At the time of birth of Macaulay his family was not very wealthy.

From his early age the boy was attending a special school for children who plan to go into acting on the stage or in the movies. He also did dancing and ballet.

Aside from "Home Alone", he tried playing different characters, and even though the movies such as "The Good Son" were commercial successes, his new roles were harshly criticized.

It is believed that the lack of roles that Macaulay had after his success with the "Home Alone" series was because his father demanded higher pays for his son's acting and many producers did not want to pay extra.