Trust the Kieran Culkin Process

As a seasoned observer of Hollywood’s enigmatic figures, I find Kieran Culkin to be an intriguing character. His life, much like a well-crafted screenplay, is filled with unexpected twists and turns, punctuated by moments of heartfelt sincerity and self-deprecating humor.

I’m currently waiting for Kieran Culkin at the Greenpoint ferry station, as he proposed we meet there early Friday morning to catch a boat ride to Dumbo, then stroll across the Brooklyn Bridge into Manhattan – a kind of hungover New Yorker’s challenge. He’s running late and sending me self-deprecating messages about it: “I was just about to text you to check if you were also delayed or if you were punctual and mature, unlike myself.” Just as I spot him from afar, the ferry arrives at the dock. Recognizable in his all-black attire, sunglasses, and distinctive gait, he looks relieved upon reaching me, slightly out of breath but on time. “This is what I do,” he says, “I show up places without knowing the airline or city, and everything still works out fine.

In the queue to present our tickets, Macaulay Culkin – a long-time New York resident who had been traveling alone on the subway by the age of 13, exhibiting a natural rebelliousness and discernment that comes with such independence – suddenly launched into an impromptu yet heartfelt rant about the ferry’s faulty digital ticketing system. He expressed frustration over having to visit the kiosk to obtain a ticket rather than simply carrying a physical one (“I can easily store the real ticket in my pocket. I just need to arrive early enough to use the machine, but I’m too lazy… and now I’m complaining about my laziness”). Later on, it would become clear that this off-the-cuff commentary was one of his greatest skills, surpassed only by his knack for infusing humor, emotion, and a sense of authenticity into the numerous onscreen characters he has portrayed since childhood. In due course, he would gleefully unleash his inner Larry David, critiquing everything from coffee-lid sizes to the peculiarity of wearing shorts (“It’s a strange article of clothing”).

42-year-old Culkin, much like himself, has built his career by portraying boys, adolescents, and adult men. These characters are known for being talkative yet stubborn, maintaining a thin line between charming and irritable, naturally funny, occasionally angry, and self-critical. He excels at playing individuals who appear to have mastered the carefree, rebellious persona, but their vulnerability and pain shine through the cracks. His talent for this was first showcased as part of the short-lived yet influential Culkin Child-Actor Dynasty in ’90s films like “The Mighty,” “The Cider House Rules,” and “Father of the Bride.” As a teenager, he honed his skills in more artistic movies such as “Igby Goes Down” and “The Dangerous Lives of Altar Boys.” Most recently, he has refined and made this portrayal iconic on HBO’s “Succession,” where he plays the complex character Roman Roy, a sad, perverted clown.

In the upcoming film titled “A Real Pain“, Macon Blair directs a dramedy that follows two cousins, played by Jesse Eisenberg and Macaulay Culkin, as they embark on a Holocaust tour of Poland in remembrance of their deceased grandmother. The story unfolds with Culkin’s character, Benji, displaying his unique charm early on through engaging conversations with fellow travelers. However, this easy-going demeanor begins to crack, revealing a deeper, troubled side that captivates audiences throughout the film. While Eisenberg plays David, Benji’s reserved cousin who feels both envy and pity for him, the narrative of “A Real Pain” truly revolves around Culkin’s exceptional portrayal. Eisenberg admits to being consistently amazed by Culkin’s ability to appear on set without knowing which scene they would be filming that day, quickly grasp his lines, and then deliver what he describes as “the best acting I’ve ever witnessed in my career.” Critics have praised Culkin’s performance at the Sundance and Telluride Film Festival premieres, placing him in contention for Best Supporting Actor at the Oscars.

Almost dropped out of the movie, Culkin was known for being choosy with roles; he rejected numerous offers from 2002’s “Igby” onwards, unsure if his pastime should become a full-blown career. “Opportunities were coming,” he reminisces about that period, including scripts tailored for him, and “I panicked, fled.” He eventually grew accustomed to taking up more roles, agreeing only when he felt a strong connection – which is exactly what transpired when he read the script for “A Real Pain” during the final season of “Succession” in 2022.

“It was one of the very, very, very rare scripts that I laughed out loud reading,” he says as we disembark and begin our trek toward the bridge, both sweating in the early-September sun as he curses himself for coming up with this activity and then showing up for it in an entirely black outfit. “It was that rare thing of, Oh, I know who this character is and I know how to do it.” Specifically, he recognized Benji as a near-perfect doppelgänger of someone unnamed whom he knows in real life as well as in a sort of a quantum-multiverse, Sliding Doors version of himself. “I’m one quick little misstep away from being that person,” he says, and he credits his decision to stop smoking weed in his 20s as one of the things that saved him from a lonely, depressive, Benji-esque fate. He took the role after the Real Pain producers told him the film wasn’t shooting for another year. “I’m like, ‘Oh, a year? That’s not real life.’ Then that year was up. And I had a panic.”

