The cast of 'A Real Pain,' Kieran Culkin, Jennifer Grey, Will Sharpe and Director Jesse Eisenberg stopped by The Hollywood Reporter's studio during the Sundance film festival to chat all about their new film which follows reunited cousins on a tour through Poland to honor their beloved grandmother.
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00:00 There's a very like serene scene where we all sort of are taking a moment's silence and thinking about
00:07 you know the past and
00:09 And then Kieran is so quick right and so good at improvising
00:12 And and then at the end of this like minute silence where we're always been a few weeks like a couple of weeks by then
00:18 We're really deep in it and Kieran just managed to do the most incredible fire that I heard
00:23 And I was like wow there's absolutely nothing this guy can't do
00:26 [Laughter]
00:28 What is
00:35 Everyone's favorite thing about Jesse as a director?
00:39 Oooooh
00:40 I like that I'm not the most nervous person in the room
00:43 [Laughter]
00:45 You're right, that's a good point
00:47 He makes me feel calm
00:49 He makes me feel calm as a cucumber
00:51 He makes me feel calm as a cucumber
00:53 Aww, because he's so good
00:55 You're so sweet, thank you
00:57 It's nice, it's interesting because it's like it still feels like it's a collaboration but
01:01 He's
01:03 It stops with him and you trust him because you know
01:07 I think the script was so
01:09 Well written that he has this vision so we know that it's in good hands because it's with him
01:14 But it's also not doesn't have to be specifically
01:16 What he wants I think he was pretty open to talking to others
01:20 He had an idea of how it should be shot but he just out to his DP for opinions for your producers
01:26 It was really everyone for pretty much every moment so
01:29 Except me, at the time I had anything
01:32 Well you want to go to a helpful opinions
01:34 [Laughter]
01:36 I also felt like you were very empathetic
01:39 I don't know if it comes from being so experienced as an actor
01:42 But it was felt like you always very tuned in to how everyone was feeling at any moment
01:46 And was very mindful of making us all feel comfortable and confident
01:51 I was intimidated by you because he's directed many more things than I have so I was
01:56 No it's objective truth
01:58 And so like yeah I was just
02:00 I also felt Kieran we're doing scenes together and Kieran's feeling like
02:04 Oh the other actor is judging me and I'm feeling that from
02:07 I mean no one was judging anybody of course
02:09 Or everyone was judging everyone
02:11 But there was that challenge because I've never done scenes with the director
02:16 And the moment would be like cut here's what I think
02:18 And I'm like you're noting me I got some stuff I can say
02:22 God damn it Clements
02:23 That was like the first instinct
02:25 He's the director
02:26 You can really do it like that?
02:28 Yeah
02:29 I got one that he gave me that I remember you laughing at because I think you thought he was kidding
02:33 But he wasn't he was serious
02:34 You were like you just went okay that was good that was one of the best ones
02:37 There was still a part in the middle that was very bad but I liked the rest of it
02:40 I wouldn't really call that a note it's just something he said
02:43 It's not really a note I can take
02:44 What was unique about this I think was that
02:48 For me anyway it was my first time in Poland
02:51 And it's a very funny film
02:53 And a lot of it is built on the chemistry that you guys had
02:56 That I couldn't believe the first time that I saw you acting together
02:59 That it was your first time acting together
03:01 And so it's a very personal story and it's welcoming to the audience I think
03:05 But it's also obviously does walk through some profound landscapes
03:10 And so for me I think it really felt like we were kind of not in a deliberate method way I don't think
03:16 But we were kind of doing this tour together
03:19 And particularly when we went to Majdanek which is a concentration camp
03:23 It really did feel like we were being educated and we were sort of
03:27 So there was something about the experience of that which felt very
03:30 That I was very grateful for I suppose
03:32 Would you if you were on a tour group like would you be in the position of group leader
03:38 Did that feel natural?
03:39 No I think I would be too neurotic even to join a tour
03:43 Right I'll be mad at you
03:44 You just had a question because I gathered from that
03:47 Are you the kind of person that would be in charge of the gathering of like a dinner or something like that
03:51 Because I would never I wouldn't even like look at my phone
03:53 Somebody plan a dinner and I'll be there but you seem like somebody who would
03:58 Only if I'm specifically employed to do that
04:01 Okay got it
04:02 Understood
04:03 I don't think I'm a natural like
04:05 It depends on the context I guess but
04:07 No I don't think I would be the natural sort of tour guide like everyone follow me
04:11 But the thing that was so cool about what you did was I saw your part in it
04:15 And I really was like la la la la la la
04:18 And like all the other stuff and la la la la la la
04:20 And then when you did it it was so magnetizing and hilarious
04:27 Hilarious
04:28 I mean I don't know how you got that comedy and that accent
04:33 The whole character it was crazy watching it come out
04:37 And it became super amazing
04:40 Special
04:41 Oh thanks thank you
04:42 I mean it was a lot of fun
04:43 I mean the biggest thing for me was that you let me do a northern accent
04:47 Northern British accent because the read through we did it just in a normal kind of RP sort of
04:53 But something about it felt quite condescending
04:57 And I knew from our conversations that you wanted James to be somebody who had no bad intentions whatsoever
05:03 He really was obsessed with this history
05:05 And so that opened it up for me
05:08 The day before we shot I mean Will concocted an entirely different kind of characterization and voice
05:13 And thank God because it stands out as this incredibly sweet vulnerable
05:18 Earnest
05:19 Earnest
05:20 Kieran have you even been like you've been on the road and like we had awards shows, Emmys
05:24 Did you come straight here so it's like a
05:26 I packed up my kids yesterday morning
05:28 My wife took the kids home and then I flew here
05:33 And yeah I haven't had like a moment sort of resting
05:36 But I'm really looking forward to it when I get home
05:38 Because the last couple of weeks I haven't really been much of a parent
05:42 Which makes me feel like shit and makes me feel like I'm not me
05:45 So I'm looking forward to I'm going to turn the world off for about a week and just be a dad
05:50 Did you read the email?
05:51 No I did not
05:52 I'm like nothing at all I'm at all except just you know diapers and bath time and stuff for like a week
05:59 And then but then but there's been a double strike happening which has been really a probably shouldn't say I don't care
06:05 Lovely for me I've been hiding behind it
06:07 I'm like no work fantastic and I've just been home
06:09 The same thing happened with my first kid I was home for the first whole year
06:15 Without a day work because there was post show stuff and we were supposed to get started
06:19 And then after six months was lockdown so then I ended up having to
06:23 So like I get these thankfully these large periods of time where I get to just do that
06:27 And that's where I feel like I'm most me
06:29 So I get to have that for a while because I actually don't quite know when the next job is
06:33 So I know that I have after this thing I'm going to go right back into a few more months
06:38 I'm talking to somebody else
06:40 I'm about to start another movie next week and I'm in New Jersey
06:46 And I just feel like very excited to be part of this movie which I find so beautiful meaningful
06:55 And all I want to do is work with people like these guys
06:59 And us to you
07:01 It's really it's a massive gift
07:04 There's really smart really talented really funny humans
07:09 I don't know how to do that I thought I could do that well
07:13 There's a very like serene scene where we all sort of are taking a moment silence
07:20 And thinking about you know the past and I think Kieran is so quick right
07:25 And so good at improvising and then at the end of this like minute silence
07:29 Where we're always been a few weeks like a couple of weeks by then we're really deep in it
07:33 And Kieran just managed to do the most incredible fire I've ever heard
07:37 And I was like wow there's absolutely nothing this guy can't do
07:40 [Laughter]
07:43 (cat meows)