‘He didn’t grow up with a good example of what a dad is’: Kieran Culkin dismisses family therapy despite noted rough childhood

Every passing day, fans gain a deeper appreciation for how perfectly cast Succession truly was. Whether it’s Brian Cox frequently channeling his inner Logan Roy by critiquing his on-screen son Jeremy Strong for his intense, Kendall Roy-coded approach to acting, or Kieran Culkin dealing with childhood trauma stemming from an abusive father by simply ignoring it… It’s clear that cast was born for those roles.

Culkin is now currently on the press tour for his latest film, A Real Pain, in which he stars alongside the equally talented Jesse Eisenberg. Directed by Eisenberg himself, the project could have served as the actor-director’s long-overdue mainstream comeback following the negative reception of Batman v Superman. Instead, Eisenberg has been using the spotlight to heap praise on Culkin’s unconventional performance and campaign for him to receive a Supporting Actor nomination at the Academy Awards.

A Real Pain delves into themes of family trauma, exploring Eisenberg’s real-life family’s experience with the Holocaust. The film follows two cousins as they return to their ancestral home to reconnect with their roots. It has received glowing reviews across numerous outlets, with our resident critic Charlotte Simmons notably describing it as “pure cinematic catharsis.” However, the film has also sparked curiosity about whether Culkin is drawn to roles centered on family trauma because of his own strained relationship with his father, Kit Culkin.

Kieran’s brother, Macaulay Culkin of Home Alone fame, has been candid about how his early success complicated their family dynamics. Macaulay has shared stories of their father’s petty mental torment, such as forcing him to sleep on the couch to assert dominance over the family. He has since expressed his determination to reinvent fatherhood for his own children with Brenda Song. Kieran, on the other hand, has taken a more dismissive approach to their father’s behavior. In a Hollywood Reporter profile, he remarked that the only things he remembers about Kit are that he never bathed and was not really a good person. Notably, Kieran has never accused his father of direct abuse.

In a recent interview with The Guardian, Kieran surprised readers with humorous anecdotes about his own childhood. Despite public assumptions that he would have only negative memories of growing up with a man described as “an abusive bully and drunk,” Culkin reflected on his past through a lighthearted lens.

The Emmy-winning actor shared how his own experiences as a child star help him empathize with his children as they navigate first-time experiences. Fully committed to fatherhood, Culkin has expressed a desire to be a full-time dad. His wife even celebrated him on Instagram this past Father’s Day with the caption, “Happy Father’s Day to this DADDY. Considering he didn’t grow up with a good example of what a dad is, he’s really quite good at it.”

When asked if family therapy helped him get to this place, Culkin laughed off the suggestion, saying he and his siblings are already “cooked.” He did, however, share a piece of wisdom from his godfather: “I will fully indulge anybody that wants to complain about their upbringing and childhood. I want to hear everything about that. And you can completely blame your parents for everything until you’re 30, and then figure shit out.”

Very wise. If only the Roy siblings could understand what their real-life counterparts seem to have figured out.