“I retire and then, if I find something I like, I unretire, do that, and I immediately retire afterwards. Every gig is my last,” he said on the “SmartLess” podcast.

Macaulay Culkin explains his perpetual retirement from acting: ‘Technically, I’m retired right now’

"I retire and then, if I find something I like, I unretire, do that, and I immediately retire afterwards. Every gig is my last," he said on the "SmartLess" podcast.

By Lauren Huff

Lauren Huff

Lauren Huff is an award-winning journalist and staff writer at ** with over 12 years of experience covering all facets of the entertainment industry.

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December 29, 2025 5:55 p.m. ET

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Macaulay Culkin attends the premiere of Amazon Prime Video's 'Fallout' season 2. Credit:

Alberto Rodriguez/GA/The Hollywood Reporter via Getty

Retirement is a perpetual state of mind for Macaulay Culkin.

The *Home Alone* star, who was widely considered to be one of the most successful child stars in the '90s, opened up about his views on the subject during a new appearance on the *SmartLess* podcast.

“Technically, I’m retired right now,” Culkin, 45, told hosts Will Arnett, Jason Bateman, and Sean Hayes. “I retire and then, if I find something I like, I unretire, do that, and I immediately retire afterwards. Every gig is my last.”

Technically, following the release of his 1994 film *Richie Rich* when he was 14, Culkin did actually take a lengthy hiatus. “I quit for nearly a decade,” Culkin explained during the podcast episode. “Just went to high school, fell in love, got drunk for the first time, things like that.”

Macaulay Culkin in 'Home Alone'.

20th Century Fox /Courtesy Everett Collection

Unlike a lot of child stars, he said he received the "lion's share" of money from his work, so he found himself in a unique position from a young age. "I was in a position where I could just put my thumb up my butt and play video games all day long. You know? I could do anything I wanted, really," he said.

Culkin, who first started acting at age four and received his first onscreen credit on *The Equalizer* nearly four years later, said a lot of his desire to take a break stemmed from wanting to be around other children. “When I was younger, I never worked with people my own age. I was always working with adults,” he recalled. “I had a yearning to go to school, to have contemporaries and things like that.”

At the time, Culkin said he was sure he was finished with Hollywood forever. "I was doneskies. I was like, 'I hope you all made your money because there's no more coming from me,'" he said, adding, "I made my name. I made my mark. I made my fortune. The only reason why I even do it now is because I like to do it. Pay, pleasure, prestige — that's the only reason to do a gig."

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When asked if there was another field of interest he considered instead, Culkin said no. “I was kind of just drifting around, and tried to figure out what I wanted out of life and so forth,” he said. “This was a calling that found me. I didn’t find it. I wanted to explore that in a different way, on my terms.”

To wit, in recent years, Culkin has seen a bit of a career resurgence. Earlier this year, he voiced Cattrick Lynxley in *Zootopia 2*, and he can currently be seen in a mysterious new role in *Fallout* season 2 on Prime Video.

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