A Halloween costume inspired by a decades-old wartime painting has sparked criticism, with some social media users questioning Macaulay Culkin’s choice of outfit.
The 46-year-old shared a photograph of himself dressed in military-style clothing, complete with a hat and green paint covering parts of his face.
Some viewers interpreted the photograph as an attempt at blackface, while others were quick to defend Culkin, pointing out that the costume was based on an iconic depiction of a soldier.
The disagreement soon spread across X and Reddit, where users weighed in on the matter.
The image that inspired the actor’s costume dates back to 1944, when American war artist Tom Lea painted That 2,000 Yard Stare, a U.S. Marine during the Battle of Peleliu in the Pacific Theater.
Macaulay Culkin Halloween costume
One X user criticized the costume, writing: “It’s not blackface, but it’s kinda inappropriate and clueless considering how many war conflicts happening in the world today,” according to VT.
Another commenter was even more direct, describing it as “the worst possible choice he could have made this year”.
However, plenty of people disagreed with the backlash and argued that the actor was being criticized for something he had not actually intended to portray.
One person praised the costume, writing: “Macaulay Culkin nailing the thousand-yard stare soldier meme is a top tier Halloween costume,” according to VT.
Another user expressed frustration over the misunderstanding, saying: “It’s sad people think this is anything other than the thousand-yard stare.”
The discussion became so widespread that an AI-generated community note on X was added to clarify the photograph’s context. It explained that Culkin had used green face paint to recreate the wartime image, rather than wearing blackface.
Culkin has yet to publicly respond to the criticism.
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