Macaulay Culkin says he had 'unfinished business' with Catherine O'Hara

Macaulay Culkin is opening up about the grief he is still carrying following Catherine O’Hara’s death earlier this year.

In a recent interview with Gentleman’s Journal, the Home Alone star admitted he’s struggling with one major regret: feeling like he never got the chance to repay the actress who played his iconic onscreen mom.

“When Catherine passed away in January, that hit me. That hit me pretty good, ’cause, you know, it was just too soon,” Culkin, 45, said.

The actor, now 45, reflected on the deep bond he shared with O’Hara, who played Kate McCallister opposite his Kevin McCallister in Home Alone and Home Alone 2.

“And I felt that we had unfinished business,” he continued. “I definitely feel like I had unfinished business with her, you know?”

Culkin explained that the feeling stems from what he described as an emotional debt.“I felt like I owed her a favour — and I don’t like having an outstanding debt.”

The Schitt’s Creek actress was 71 when she passed away on january 30, 20206, from a pulmonary embolism. At the time, Culkin paid tribute on social media with a heartbreaking message alongside photos of the pair from Home Alone and his 2023 Hollywood Walk of Fame ceremony.

“Mama. I thought we had time. I wanted more. I wanted to sit in a chair next to you. I heard you,” he wrote. “But I had so much more to say. I love you. I’ll see you later.”

Their final public reunion came during Culkin’s Walk of Fame induction, where O’Hara delivered a touching speech celebrating his legacy.

“Macaulay, your sense of humour, it’s a sign of intelligence in a child, and a key to surviving life at any age,” she said, before jokingly thanking him for including “your fake mom who left you home alone not once but twice.”