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Macaulay Culkin recalls John Candy flagging his dad's 'monster' behavior before anyone else

"I remember John caring when not a lot of people did."

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Macaulay Culkin and John Candy in 'Uncle Buck'

Comedy legend John Candy was honored in the emotional new documentary John Candy: I Like Me, which premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival on Thursday.

In it, a slew of famous folks that once shared the screen with Candy—including Dan Aykroyd, Tom Hanks, Macaulay Culkin, Martin Short, Steve Martin, Catherine O’Hara, and Andrea Martin—shared touching memories that further solidify the late actor as not only a once-in-a-generation talent, but a truly good human being as well.

One standout story comes from Culkin, who recalled Candy having a “paternal” instinct for the former child actor while working together on John Hughes’ Uncle Buck in 1989—especially when it came to protecting Culkin from his estranged father, Christopher "Kit" Culkin.

- YouTube www.youtube.com

"I think [Candy] always had that really great instinct. I think he saw. Listen, even before the wave crested and the Home Alone stuff was happening, it was not hard to see how difficult my father was. It was no secret. He was already a monster," Culkin said in the documentary, as reported by People.

"All of a sudden, the fame and the money came, and he became an infamous monster," Culkin said. "He was already not a good guy. I think John was looking a little side-eyed, like, 'Is everything alright over there? You doing good? Good day? Everything's alright? Everything good at home? Alright.'"

Culkin commended that behavior as "a testament to the kind of man he was," noting that “it doesn't happen that often. It actually happened less as time went on.”

- YouTube www.youtube.com

"I wish I got more of that in my life. It's important that I remember that," Culkin said. "I remember John caring when not a lot of people did.”

Culkin also recalled that Candy displayed a lot of respect for the former child star and his on-screen sister, Gaby Hoffmann.

“When you're eight years old, you don't really get respect, whether it's in a workplace or just from adults and grown-ups in general. You felt invited in [by Candy]," he shared.

While Uncle Buck didn’t go on to achieve great critical acclaim, Candy's portrayal of the titular character is beloved by fans and is often celebrated for its comedic and heartwarming elements—helping turn him into a bona fide star of the 80s.

Colin Hanks, who created the documentary, met Candy as a kid. In 1984, his father, Tom Hanks, starred with Candy in the romantic comedy Splash. Similar to Culkin, Colin recalled Candy having a special way with kids.

- YouTube www.youtube.com

“He just really made you feel unique,” he told People. “He made you feel heard and that's a special thing for a little kid to feel like you actually matter and your opinion matters.”

John Candy: I Like Me debuts Friday, Oct. 10 on Prime Video.

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'Just keep looking at it'. Tom Cruise's advice for overcoming social anxiety is actually spot on.

His advice helped his Mission impossible co-star Haley Atwell through some tough times.

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A still from 'Mission Impossible: Final Reckoning."

Not only can Tom Cruise do his own stunts, he's pretty good at giving pep talks too. At least, according to his Mission Impossible: Dead Reckoning Part One co-star, Haley Atwell. While promoting the film earlier this year on the Reign with Josh Smith, Atwell revealed that she, like so many of us, struggles with social anxiety, which often overwhelms her and makes her want to retreat.

But she was saved by incredibly insightful advice from Tom Cruise, which she imparts to the audience. After describing him as a positive "hair dryer" just blowing his positive energy around, Josh asks, "What's the best pep talk he's given you?" Haley answers, "Social anxiety tends to be something that people talk about a lot at the moment. It seems to be quite a buzzword of conversation."

They both agree that everyone has some version of anxiety, whether it's in a big group of people, a new work environment, or even just around a small group of friends. She confesses, "For me, I start to retreat into myself and overthink. 'Do I look weird? Do I seem awkward?' I'm not speaking, I'm just muffling my words or I need something to numb me from this.'"

- YouTube www.youtube.com

Luckily, Cruise has quite a simple way to combat these feelings. "The pep talk he gave me helps, which is that if you walk into a room and feel the anxieties coming, try doing the opposite. Try to look OUT and look around the room and go, 'Where is it? Where is the thing I have attached to my insecurity?'"

The idea is to pinpoint the place where her (or any of our) anxiety might be rooted. "Is it that person over there who reminds me of my high school bully? Is it that person over there who didn't give me a job once?" Once the source is recognized, if possible, Cruise suggests asking yourself, "Where does it live outside of me, and where do I feel like the source might be coming from?"

Haley emphasizes that examining her fear, which Cruise encourages, truly helps the anxiety subside. She continues, "If I look at it for long enough, the anxiety then can have a name. It can have a label and be contained, instead of free-floating, where I'm just in a total struggle internally with my own anxiety." Seeing through this prism, she shares, "If I’m scared of something, if I keep looking at it long enough, it tends to not be the monster under the bed anymore."

