“Bi—h, I got notes for you too”: Kieran Culkin Was Absolutely Brutal To Jesse Eisenberg in His 2nd Directorial Feature

Kieran Culkin dropped mics on stage at the Sundance Film Festival on January 18, 2024, in Park City and Salt Lake City, Utah. On Saturday afternoon, Culkin joined the fest with his A Real Pain buddies at the Eccles Theater for the movie’s big debut.

Eisenberg is stepping into the director’s chair for the second time with this film. His first directorial debut was with the film When You Finish Saving the World, adapting it from his own original audiobook series.

There at the fest, Culkin was absolutely brutal to the director Jesse Eisenberg. But the filmmaker didn’t seem to mind and also busted out of laughter.

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Kieran Culkin’s Ruthless Banter Steals Spotlight in Sundance Film Festival

A Real Pain earned a standing ovation when the credits wrapped up at the Sundance Film Festival. The good vibes kept rolling during the Q&A session, which was packed with hilarious moments. Kieran Culkin also expressed what it’s like working with Jesse Eisenberg. The Succession star said (covered via The Hollywood Reporter):

“There was a pretty good rapport right away. But right after the first scene, he’d be like, ‘Cut,’ and start giving me notes. And my first thought is, like, b*tch, I got notes for you, too. I don’t want to be noted by an actor. Get out of here. F*ck you.”

The Resistance star couldn’t hold back the laughter, and the audience loved it, too. Yet, it wasn’t just jokes. Eisenberg praised Culkin, comparing his performance to what he saw in On the Waterfront. 

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Jesse Eisenberg’s Suggested Him to Star Kieran Culkin in A Real Pain

Eisenberg, who writes, directs, and co-stars with the Succession Golden Globe winner, confessed he’d never caught the viral HBO drama series before casting Culkin (in a separate interview with THR):

“After I wrote like 20 pages of the script, I had sent it to my little sister. I had not seen ‘Succession.’ My sister said to me, ‘There’s one person who could play this part: Kieran Culkin.’ I finished the script. Talk about a year later, we’re in the position to make an offer to him and I was just praying he would do it.”

Directed by and starring Eisenberg with Culkin, Will Sharpe, and Jennifer Grey, it’s a plot that tracks the adventures of cousins David and Benji as they tour Poland to pay tribute to their dear grandma.

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A Real Pain had its world premiere at the 2024 Sundance Film Festival yesterday on 20 January 2024.