Macaulay Culkin made a rare red-carpet appearance this week, stepping out in Los Angeles for the premiere of Fallout Season 2 – and the former child star looked a world away from the cheeky, wide-eyed kid audiences first met in Home Alone.
Held at the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures on Monday, December 8 2025, the event marked one of Macauley’s most high-profile public appearances in recent years. Now 45, the actor cut a sharp, quietly confident figure, embracing a polished, grown-up aesthetic that underscored just how far he’s come since his days as Hollywood’s most famous child star.
© WireImageMacauley was joined on the carpet by cast members from the hit Amazon Prime Video series, which returns for its highly anticipated second season following the breakout success of its debut. Based on the video game series of the same name, the drama is set two hundred years after the apocalypse.
© The Hollywood Reporter via GettyThe show stars Ella Purnell (Sweetpea, Yellowjackets), Walton Goggins (The White Lotus, The Righteous Gemstones) and Aaron Moten (Disjointed) as the core trio: Lucy MacLean, a vault dweller from Vault 33, Maximus (Aaron Moten), a member of the warrior group, Brotherhood of Steel, and The Ghoul, a survivor of the original nuclear apocalypse. The second outing also welcomes Macaulay himself in a recurring role as a crazy genius character, alongside fellow guest stars Justin Theroux and Kumail Nanjiani.
© The Hollywood Reporter via GettyMacaulay attended the premiere with partner Brenda Song, who brought classic glamour to the evening in a striking red, long-sleeved lace gown. The Suite Life of Zack & Cody alum wore her hair sleek and glossy, while Macauley opted for a tailored suit with subtle patterning. Together, the pair looked relaxed, coordinated and very much at ease – a far cry from the chaos that once surrounded Macauley’s early fame.
© The Hollywood Reporter via GettyThe couple, who began dating in 2017 after meeting on the set of Changeland, share two young sons. The pair are longtime fans of the show, with Macaulay telling Screen Rant that Fallout season 1, was: "The only show last year that we watched from beginning to end every single episode, like religion." Having immediately become hooked by the show, Brenda turned to her partner and told him, "You belong on this show."
Brenda, who is a former child star herself, said in an interview earlier this year that she would be happy for their children to follow in their acting footsteps.
"They can do whatever they want to do," she told People, noting: "I just want them to go to school and enjoy their anonymity while they can because they didn't ask for me and Mac to be their parents."
"But of course, for me, I had such an incredible experience as a child actor — the places I've gotten to see, the people I've gotten to meet — I would be so supportive if my kids wanted to be an actor."
Brenda, whose parents were both born in Thailand and later met in Sacramento, California, was born in Carmichael, a suburb in the capital city, though her family later moved to Los Angeles to support her acting career.
After dominating the box office in the early 1990s with Home Alone and its sequel – films that cemented him as one of the most recognisable child actors of all time – Macaulay famously stepped back from acting, choosing privacy over relentless fame. In adulthood, he’s returned selectively, taking on offbeat projects, voice roles, and passion-driven work rather than chasing traditional Hollywood leads.
