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Macaulay Culkin, 39, will be the first to admit that yes, he’s had some “fun” when it comes to using drugs in the past, but he’s clean now and planning on staying that way. The actor sat down for a tell-all interview with Esquire for its latest cover issue, which hits newstands on Feb. 18, and he was quick to open up about his experience with drugs. “Listen. I played with some fire, I guess is the best way to put it. At the same time, I’ve never been to rehab or anything like that,” he told the outlet. “I’ve never had to clean out that way. There were certain times when I had to catch myself, once or twice. You’re having too good a time, Mack. I mean, I’ve had friends who ask me, ‘How do I get clean?’ And I go, I’m the last person you should ask, because I’m gonna give you the worst advice, which is: Just stop. Just stop! And that’s not the way it works. But I never went so far down that road where I needed outside help.”
Although the Home Alone star was happy to admit that he no longer does drugs, he doesn’t seem to have any regrets about what he’s experienced. “I wouldn’t be the person I am today if I hadn’t had drugs in my life at some point or another,” he said. “I had some illuminating experiences—but also it’s f*ckin’ stupid, too, you know? So besides the occasional muscle relaxer [prescribed for back pain as noted in the article], no, I don’t do drugs recreationally. I still kinda drink like a fish. I drink and I smoke. But I don’t touch the things. I do love them. They’re like old friends. But sometimes you outgrow your friends.”
One of the reasons Mack has decided to live a healthier drug-free lifestyle is because of his serious relationship with his girlfriend Brenda Song, 31. The couple met while filming the 2019 film Changeland directed by Seth Green, and now they’re sharing a house, some cats, and trying to have a baby. “We practice a lot,” he said with a smirk. “We’re figuring it out, making the timing work. Because nothing turns you on more than when your lady comes into the room and says, ‘Honey, I’m ovulating.’ ”
Mack’s relationship with Brenda is just one of the many normal things he insists are now a part of his life. Despite starting off his career as a mega famous child actor and becoming a person who has often been criticized for a number of things, he feels he’s now “well-adjusted” even if it may shock some folks. “People assume that I’m crazy, or a kook, or damaged. Weird. Cracked. And up until the last year or two, I haven’t really put myself out there at all. So I can understand that,” he explained. “It’s also like, Okay, everybody, stop acting so freaking shocked that I’m relatively well-adjusted. Look: I’m a pretty peerless person. If I was an accountant, I could look left and right, and there’s other accountants sitting next to me in the office. It’s not like that. It’s one of those things where, like, the cliché that we’re all snowflakes? That we’re all unique? Well, you know what? I actually am a snowflake.”