Kieran Culkin

You became a Polish citizen, so what moved you to do that?

My guest is Jesse Eisenberg. He wrote, directed, and stars with Kieran Culkin in the film A Real Pain. We'll hear more of the interview after a break. I'm Terry Gross, and this is Fresh Air Weekend.

My guest is Jesse Eisenberg. He wrote, directed, and stars with Kieran Culkin in the film A Real Pain. We'll hear more of the interview after a break. I'm Terry Gross, and this is Fresh Air Weekend.

My guest is Jesse Eisenberg. He wrote, directed, and stars with Kieran Culkin in the film A Real Pain. We'll hear more of the interview after a break. I'm Terry Gross, and this is Fresh Air Weekend.

So I want to play a clip from A Real Pain. And this is a scene that not only shows the kind of emotional turbulence that the Kieran Culkin character is going through—he plays your cousin, and he's the one who is very prone to severe depression— But he also gets kind of manic when he's around people.

So I want to play a clip from A Real Pain. And this is a scene that not only shows the kind of emotional turbulence that the Kieran Culkin character is going through—he plays your cousin, and he's the one who is very prone to severe depression— But he also gets kind of manic when he's around people.

So I want to play a clip from A Real Pain. And this is a scene that not only shows the kind of emotional turbulence that the Kieran Culkin character is going through—he plays your cousin, and he's the one who is very prone to severe depression— But he also gets kind of manic when he's around people.

And I don't know if you would describe him as bipolar, but those are the two extremes of character that he goes through. So in this scene, everyone on this small tour is at a restaurant. And your character is talking about the grandmother and how she survived the Nazis through a thousand miracles.

And I don't know if you would describe him as bipolar, but those are the two extremes of character that he goes through. So in this scene, everyone on this small tour is at a restaurant. And your character is talking about the grandmother and how she survived the Nazis through a thousand miracles.

And I don't know if you would describe him as bipolar, but those are the two extremes of character that he goes through. So in this scene, everyone on this small tour is at a restaurant. And your character is talking about the grandmother and how she survived the Nazis through a thousand miracles.

So before we hear the scene, I just want to say you're going to hear a couple of very loud burps during the scene. And that is the Kieran Culkin character who will be doing the burping. Here's the scene.

So before we hear the scene, I just want to say you're going to hear a couple of very loud burps during the scene. And that is the Kieran Culkin character who will be doing the burping. Here's the scene.

So before we hear the scene, I just want to say you're going to hear a couple of very loud burps during the scene. And that is the Kieran Culkin character who will be doing the burping. Here's the scene.

I'm gonna go to the bathroom. I'll get that. Don't worry. Pee-pee time. So that's an example of how really inappropriate Karen Culkin, who plays your cousin, can be. Tell us why you wanted to create that difference, because this is another really important dynamic in the film. You've both had a very similar upbringing. You lived close to each other when you were children. You were like brothers.

I'm gonna go to the bathroom. I'll get that. Don't worry. Pee-pee time. So that's an example of how really inappropriate Karen Culkin, who plays your cousin, can be. Tell us why you wanted to create that difference, because this is another really important dynamic in the film. You've both had a very similar upbringing. You lived close to each other when you were children. You were like brothers.

I'm gonna go to the bathroom. I'll get that. Don't worry. Pee-pee time. So that's an example of how really inappropriate Karen Culkin, who plays your cousin, can be. Tell us why you wanted to create that difference, because this is another really important dynamic in the film. You've both had a very similar upbringing. You lived close to each other when you were children. You were like brothers.

You were born three weeks apart, or three months apart, I forget which. But now like you're living in separate cities in New York. You're in New York City. He's in Binghamton. And you've gone in different directions. He seems like totally rootless. And you have a good job. You're married. You have a child. You have a nice home. And he's lived in his mother's basement.

You were born three weeks apart, or three months apart, I forget which. But now like you're living in separate cities in New York. You're in New York City. He's in Binghamton. And you've gone in different directions. He seems like totally rootless. And you have a good job. You're married. You have a child. You have a nice home. And he's lived in his mother's basement.

You were born three weeks apart, or three months apart, I forget which. But now like you're living in separate cities in New York. You're in New York City. He's in Binghamton. And you've gone in different directions. He seems like totally rootless. And you have a good job. You're married. You have a child. You have a nice home. And he's lived in his mother's basement.

We don't know if he's still there or where he is or if he has any home at all. So why did you want to create that wide range, that big dynamic of difference between the two cousins?