Macaulay Culkin reveals why he and Brenda Song didn't get along when they first met in 2014

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: Macaulay Culkin, 44, and Brenda Song, 36, have built a lasting bond over the years, but their first meeting in 2014 was anything but romantic.

The pair, now engaged and raising two children, reflected on their initial impressions during an interview with Cosmopolitan on January 27.

Brenda Song recalls Macaulay Culkin's joke that 'did not go over well'

When Brenda Song and Macaulay Culkin first crossed paths at director Seth Green's home in 2014, Culkin attempted to joke about Song and Green’s sitcom 'Dads' being canceled.

However, Song wasn’t amused. “He was trying to be funny about our show being canceled, and I was not having it,” Brenda said during the interview.

Culkin admitted, “She was thoroughly unimpressed by me is what I will say.”

The two met again three years later, working on Green’s movie 'Changeland.'

Their time on set allowed them to connect over card games and shared interests, including their mutual admiration for the name Dakota.

While Song liked gender-neutral names, Culkin wanted to honor his late sister Dakota who died at the age of 29 in 2008, People reported. 

Brenda Song saw 'glimpses' of real Macaulay Culkin during 'Changeland'

As they spent more time together, Brenda Song began to see beyond the facade Macaulay Culkin had built.

"...I could see these glimpses of this really interesting, very sensitive, very intelligent, artistic person that he doesn’t really let show," she said.

Their connection deepened after filming wrapped on 'Changeland' and they continued to see each other.

Culkin shared how profoundly he felt for Song when he realized his feelings.

“I’d never felt this way before. I believed in her. I mean, I believed in people before, but I believed in her down to my bone marrow. You know what I mean? I put it behind the armor though, behind that shield,” Culkin said.

Macaulay Culkin says he and Brenda Song 'did our job'

The couple share two sons - Dakota, three, and Carson, two. Meanwhile, Song has now returned to the screen with roles in projects like 'The Last Showgirl' and Netflix’s 'Running Point.'

Culkin expressed satisfaction with the privacy of their relationship.

“That the public is like, ‘Wait, they’re together and they have kids?’ Good. That means we did our job,” he said, referencing their first public outing as a family during Culkin’s Hollywood Walk of Fame ceremony in December 2023.

Song added, “There was a point in time where I was like, ‘I must be in a simulation! I have two children with Macaulay Culkin!’”