Macaulay Culkin Missed Out on a Chance to Appear in 1998’s Wes Anderson Gem RUSHMORE
Macaulay Culkin Missed the Rushmore Audition
Macaulay Culkin missed the shot at appearing in Wes Anderson‘s 1998 hit, Rushmore, because he failed to go to the audition.
Macaulay Culkin has made the news these days for saying he enjoyed working on the second Home Alone movie more than the first because he got paid more money for the second one. There has also been news in town that Culkin, while on a break from acting, missed the shot at appearing in director Wes Anderson’s beloved comedy, Rushmore.
Though it didn’t earn a fortune by any standard or anywhere close to what the Home Alone films made for that matter, Rushmore was one of the most successful films of Anderson’s distinguished early career. It earned an estimated $17 million domestically in late 1998 through early 1999 which was an excellent box-office performance at the time for a small indie. It wasn’t a film that appealed to everyone and only scored a “B” CinemaScore, but Rushmore was a movie unlike any other.
After Culkin appeared in the bomb, Richie Rich, which crashed and burned at the box-office in 1994, he went on a hiatus from acting. Culkin admits the Rushmore script was one that “slipped through.” When Culkin eventually went through old scripts to throw out, he discovered one of them was Rushmore and he was most likely a bit disappointed he didn’t audition for the film. Instead, the role went to Wes Anderson’s now regular performer, Jason Schwartzman.
Culkin admits he couldn’t imagine anyone but Schwartzman doing the role in Rushmore, but still. Bill Murray played with Schwartzman in the film about a young nerdy male student who falls in love with a teacher (Olivia Williams). Murray played Schwartzman’s mentor in helping the kid try to hook up with the teacher until Murray’s character ends up a competitor for her affections instead.
Schwartzman really excelled in his role back then and, more recently, the star had a juicy part in 2023’s star-studded Asteroid City. Culkin, in contrast, hasn’t had the career that his turn in Home Alone would have suggested. Culkin hasn’t made many big movies since his childhood days but, nevertheless, it’s interesting to look back in retrospect at what could have been had Culkin gotten the part that was played by Schwartzman.
Recently, Kieran Culkin, Macaulay’s brother, won the Best Supporting Actor Oscar for his “supporting” turn in Jesse Eisenberg’s dramatic comedy, A Real Pain. Macaulay still has time to win an Academy Award of his own, but it’ll be a long time before Kieran gets a sweet financial deal like the one Macaulay had when he made the second Home Alone film.
Remember the scream the young Macaulay let out when he tried on an aftershave in the first Home Alone? That was probably the same reaction he had when he found out he missed the Rushmore audition. Everything happens for a reason though. Culkin is still enjoying success in a different way being married to Brenda Song and also having played in fairly recent episodes of “American Horror Story.”
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