The life and times of Macauley Culkin have been stranger than the script of any movie ever written. From his child stardom in 'Home Alone' to his friendship with Michael Jackson, his arrests and legal troubles and his multiple 'retirements' from acting (and subsequent returns), he's seen his fair share of highs and lows. His desire to shake off his 'Home Alone' typecasting have seen him try a number of experimental roles. The part of Michael Alig in 2003's 'Party Monster' was one such experiment.
This was Culkin's first movie role in nine years, and his first as an adult. It didn't do well. The real-life Michael Alig was gay, but he was also a party-obsessed socialite who got deeply involved in drugs and ended up going to jail for murder, with no redemption angle or seemingly any likable traits. Because of that, a biography of him was never likely to appeal to audiences, and it didn't. It returned less than $1m of a $5m budget, and Culkin went back to the drawing board.
Chefs made their way into celebrity land a while ago. But how many celebrities that weren’t trained as professional cooks are actually whizzes in the kitchen? Here are several that come to mind.
Actress Julia Roberts is confident about her cooking skills. “I’m quite a good cook,” she told E! News. “I’m like a closet home ec teacher…I can really cook anything.” Roberts has said she often cooks fish for herself and her kids. And speaking of her three children, “They think that I’m a good cook,” Roberts told People. “They actually told me that I should open a restaurant.” She also relishes cooking for the holidays, particularly shredded Brussel sprouts. Roberts hasn’t published a cookbook, but we did find recipes attributed to her for peach crisp and banana hemp muffins. Or you can make the same summer salad the actress supposedly eats.
Chrissy Teigen started off as a supermodel. Then her love of cooking filtered into her professional life too. At this point, she’s created recipes for a limited Blue Apron release and also just launched her own home and cooking line at Target named “Cravings,” after the two cookbooks she’s released. Teigen describes cooking as “a time of peace” for herself. So maybe peace out to her tuna melt sandwich or the fried chicken wings that are a favorite of her husband, John Legend.
Lady Gaga, whose real name is Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta, comes from a cooking Italian family. Her father started his own restaurant in New York and also published a cookbook. And apparently, Lady Gaga has inherited the family’s cooking genes. Her Instagram account occasionally features photos of her culinary activities. Sure, sometimes it’s topless cooking. But other times it’s more poignant like in the post she shared about her bringing food to the family of her dear friend who passed away. Want to try a Gaga/Germanotta family favorite? Check out her recipe for whole wheat pasta with a sweet fennel sauce.