‘Harry Potter’ Director Says Kids Casting Search Was Shaped by Macaulay Culkin’s ‘Home Alone’ Stardom and Troubled Family Life: The Parents Are Just as ‘Important’

> Columbus was not aware during the making of “Home Alone” that Culkin was dealing with a troubled family life at home. The actor has long been outspoken about the abuse he endured at the hands of his father, once telling podcaster Marc Maron: “He was a bad man. He was abusive, physically and mentally — I can show you all my scars if I wanted to.” The instant stardom from “Home Alone” did not mix well with Culkin’s troubled family life, so it was important for Columbus to find kids for “Harry Potter” who had a solid foundation at home.

> “Suddenly, I realized that parents had to be a big part of it,” Columbus told Lovato in the documentary. “I can’t have [an actor] go home to a really sort of shaky environment for the sake of a film. **It’s not worth it. It was as important to cast the parents as it was to cast the kids.”**