Macaulay Culkin openly expresses his deep attachment to his wife, Jazz Charton, and their two children, frequently mentioning them without being prompted. He admits that some people may claim they want to be stay-at-home parents, but he understands it might not be everyone’s reality. However, the thought of being apart from his family for extended periods causes him significant stress. During filming for Succession, he discovered that he can only be away from them for eight days before experiencing a state of dissociative despair. He candidly admits, “I don’t know who I am without them.” As we disembarked the ferry, Culkin reflexively reached towards the storage area for his children’s stroller, humorously exclaiming, “Where are my kids?!

He tried to pull out of A Real Pain just before production began and ended up on the phone with Emma Stone, his onetime girlfriend and a producer of the film. “She did an almost reverse-psychology thing on me,” he says, laughing. “She was like, ‘Oh, I totally get that. If I were you, I’d probably feel that way.’ And I was like, ‘But have they started?’ She goes, ‘Oh, yeah. They’re actually already in Poland scouting locations; people are hired.’ I was like, ‘It’s not like people would be out of a job?’ She’s like, ‘No, no, they would, but it’s not on you. You said ‘yes,’ but if you have your reasons for not doing it, you’re not responsible for these people’s jobs. It’s fine; you do whatever you want.’ And I got off the phone and I went, ‘Ah.’ ” Stone laughs recalling the conversation. “I can’t believe he talked about it publicly,” she says. “Producing, I’ve realized now, is like parenting — every kid needs different things.” Stone got on the plane with Culkin, his wife, and their kids to make sure he made the journey. “I was so grateful that he did it, but, also, thank fucking God. Because it would’ve been catastrophic,” she says. His family was able to join him for a good chunk of the shoot but not all. When I ask how he pushed through the 25 days without them, he deadpans, “Alcohol.”

Jesse Eisenberg didn’t find out about Macaulay Culkin’s attempt to withdraw from the project until after the movie was completed. However, when Culkin eventually shared this with him, Eisenberg took it in stride, expressing curiosity about their prior interactions. “It was just another instance of Who is this person?”, Eisenberg remarked. Interestingly, Eisenberg cast Culkin without having seen any of his performances before. Their encounters were limited to a brief meeting on the set of Zombieland and an audition for Adventureland, where Culkin didn’t get the role but Eisenberg did. During this audition, Culkin made an unconventional move by pinching Eisenberg’s nipples through his shirt, which he forgot to let go during a pause in filming. When I mentioned this incident to Eisenberg, he seemed to recall it, saying, “That rings a bell. Yes, that’s correct. We’ve never discussed it, but I think he squeezed my chest.” Although the nipple-squeezing didn’t leave a lasting impact, what did was Culkin’s unique ability to portray both lightness and darkness simultaneously. Eisenberg admired this, stating that Culkin “displays quick wit, but there’s also a certain weightiness about him.

Culkin isn’t Jewish, which was a major discussion, Eisenberg says: “I have 17,000 thoughts about this, and where I come out is he gave me an amazing gift by helping to tell this story that is very personal for my family.” As Benji, Culkin is as enchanting as he is impulsive and infuriating, casually befriending other people on the tour to the astonished envy of David then later berating their sweet guide for his “constant barrage of stats.” In a vivid moment roughly midway through the film, he publicly melts down about the cognitive dissonance of traveling first class on a Polish train on a Holocaust tour, embarrassing David and baffling his peers. David in particular can’t seem to understand why Benji is so consistently plagued by suffering. “You see how people love you? You see what happens when you walk into a room?” he goes on to ask him. “I would give anything to know what that feels like, man.”

Unlike many actors who strive to move past their iconic roles for fear of being stereotyped or pigeonholed, Culkin embraces his role in “Succession”. The show holds a special significance for him, as it was during this series that he found his calling as an actor. On a more casual note, he often watched the show with his co-star Kieran Culkin as it aired each Sunday night. However, he generally avoided internet discussions about the series. His wife would occasionally inform him of jokes or criticisms, such as comments about his peculiar seating position in the show, which he found amusing yet unexpected. He has not seen the final episode yet due to scheduling conflicts and, admittedly, some apprehension about wrapping up the storyline. Even though it’s been a while since the series ended, he and Kieran are planning a rewatch from the beginning. Intriguingly, Culkin expresses hope for a surprise fifth season, stating that he still feels like they might get a call to continue the show. He confesses his reluctance to watch the finale may be due to the fear of saying goodbye to the whole experience. As we chat, a massive billboard featuring his “Succession” co-star Alexander Skarsgård towers over us. Culkin falls silent, his eyes lighting up as he gazes upon the image, exclaiming, “Well! There he is.

