Culkin’s brother is clear about having a Mark Ruffalo education

While method acting is not exactly his style, one is Culkin Brother proves that there is no substitute for authenticity – especially when it comes to theatrical props.

In an interview that resurfaced in 2012, Mark Ruffalo We shared a wild story about a “naughty young actor” who swapped a fake stage joint for a real one during a live show, leaving him unexpectedly high in front of the audience.

Now, years later, one of Culkin’s brothers has finally come forward to admit that he was the mastermind behind the prank.

Kieran Culkin He made his acting debut alongside his brother Macaulay Culkin In the popular 1990 holiday film “Home Alone,” where he played Fuller, Kevin McCallister’s mischievous cousin. He reprized this role in “Home Alone 2: Lost in New York”. Shortly after his Hollywood debut, he appeared in Playwrights Horizons’ 2000 production of The Moment When directed by James Lapine, alongside Mark Ruffalo.

With a host of supporting joints behind the scenes, Culkin couldn’t resist the temptation to replace one. “Oh. ‘I think this happened,'” he thought to himself weeks later when he smelled a familiar scent and “just watched” Ruffalo take a hit before passing it to his co-star.

During the break, Culkin felt compelled to confess. “I’m like, ‘I thought that was a good joke.’ “I’m stupid. Oh my God, I’m so sorry,” he said The Guardian. “But actually, they loved it. I haven’t smoked weed in 10 years; the second half is going to be a lot of fun,” Mark says. “There was another actor who had never smoked weed in her life. She says, ‘Is this the high?’ That’s lovely. And then Phyllis comes in. Newman says: “I haven’t smoked weed since the 1960s. Thank you, honey.”

“Then the stage manager comes over and says, ‘I don’t care who it is, or what happened, but Kieran, give me the joint,'” Culkin continued. Ashamed, he handed over the remains. “She said, ‘Rose your life in your own time.'”

The Golden Globe winner seems to have taken this experience to heart. “I was 17 and I was stupid… I was young. I’m 42 now. I know better. I’m not going to try to make anyone get high on stage,” he said.

“There was a play I did and I had to smoke pot in the first scene. And of course, there was a very naughty young actor I was in the play with, who was in the opening,” he said at the time. On a night with all the critics, he put a real joint on the prop table.

Ruffalo, who is known for his total commitment to his performances, admitted, “So, when you’re out at a party, you take a couple of breaths and say, ‘Okay, that’s enough.’ I’m pretty stoned. ‘But I was acting, so I was like…'” he said, miming “Between the two of us, we smoked a huge cigarette on stage,” he exaggeratedly gasped.

As the scene ended, Ruffalo recalled feeling unstoppable. “And I’m like, ‘Man, I’m in tonight.’ I feel it. I’m on fire. “I feel so… Why is this guy standing backstage and laughing at me?” That’s when he realized that the young actor in charge was standing outside the stage, cracking up. “And I just said, ‘Oh, fuck.’

But the story has a bright side. “But at the end of the play, I got the best reviews of my entire career,” Ruffalo added with a smile.

Kieran Culkin rose to international fame with his role as Roman Roy in the critically acclaimed HBO series “Succession.” Kieran played the sharp-tongued and irreverent younger son of media mogul Logan Roy, and became a fan favorite for his biting sense of humor and vulnerable portrayal of a deeply flawed character. His performance earned him numerous Emmy and Golden Globe nominations, and he received a Golden Globe Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Series in 2024.

Kieran Culkin has firmly established himself as one of Hollywood’s most versatile and compelling actors, proving time and time again that he is much more than just ‘Macaulay’s younger brother’.