Then he saw four words.
He liked theOdd Coupledynamic between the duo.
And I was slowly coming to the realization that this was not working.
Jesse Eisenberg and Kieran Culkin on the set of ‘A Real Pain.‘Agata Grzybowska/Searchlight Pictures
What I had so far wasnt good.
Not unlike the catalytic trip in his story, it also promised an experience of a lifetime.
Suddenly, the cartoon lightbulb above his head began glowing at 1,000 watts.
(Its now playing in New York and Los Angeles, and will open wider on Nov.
The only surprise is that Eisenberg wanted to cast himself as Benji.
I saw my sister later that night, and I asked her, Could you read this thing?
Its kind of funny.
And she said, there is only one person on the planet who could play this part.
it just seemedsoright, he continues enthusiastically.
Culkin asks, speaking over the phone the next day.
Oh, so youd seen my workwhen I played a bed-wetter when I was seven.
I also found out yesterday that he has since seenMargaret,which I have a small part in.
Im still baffled by it, he adds, giggling.
Why would somebody do that?
Hes just going by his sisters recommendation?
Thats the ultimate trust in your sister.
Well, you know, weve met before fucking like, twice in passing!
Maybe three times, I think, but small interactions.
Someone said you were good.
Thats not how you hire someone for a job.
So I just said, OK. Fuck it.
It was an incredibly tight, virtually perfect script, Culkin says.
I was laughing out loud while reading it, which never happens.
It was right there on the page.
The next step was just to have a conversation with Jesse.
I mean, youve talked to him hes super smart and speaks very quickly.
I felt right away, like, Yeah, this might work.
I have known him to be a very good actor.
I see the script is great.
What he told you is correct: It was like sort of an instant thing.
It seemed to flow really quickly and easily.
when one of his tour mates mentions hes from Rwanda.
And I was like, Holy shit, shes right, he admits.
I could suddenly recognize it when she said it.
But the influence was totally subconscious.
This person wasnt on my mind while we were doing it.
(Part of which involves visiting the Majdanek concentration camp, which the production used for filming.
The reactions of shock and horror from the cast, he adds, were real.)
And the funny thing is, I got it.
This was obviously personal to me.
I was just kind of mystified that I had no connection to this place whatsoever.
I was trying to kind of shut the loop a little bit.
And actually, on Nov. 17th,I get my Polish citizenship.
