To promote a message about family and ageing, actor Macaulay Culkin has stepped back into his Kevin McCallister role for a new Christmas advertising campaign.
Macaulay Culkin has stepped back into his Kevin McCallister role for a new Christmas advertising campaign with a message about family and ageing.
The 45-year-old actor, best known for playing quick-witted lad Kevin who outsmarts burglars in 1990 comedy Home Alone and Home Alone 2: Lost in New York (1992), is starring in a new “Home But Not Alone” campaign for Home Instead, a company providing in-home care for older adults.
This time, the character of Kevin’s focus is on keeping his mother, Kate McCallister, played again by 71-year-old Catherine O’Hara, safe at home.
In a series of newly-released clips released as part of the campaign, Macaulay reprises his character from the original films. The main ad opens with a hand-drawn map titled “Mom’s Safety Plan”, showing danger zones around the house and notes reminding Kevin to secure a carpet to prevent tripping, raise the toilet seat and install a stairlift.
Kevin says in the video while wrapping outdoor decorations in bubble wrap: “I’m just worried about mom being by herself, y’know? What if she falls down or gets snowed in? They never did catch that South Bay Shovel Slayer.”
His conversation is interrupted by the sound of a shovel scraping the pavement, leading to an encounter with Old Man Marley’s granddaughter – a nod to the original film’s neighbour.
She asks him what he’s doing and suggests a different approach, asking: “Have you tried talking to her about getting a little help?”
She adds: “The scariest part is starting that conversation. Then at least you’ll know and can stop worrying about it. It’s not easy, but how you feel about family is a complicated thing.”
The campaign was directed by Jody Hill, who said about the ad campaign in a release shared with People: “We wanted to tell this story authentically, recognising that we all experience this moment with a loved one at some point.
“It goes beyond holiday nostalgia to connect with Kevin McCallister years later – as he faces the same concerns many of us have as our parents age. It’s real, it’s funny, and it’s deeply human.”
The “Home But Not Alone” ads are set to air during broadcasts of Home Alone and other festive programming, as well as throughout college football coverage until 11 January.
Macaulay filmed several additional clips for the project, including one re-creating a famous moment from the original movie in which Kevin’s grocery bags split open on the street.
Despite more than three decades since first playing the role, the actor said the connection between himself and Kevin remains strong – and is one now shared with his own family.
In December 2024, the father of two told E! News his four-year-old son, Dakota had begun confusing his own memories with scenes from the films.
Macaulay said: “He thinks he’s Kevin.
“I’m like, ‘Do you remember going down the stairs on the sled?’ He’s like, ‘Mmhmm, yep. Sure do.’ I’m like, ‘Do you remember when he had yellow hair?’ And he’s like, ‘Uh-huh, yep’.”
Macaulay added he responded by calling Dakota “a lying liar who lies”.
Macaulay Culkin steps back into Kevin McCallister role for new Christmas advertising campaign
