616 LENGTH: Long
His blond hair bounced to hot rhythms that only he heard. Elvis himself couldn't have been more intense putting across his song.
{REST} The kid won't stay still. He won't answer questions.
``How much allowance do you get a week, Mack?'' he is asked.
``I don't get an allowance,'' he answered. ``If I need money, my people give it to me.''
End of discussion. Macaulay continued with his song.
After ``Home Alone'' grossed more than $500 million worldwide and became the biggest hit comedy of all time, Mack, as he prefers to be called, has demanded big bucks. Or, rather, his father, Kit Culkin, has demanded big bucks.
It is ironic that his latest movie, ``Getting Even With Dad,'' which opens Friday, is being released on Father's Day weekend.
According to media reports, Kit Culkin has demanded everything from new directors and rewrites to more bucks on behalf of his son. Some studios say he has effectively blackmailed them - withholding a contract for ``Home Alone II'' until the studio promised Mack the lead in ``The Good Son.'' The New York Times ran headlines such as ``Stage Father Flexes New Muscles'' and ``Daddy Culkin Throws Another Tantrum.''
Others say that Daddy Culkin has done no more than any other manager-agent would have done on behalf of a major star. They brand the stories as no more than ``Culkin bashing.''
Still, there are those in the movie industry who realize, with glee, that the fate of a child star, even the most highly paid child star in history, is fleeting. They can't wait for Mack's voice to change and for Kit to get his comeuppance.
Kit Culkin, 49, is the brother of actress Bonnie Bedelia. He was an actor himself, appearing with Sir Laurence Olivier on Broadway in 1961's ``Beckett'' and with Richard Burton in the 1964 production of ``Hamlet.'' With the success of ``Home Alone,'' he quit his job at the Catholic church to become his son's full-time manager. He and Pat Culkin have seven children and there is every indication that each of them will go into acting.
Macaulay Culkin was no overnight success. He appeared in an off-Broadway play at age 4, and later broke into the movies with small roles. It was not until his part opposite John Candy in ``Uncle Buck'' that he really got noticed.
He received a mere $250,000 for ``Home Alone'' in 1990, even though the studio's profits came out of a gross take of more than $500 million. It is perhaps this inequity that spurs Kit Culkin to make increasing demands. Mack got $1 million to appear in a supporting role in ``My Girl,'' which the studio then heavily publicized as presenting his first screen kiss.
The amazing success of ``Home Alone'' saved 20th Century Fox from financial disaster; the studio was understandably desperate for a sequel. Mack reportedly got $5 million to do the film, but in the fall of 1991, Kit Culkin announced there would be no sequel unless the studio guaranteed that Mack would play the villainous kid in ``The Good Son.''
Hollywood doesn't say ``no'' to a star this big - or his father. ``The Good Son'' was delayed for a year, until Mack could finish ``Home Alone II.'' That move put 60 people out of work, required a new director to be hired and added $4 million in expenses.
One studio executive said ``things would have gotten ugly'' if Macaulay hadn't gotten the part. Daddy Culkin also demanded that Mack's sister, Quinn, be cast as his sister in ``The Good Son.'' The studio knuckled under.
``Home Alone II'' became a huge hit and ``The Good Son,'' although hated by critics, emerged as a solid, $50-million success.
Culkin ire surfaced again on Academy Award night. Kit Culkin pulled Mack out of the show at the last minute - to be replaced by rival, but much less-paid, child star Elijah Wood. Daddy Culkin objected to the show's writing; when a dinosaur appeared, emcee Whoopi Goldberg was to point at it and say ``Your Dad is looking good these days.'' According to one press report, Mack returned to his hotel and chain-locked Dad out of the room.
Howard Deutch, director of ``Getting Even With Dad,'' claimed that Culkin's popularity rose with the trend away from teen movies to family movies.
``People like movies that empower kids, but not movies in which kids act like adults,'' Deutch said. ``Mack is a real kid. He's not that interested in being an actor. He's very interested in having fun.''
Deutch said that Kit Culkin has received a ``bum rap.''
``I saw Kit and Patty every day. They are not regular stage parents. That's why the kids have turned out so well. Kit is there for Mack every step of the way. He is very supportive when it comes to getting what he thinks is right for Mack. He wanted more rehearsal time. He got it. It's nothing unusual. Mack is a big star. If he were 20 years old, nothing would be said. These demands would seem very reasonable.''
Mack, loosening up a bit, admitted he's not sure he wants to remain an actor. ``I'm not sure what I'll want to be, or if I'll want to go to college,'' he said.
If Culkin bashers think they're going to get rid of the clan any time soon, they are mistaken. There's a bunch of them waiting in the wings and Daddy is pushing them all. Shane, now 17, was in ``Our Town'' on Broadway, Kieran, 11, appeared opposite Jean-Claude Van Damme in the action movie ``Nowhere to Run'' and will be seen soon in ``It Runs in the Family,'' a sequel to the classic ``A Christmas Story.''
His younger brother in the film will be played by his real-life younger brother, Christian Culkin.
Bob Clark, who directed ``Porky's,'' is directing ``It Runs in the Family.''
``Chris is a nut case,'' Clark said. ``He won't laugh when you want him to laugh. He is mischievous. Kieran, on the other hand, is hard on himself. He wants to be perfect. He and Mack are not in competition.
He's also quick to defend Kit Culkin. ``I saw the Culkin parents every day. If you talk to him directly, he's all right. He's totally supportive of his children. The managers of superstars always have power. They have every right to power. On the other hand, these kids are Irish kids. They brawl sometimes, but they all support each other.''
From the looks of the dynasty, and its determination, we could be watching Culkins well into the 21st century.
by CNB