Martin visited the Black Swan set to check on Natalie Portman. Her close friend and the film's supporting actress, Mila Kunis, joined their chat with ease.
During the conversation, Martin noticed Mila seemed hesitant, as if she wanted to say something but couldn't quite bring herself to.
At noon, Martin and Natalie grabbed lunch nearby. Over the meal, he voiced his suspicion.
"Nata, don't take this the wrong way, but I get the feeling Mila had some ulterior motive for joining our conversation."
Natalie sighed. "I know. It's about her deadbeat boyfriend."
"You mean Macaulay Culkin?"
"Yeah. Since he returned to acting in 2003, he's been stuck in limbo. Mila probably wants you to give him a leg up."
Martin nodded. "I'll keep it in mind if the right role comes along. But you know my projects don't tolerate drug users."
"I know. I'll tell Mila to talk to her boyfriend about it," Natalie said.
Martin felt a pang of sympathy for Macaulay Culkin, a former child star often compared to him in their youth. As Hollywood's hottest young talent in his day, Culkin had endured a deeply unhappy childhood.
His father, a failed Broadway actor turned church caretaker, never gave up on showbiz dreams. From age four, he drilled Macaulay in every skill needed to break into the industry. When Home Alone catapulted Macaulay to stardom, his father's twisted ambitions kicked into overdrive.
On one hand, he saw his son as a cash cow, forcing the ten-year-old to churn out fourteen films in six years, milking him dry. On the other, he was consumed by jealousy—a dream he'd chased his whole life, his kid achieved at ten.
So, he terrorized Macaulay. If you don't perform, I'll beat you, he'd threaten. In Macaulay's memoir-style novel Junior, he recalled: If the house was messy, my father would grab my face, yank me out of bed, and hit me. He never hit me in front of my friends—that'd be too humiliating. Instead, he'd pay them to stop talking to me. He loved beating my mom most. Once, on a walk, he flew into a rage, punching her head over and over.
The psychological abuse and relentless domestic violence left deep scars on a boy barely ten. Years later, Macaulay still spoke of the pain: My father was a bad man... I don't mind showing you the scars on my body.
In 1994, his parents split, but they fought viciously over custody of Macaulay—their golden goose. Desperate, fourteen-year-old Macaulay quit the industry.
His father, furious, told the press, I never saw him as my son.
At fourteen, Macaulay was effectively homeless.
The entertainment industry's dark underbelly, combined with his fractured family, led him down a grim path: smoking, drinking, drugs, reckless relationships. At his worst, he smoked over sixty cigarettes a day and spent $6,000 a week on drugs.
In 2003, Macaulay returned to acting, starring alongside Tessa Graham and Marilyn Manson in the crime-comedy Party Monster. Playing Michael, he was part of a $5 million film that grossed just $700,000 in the U.S.
As he put it: The "box-office magnet Macaulay" is gone. Now I'm just "box-office poison Macaulay."
Hollywood's saying—"child stars can't grow up"—captured the brutal reality of his post-fame struggles.
After lunch, Natalie, excited, rushed back to the set to share the news with Mila.
Mila fell silent for a long moment.
Finally, she spoke. "I don't know, honestly. I don't know if he can quit drugs. That's why I couldn't bring myself to say anything earlier—everyone knows Martin's stance on that."
She forced a smile. "But I'll try to talk to him. He can't keep going , or he'll destroy himself."
Natalie nodded. "Tell him to think of little Robert Downey Jr. If Iron Man can turn it around, so can he."
Mila burst out laughing. "You know, since you got with Martin, you've developed a sense of humor."
"What's that supposed to mean? Was I not funny before?" Natalie teased.
"Forgive my bluntness, but eight years ago when we met, you came off as this... aloof, intellectual beauty. Hard to approach. Then one day you told me about Martin, and there was this light in your eyes..."
Mila's words left Natalie quiet, reflective.
After a pause, she said, "So, meeting a man worth trusting means that much to a woman. Mira, maybe it's time to consider ending things. You're exhausted."
Mila fell silent, then shook her head. "I still want to try one more time."
The New York Times: "Wall Street's financial crisis and the ongoing economic downturn have reshaped the U.S. presidential race. Obama has adjusted his campaign strategy, invading McCain's territory, while McCain scrambles to win over traditionally Democratic states..."
The Washington Post: "On the 5th, Republican vice-presidential candidate Sarah Palin claimed that Barack Obama's ties to a 1960s radical are fair game, defending her remarks linking Obama to terrorists..."
The Washington Times: "On the 5th, Obama slammed the Republican campaign's new tactics, accusing McCain of favoring personal attacks over fixing the economy..."
Obama himself said: "McCain's camp is gambling that personal attacks, not real issues, will shift the public's focus. They'd rather drag us down than lift this country up. That's what you do when you're out of touch, out of ideas, and out of time..."