During the filming of Succession, Culkin experimented with his lines and character, leading to a unique, free-flowing acting style. However, he prefers not to label it improvisation (“There’s a certain feel to that”). Instead, he coins the term blagging, which is British slang he learned from his wife, essentially meaning “fake it till you make it.” He is not fond of discussing the intricacies or analyzing it extensively; he fears overthinking might spoil the magic. As he puts it, “It’s written, I understand my character, and sometimes strange things just come out; that’s all there is to it. And I don’t push it.

The unconventional approach taken during filming of “A Real Pain” led to an initial disagreement between Eisenberg and Culkin on set. Eisenberg is a methodical planner, meticulously arranging each scene beforehand. However, Culkin found this structure restrictive. “It felt a bit like going backwards,” he commented. “Jesse had already set up shots for me when I arrived, telling me where to stand. And I’m thinking, ‘How do you know?’ He replied, ‘Why wouldn’t you?’ I responded, ‘Well, we haven’t tried it yet is all I’m saying.’ I tried to adapt to his style during the first few days, but I found myself questioning, ‘Why was I hired?‘” Eisenberg later admitted that he changed his approach after filming a particular scene where he asked Culkin to improvise and run up to co-star Jennifer Grey. “He was so spontaneous and humorous that I didn’t mind abandoning the script.

Currently, we’re in the East Village, a place Macaulay Culkin called home for over two decades, where he’s reuniting with Charton. From afar across the street, he calls out loudly to attract her attention. Charton is charming and witty, and their chemistry is palpable as they seamlessly converse about their children and each other. Charton playfully ridicules Culkin for being winded from our walk. “We went to our daughter’s school, and you’re only supposed to use the elevator in an emergency or if necessary, so we took the stairs, and Kieran was out of breath at the second floor,” she teases, giggling. Culkin continues the tale: “I made it to the third floor, and I took a breather. She thought I was joking.” Charton mimics Culkin: “‘I can feel my heart!’

In January, Culkin made an announcement during the Emmys that he wished to have another child, with Macaulay promising her consideration if he won the award. “She didn’t believe I would win,” he admits, shaking his head. “I hadn’t thought about how people might react to this,” he explains. It turned out to be a bit of a misstep. “I was very touched by it, first,” Macaulay says. “And then I was quite puzzled as to why he would bring up my ability to have children.” Culkin acknowledges his mistake, smiling sheepishly. “I did publicly call you out,” he concedes. “I guess, unfortunately, he’s not extremely famous or anything, but I received some strange messages about it from friends and family,” Macaulay says. “It feels like my ability to have children is now a public topic.” He expresses regret for the misstep, and the possibility of another child remains an option.

Macaulay Culkin’s upcoming major production is “Glengarry Glen Ross” on Broadway, sharing the stage with Bob Odenkirk and Bill Burr in the springtime. He decided to take on this play since he believed it would provide him with additional time for his family. When he consulted friends who have children and work in theater, they warned him, “You rarely see your kids. You’re working every night. You never participate in bath time or bedtime. You get one night a week.” Instead of attempting to back out, he requested the producers adjust the schedule to ensure he had Sundays off. Remarkably, they agreed and shifted the show to Mondays. “I’ve never heard of a show closing on Sundays,” he notes. “Now I have one day a week solely dedicated to being a father.

That evening, he and I rendezvous at a Gramercy steakhouse adorned with a large “Beef and Liberty” sign, a place that high-profile individuals like the Roman Roys might casually use as a cocaine-snorting spot, and across the street, the entire Lohan family is dining al fresco. When I inquire if Culkin knows Lindsay, he clarifies her name pronunciation (LO-uhn) and claims not to recognize any famous individuals except for the news anchors on NY1; he recently chatted with a significant Disney executive without realizing who they were. We opt for dirty martinis – “Very, very, very dry, barely any vermouth” – and Culkin spends an extended period pondering which steak to select, querying the waiter about its origin before settling on a substantial bone-in for himself to share with his family at home. However, when he requests a takeout container later, he gives it all to me, insisting I take the leftovers so I can prepare a steak soup according to his brother’s recipe that he once enjoyed. With a deep breath, he starts meticulously detailing the recipe for the dish in an impassioned, precise manner.

2024-10-22 14:54

Trust the Kieran Culkin Process

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