Kieran Culkin Agreed to Do ‘SNL’ ‘Father of the Bride’ Reunion 1 Day Before it Aired
Kieran Culkin is a major TV star today, but he spent most of his childhood appearing in movies. He was a fixture in dramas and comedies in the 1990s. Most notably, he appeared in the Father of the Bride films alongside Steve Martin.
The 40-year-old actor is far removed from his days of childhood stardom. Given how strikingly grotesque — and hilarious — his character on the HBO drama Succession is, it’s hard to connect that with his older work. The writers of Saturday Night Live haven’t forgotten, though, and they wrote a sketch with that in mind.
Kieran Culkin made a strong transition from child stardom to serious adult roles
Culkin was born into an acting family. His father was a Broadway star, who encouraged and managed his children’s acting careers. The star first appeared in Home Alone alongside his brother. He found his niche as a reliable child actor who could handle both serious and comedic material better than many of his peers.
That seriousness earned him work in dramas like the 1999 drama The Cider House Rules, Collider reports. After a long run of mostly being the confident kid in comedies like Father of the Bride and its sequel, Culkin became a go-to young dramatic actor. His resume takes a turn after Cider House, with lots of emotional and often dark projects like The Dangerous Lives of Altar Boys and Lymelife.
His two lives in acting — the 1990s charming child actor, the brooding indie drama leading man — made him perfect for Succession. As the boisterous, obnoxious, perpetually perverted Roman Roy, he’s the comic relief in most scenes he storms into. But the character’s embarrassing and shockingly emotional moments cut deep, too. Culkin has the acting tools to do it all.
Kieran Culkin reprised his childhood role in ‘Father of the Bride’ on ‘SNL’
SNL had a chance to use Culkin. They had a Father of the Bride sketch ready to go. When Steve Martin’s around, you’ve got to reference one of his most memorable films. It came together quickly, and the Succession star was available to appear. But apparently, we’re lucky that his surprising cameo happened at all.
The actor explained his situation to Jimmy Fallon in an interview posted to the Tonight Show YouTube channel. “I didn’t think they were actually gonna go through with it when they said, ‘Are you available tomorrow to do it?’ Tomorrow. It was, like, getting the call like, ‘Would you show up to SNL and be Matty Banks?’ Yeah, sure. It’ll happen. Yeah, why not, though, right?” said Culkin.
Culkin learned his lines and rushed over to the SNL set, and hit his mark on live TV to raucous applause. After 30 years, he was back in his old Father of the Bride character, if only for a few seconds.
Kieran Culkin is a standout among a cast of heavy hitters on ‘Succession’
Succession is about to end. The Roman character will likely endure as one of the most memorable elements of the show. Among the method acting genius of Jeremy Strong and the old-school theater acting of Brian Cox, Culkin still made a strong statement as an actor.
Season 4 finds Roman cast in a new light, according to TV Insider. He’s realizing that his siblings, who work so hard to present a serious veneer to the world, actually need leadership. It’s Roman who has to cut through the noise and insist that it’s time for them to cut their own path through the world. Their own money, their own dealmaking — moving past their domineering father once and for all.
