Though Brenda Song and Macaulay Culkin’s similar beginnings as child actors was not among the first things they bonded over, the star of The Suite Life of Zack and Cody revealed that she and her partner later connected over shared “trauma.”
During a Monday episode of podcast Sibling Revelry with Kate and Oliver Hudson, Song—who found fame as a young actor on the Disney Channel—reflected on “certain anxieties” she and Culkin share stemming from working in the spotlight at a young age, and discussed how it has impacted their relationship.
“It wasn’t one of the first things we connected on, but I think there was this unspoken understanding that we’ve had certain trauma that we both share that we didn’t even quite realize stems from us being child actors,” Song said. “Certain anxieties or stressors or even triggers that you don’t realize ... you don’t realize, as a kid, how much that affects you as an adult.”
The Last Showgirl star went on to claim that she and Culkin had “very different” experiences despite both growing up in Hollywood. Culkin, who shot to movie stardom and Christmas royalty after starring in Chris Columbus’ 1990 classic Home Alone, was “the most famous child actor in the world.”
“[It] impacted how we look at our relationship with the industry now, how he looks at it, and how I look at it,” Song continued. “I always say, like, I’ve been in this business for 33 years, and I still love it. Something must be wrong with me.”
“It’s also been really nice, though, to have someone who truly just really understands,” the actress added.
“He gets what I do on a different kind of level, and it’s been so nice. I’ve never had that before,” she continued, noting that she had never dated an actor before.
Song is one of the Disney Channel’s most beloved alums, having starred in its widely popular sitcom The Suite Life of Zack and Cody and film Wendy Wu: Homecoming Warrior. Meanwhile, Culkin’s work as a child actor includes the Home Alone series and Richie Rich.
The couple began dating in 2017 after working together in Changeland, Seth Green’s directorial debut. They have since welcomed two children together and got engaged in 2022.