Tom Cruise, actor, social anxiety, advice, mental health, haley atwell, mission impossible, anxiety A photo of Haley Atwell at an event.commons.wikimedia.org

Naming the emotion, whether it's jealousy, loneliness, etc., can help you outwardly address it so that it doesn't fester in your mind. She reiterates Cruise's words: "If you're scared of something, just keep looking at it. Try not to look away, and it will often give you information about how to overcome it."

Cruise's advice isn't all that different from many professional therapists. In the blog post, "How to overcome social anxiety: 8 tips and strategies" (clinically reviewed by Dr. Chris Mosunic, PhD, RD, MBA, for Calm.com,) ideas on how to overcome social anxiety are given and number one on the list could have been written by Cruise himself: "Identify your triggers," they write, explaining, "The first step to managing social anxiety is understanding what sparks it. Triggers can be unique to each person. Some might find large gatherings intimidating, while for others, it might be public speaking. To identify your triggers, keep a journal of your feelings and the situations that make you anxious. Recognizing these triggers is a crucial step in managing your reactions to them."

They also suggest, among other ideas, breathing techniques such as the 4-7-8 method: breathing in for 4 seconds, holding for 7, and breathing out for 8. They also advise "challenging negative thought patterns." They explain, "Practice challenging these thoughts. Ask yourself: 'Is this thought based on facts or feelings? What's the best thing that could happen?' Replacing negative thoughts with positive ones can help reduce feelings of anxiety."

- YouTube www.youtube.com

Whether you take the advice from therapists or Tom Cruise, the takeaway remains more or less the same. Take your time to identify the source of what's triggering you. Great to know that what works for Ethan Hunt can works for the rest of us.

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Emma Thompson reveals the detail that made her big 'Love Actually' scene so heartbreaking

Thompson beautifully explained the layers that make the scene so iconic.

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Emma Thompson's bedroom scene in "Love Actually" is a performance for the ages.

The 2003 film Love Actually is probably best known for its controversial-ish cue card scene, where Andrew Lincoln's character professes his love for a Keira Knightley by silently showing her cue cards, including the famous (or infamous) line, "To me, you are perfect."

But there's another scene in the film that doesn't get nearly the recognition it deserves. It's well-regarded, but not nearly well-regarded enough.

It's been over 20 years since Alan Rickman broke Emma Thompson's heart by buying that little office tart a necklace in Love Actually, and some of us still haven't forgiven him.

With its overlapping love stories set during Christmastime, the film has become a holiday classic, despite some controversy on whether or not it's actually any good. Some people love it, some people hate it, but no one can deny that Thompson gives an Oscar-worthy performance in one utterly heart-wrecking scene.

emma thompson, alan rickman, love actually, film, hollywood, movies, acting, drama, hugh grant, andrew lincoln, keira knightley At Christmas, you tell the truth. Giphy

Of the eight "Love Actually" relationships, Harry and Karen (Rickman and Thompson, respectively) is the one that gives the film some serious gravitas. While other characters are pining or shooting their shot with varying levels of success, Harry is pulling a mid-life crisis affair with a modelesque coworker while Karen shuffles their children to and fro and keeps Harry's life running smoothly. We see him lie, we see her start to suspect, but the scene where she opens her Christmas present from Harry—a Joni Mitchell CD, not the necklace she had found hidden in his coat and thought was for her—is when we see Thompson's acting strengths in full view.

Like, phew.

What's so striking about the scene, however, is that it's not dramatic in a typical way. There's no external conflict happening—it's just Thompson excusing herself from the family to emotionally process what she's just discovered in secret. We see and feel her heartbreak—it's so visceral—but that's not what makes the scene so powerful. Heartbreak happens all the time in movies.

As Thompson explains in an interview with BBC Radio 1, it's the fact that she can't actually react the way she wants to that pulls at people's heartstrings so hard.

"I think it's just because everybody's been through something like it," Thompson says. "What I think really gets to them though is that she has to pull herself together. It's not that she's upset. That's, you know, ten a penny. But it's that she has to pull herself together."

- YouTube www.youtube.com

It's true. The conflict in the scene is between her wanting to break down and her wanting to keep her family's Christmas memories happy and intact. She is a devastated wife, but she's also a devoted mother who doesn't want to devastate her kids. We feel the tension between those two roles and the way she swallows up her grief in order to get her kids to their holiday concert right after finding out her marriage isn't what she thought it was.

When you think about it, it's incredibly poignant. And though not everyone loves the film, it's moments like this one that have helped it stand the test of time and stay on many people's holiday watch-list.

"I think it’s to do with the fact that we’re required in our lives to repress the things that we’re feeling," Thompson explained on TODAY. "So, you can be hit right between the eyes with some terrible piece of news, but you can’t react immediately because you’ve got your children there. It’s that thing of not showing — that’s why it hurts. That’s why it moves us."

