Why Macaulay Culkin Is Sharing His Story in the John Candy Doc (Exclusive)

Macaulay Culkin made a rare public appearance for someone close to his heart. 

In the new documentary John Candy: I Like Me, Culkin, now 45, details his experience working with the late comedian, who died at the age of 43 from a heart attack in 1994. 

Why was Culkin finally ready to speak? “Honestly, I think because John Candy meant that much,” Ryan Reynolds, a producer on the documentary, says at the PEOPLE/EW and Shutterstock studio at the Toronto International Film Festival on Friday, Sept. 5.  

Culkin and Candy worked together on the 1989 John Hughes film Uncle Buck, during a time in which Culkin said Candy served as a “paternal” figure to him. 

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“I think he always had that really great instinct,” Culkin shares in the documentary of Candy looking out for him as a child. “I think [Candy] saw. Listen, even before the wave crested and the Home Alone stuff was happening, it was not hard to see how difficult my father was. It was no secret. He was already a monster.”

Both Macaulay and his brother, Succession star Kieran Culkin, have previously opened up about their allegedly toxic relationship with their father.

“All of a sudden, the fame and the money came, and [my father] became an infamous monster,” Macaulay adds, per the documentary. “He was already not a good guy. I think John was looking a little side-eyed, like, ‘Is everything alright over there? You doing good? Good day? Everything’s alright? Everything good at home? Alright.’ ”

Candy’s son, co-executive producer Christopher Candy, says he first approached the Home Alone star to be involved in the new film during a chance encounter at a Whole Foods.

“I introduced myself and then I said, ‘Well, we’re doing a documentary on him and we’d love to have you.’ He said, ‘Yeah, give me a call.’ And then we couldn’t get ahold of him,” Chris, 40, shares with PEOPLE. 

“That’s when they send me in,” Reynolds, 48, quips. 

Reynolds describes Macaulay as “one of the funniest, smartest, sharpest people I’ve ever met,” with director Colin Hanks agreeing, calling the former child star “so sharp.” 

“He has not offered as much in his own words [about Candy] very often, so I was really happy …I had an hour FaceTime with him before he ever did the interview and it was just like, it was really magical to hear him speak about John [and] just speak about his life,” Reynolds tells PEOPLE.

John Candy: I Like Me is available to stream on Prime Video starting Oct. 10.