Kieran Culkin Reveals Mom’s Sad Reaction to Family’s Hollywood Success

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Kieran Culkin has shared his mother Patricia Brentrup's mixed feelings regarding the family's rise in Hollywood.

"My mom would often ask when I was a child, ‘Why is it that whenever a script features a dysfunctional family, we get approached?’” Kieran, 42, stated to Entertainment Weekly while he was on the red carpet for the Screen Actors Guild Awards on Sunday, February 23.

Kieran, alongside his older brother Macaulay Culkin, 44, and younger brother Rory Culkin, 35, were among the most notable child actors of the 1990s, and their father, Kit Culkin, 80, actively managed all three of their careers. Although Kit and Patricia had seven children together, they were never legally married.

As he reminisced about his childhood during the SAG Awards, Kieran remarked that his role in the awards season film A Real Pain, which depicts family dysfunction, resonated with his own complex family background.

“What defines a functional family?” he joked. “Aren’t they all [dysfunctional]?”

Noteworthy is the fact that Macaulay, Kieran’s older brother, distanced himself from their father's management following their parents' divorce during his teenage years. This led to an intense custody battle in which Macaulay aimed to prevent both parents from having authority over his trust fund.

“It’s often misunderstood that I ‘emancipated’ myself from my folks,” he revealed to Esquire in 2020. “I simply removed my parents’ names from my trust fund and appointed an executor to oversee my finances, in case anyone attempted to meddle with my assets. Yet somehow, the narrative turned into me divorcing my parents. I merely believed I was sorting things out—removing my father's name and my mother’s name for a clearer perspective. Once I did that, everything unfolded much more quickly.”

The actor from Home Alone indicated in 2020 that, even though he worked from a young age and dealt with his parents' tumultuous separation, his childhood experience “could have been worse.”

“I wasn’t toiling in a coal mine. I wasn’t a child soldier,” he joked. “My father didn't abuse me. Certain troubling incidents occurred, but unfortunate events happen to children regularly, and they don’t always emerge intact. I’ve got something to show for it, man. I mean, look at me: I have wealth, fame, a wonderful girlfriend, a lovely home, and beautiful pets. It took me quite a while to reach this point, and I came to a realization that I needed to tell myself, ‘Honestly, Mack? It’s not that bad.’ I lack for nothing and require even less. I’m good, man.”

In December 2024, Kieran dismissed the idea of participating in family therapy, sharing his thoughts with The Guardian: “As siblings, we’re already set in our ways, we’re baked. My godfather has a saying: ‘I will fully support anyone who wants to voice their grievances about their upbringing and childhood. I’m interested in everything you have to say about that. You can lay all the blame on your parents until you reach 30, and then start to sort things out.’ He may be simplifying it, but I appreciate that perspective.”

While the bond between the Culkin brothers and their father has been challenging in their adult years, Kieran expressed last December a deep respect for the sacrifices made by their mother.

“If I wanted chocolate milk light, but my brother wanted it richer, and my sister preferred just a little, she would cater to all our preferences. I admire that so much,” he reflected at the time. “How did my mom manage everything? I really don’t know … She had to handle around 15 to 20 kids in the house whenever friends came over. I find it hard to believe I sometimes visit the grocery store three times in one day. My mom did it all with coupons. She would buy cheap liver at Key Food, two huge gallons of milk, and all the essentials. For me, just getting the kids to sleep is a challenge.”

Kieran’s role in A Real Pain has emerged as an unexpected favorite during the awards season, as he recently secured the Screen Actors Guild Award for Male Actor in a Supporting Role last Sunday and previously won a Golden Globe for the same performance.

Looking ahead, the Academy Awards set for March 2 will mark Kieran's first Oscar nomination in the Best Supporting Actor category.