Former child star Macaulay Culkin, of “Home Alone” fame, made his debut on the London stage Wednesday night after six years away from the acting limelight. Culkin, now 20, plays a 15-year-old schoolboy who has an affair with his French instructor, played by Irene Jacob, in “Madame Melville.” Many in the London theater audience reportedly found the still-boyish actor’s seduction scenes awkward and strained.
Once the hottest child star in Hollywood, Culkin‘s career lost steam by the time he turned 14. Contributing to the demise were the outlandish demands made by his father and manager, Kit Culkin, as well as a bitter custody battle between the child actor’s parents.
Estimated to have earned $30 million to $50 million from his handful of films, Culkin married actress Rachel Miner, both 17 at the time, in 1998. The couple recently separated.