Emma Thompson, love actually, acting, performance, emotional Emma Thompson nailed this scene. Giphy

"If she went, 'Oh my God! I thought you were going to give me a necklace! And now you've given it to somebody else,' we would not be moved, you know?" she continued. "We're moved because she just goes, 'I'm not gonna do it.' And then she makes the bed, the bed that sort of suddenly feels so empty of meaning. And then she goes down and goes, 'Hello, everyone! Let's go.' That's why people identify."

And the way she plays it is perfect. Any actor can cry, but it's her crying while trying not to cry and how she shows us her inner emotional turmoil without her ever saying a single word that's impressive.

If you've never seen "Love Actually" and want to see the Harry and Karen story, here are just their scenes.

- YouTube www.youtube.com

Some people have asked whether Harry actually physically cheated or not, but "Love Actually" script editor Emma Freud clarified that he did. "DEFINITELY had an affair," she wrote on X in 2015. "I begged richard just to make it a flirtation, but no. the whole way."

And did Harry and Karen stay together in the end? The film doesn't really make it clear, but at the screening Freud answered the question: “They stay together but home isn’t as happy as it once was.” Oof. There's just no non-heartbreaking answer to that question.

emma thompson, alan rickman, love actually, film, hollywood, movies, acting, drama, hugh grant, andrew lincoln, keira knightley No matter how you play it out, there's no Hollywood ending for Emma Thompson's character. Giphy

This is why we watch films, though, isn't it? To see our humanity reflected back to us? To feel what the characters feel? To have our hearts broken vicariously so we can have a good cry without going through the actual pain ourselves?

People usually watch romcoms for the romance and comedy and happy endings, though. So here's to Emma Thompson and Alan Rickman for giving us one of the most poignant scenes in cinema in one of the most unexpected places.

This article originally appeared last year. It has been updated.

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After 18 years and thousands of rejections, aspiring actor reveals what keeps him going

“If the door hasn’t opened yet, it’s not because I’m unworthy."

@Prasad/Youtube

An actor talks about remaining hopeful even after rejection.

We all face failure and rejection in our lives, but few face it as frequently as actors. So in some ways, few are as well equipped to give impactful advice for maintaining resilience in the face of obstacles. Perhaps that goes especially for the actors who have yet to make that “big break,” and somehow still find the strength to go after their dreams day in and day out.

Forty-year-old Himanshu Prasad is one of those actors. In a recent video posted to Youtube (that's honestly equal parts moving and a little bit unhinged) Prasad shared the exorbitant number of jobs across multiple casting sites that he has submitted or auditioned for over the past 18 years or pursuing an acting career.

acting, failure, rejection, resilience, inspirational, motivation, inspirational videos, actors access A still from Prasad's acting reel www.imdb.com

The total so far? 61,481 submissions. 4,014 auditions. And nadda. A few independent projects here and there—which is certainly nothing to scoff at, but still nothing that’s moved the needle.

And yet, Prasad remains unfazed.

“If the door hasn’t opened yet, it is not because I’m unworthy. It's because the room isn’t ready,” he says in the clip, adding “this is what it costs to believe when no one else does, to show up when no one is calling, to be forgotten, and still not quit, to be invisible, and still fight like you matter.”

And just what keeps him going? Not the hope of fame, but the idea of “pleasing God” by doing what he loves. You don’t have to be religious to appreciate the simplicity of that—to know that what you are doing is the "right" thing because it lights you up, and knowing that the world needs people who are lit up.

“Success isn’t a red carpet,” he told Upworthy. Rather, it’s continuing your craft in the absence of praise. To me, success means becoming the kind of person who keeps going when no one’s watching, hiring, or applauding. It is to have created impact in the lives of millions, one heart at a time. And one day, I still believe one role, one door, could change everything.”

- YouTube www.youtube.com

That's why you'll still find him training every day with a work ethic similar to that of some of his idols: Arnold Schwarzenegger and Sylvester Stallone. As Prasad told Upworthy, he described these two as "renaissance men from different worlds” who “showed unusual and unreasonable grit.”

In a society that tells us that me must have external validation to *gestures wildly* exist, it can be easy for any of us to forget our inherent worthiness or value. That goes for those of us pursuing grand ambitions, or not. But the more we can anchor ourselves in purpose, passion, or even curiosity, the easier it is to remain optimistic. Not just about our careers, but about our lives in general.

On that note, Prasad has a bit of advice for anyone facing a few setbacks:

"Rejection is not the opposite of success, it’s the training ground for it. Every 'no' is a rep in the gym of your character. If it breaks you, it wasn’t yours. If it builds you, you’re getting closer. Don’t wait for approval to become who you are.You don’t need the world to say 'yes' before you start acting like you belong. The real question isn’t how many times you’re rejected: It’s how many times you’re willing to rise without applause.Keep going. There’s always light at the end of the tunnel. One day, it’s going to be your day."

Maybe we won’t all create videos like Prasad, but here’s something to be said about finding our own individual ways to declare ourselves worthy, even if the doors don’t seem to be opening up.

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