Jordan Firstman and Cast for ‘Club Kid’ | Conversations at the SAG-AFTRA Foundation

I wanted to start with a question for Jordan and then we're going to broaden out to the group. We're rowdy today, by the way. I got that sent out in the lobby. Jordan, I guess I'm curious about playing this role with the emotional journey that you go on, right? We knew you could be funny. I'm curious about all the emotional complications of the second half, especially the testimony scene. When you were writing that for yourself, did you ever have a moment of like, what am I getting myself into? This is a big, big, meaty part I'm writing for myself. Yeah, it's funny. At the beginning of that speech, I wrote something on the plane and I re-read it and I hated it. And that happened with the script. And so I got to London and I read the speech and I hated it. And so I re-wrote it that morning and I think that made it feel super, super raw. And I hadn't seen Reggie in two months. We took a break between New York and London and I missed him so much. And I purposely, like he wanted to have dinner in London and I was like, I can't, buddy. I just can't see you because I need to do this scene. And so I missed him. And like, I just, I really, you know, it's a really, that scene is a bit of a tight, tight rope because, you know, Peter needs to think he's ready, but, you know, he doesn't get the kid. And so the audience has to know that he's still kind of not ready. So there's two things happening at once. But I think in terms of performance, like I, I did it in, we only did two takes of that. I only used one of them that like the one that's up there is the first take and we didn't use any of the second take. And I just got, I was just there and I stuttered a lot and I forgot some of the stuff I wrote. So I made some stuff up and, and like, then I got to the edit and I, I, all I could hear were the likes. I'm like, I say like so much, fuck, fuck, fuck. Like, can I like, how do I get them out? And then I was like, you know what? Like, keep the likes in. I'm a millennial gay guy, like who's scared and keep the likes in. And I'm like, I'm kind of proud of the likes now. Yeah. It's the way Peter talks. It's the way Peter talks. And, and I don't know, I just, I just felt what I was saying and I, and I, I, I felt the honesty of the situation in the courtroom and, and just, yeah, I think that's what makes it feel so in the moment is it's messiness and it's, it meanders and like not, not every line like is necessary and he kind of overstays his welcome in some parts. But I don't know, it just, it, it feels very human to me and I think it's because of the spontaneity of that day. To the other actors, I'm curious, did the set feel as spontaneous to you throughout? Did you feel as though it was the kind of set where you could say like too many times or be in the moment or kind of just what level of spontaneity was there day to day? I'm looking at you, Colleen, just out of curiosity because you're looking at me. I, I, I, I do think that it, I do think, I just got off a plane, I do think that the set did lend itself to that. But moreover, Jordan, Jordan was so brilliant because he really gave us an opportunity to, you know, walk into that set and you really feel it was lived in. You really felt you were, you know, part of that environment. I mean, I remember, you know, because I was dating for years in my twenties, a production designer. And I thought everything in this movie is so meticulous, the production design, the music, everything. And it all contributed to feeling that you could be very spontaneous because things would arise. And I will say with Jordan, there just happened to be chips there. And so I decided I was sound asleep, but Jordan suggested I eat some chips. So I just love the idea of waking up and immediately eating chips in a half sleep. So that's the kind of thing that would happen. You could invent something with behavior where he'd say, now I want you to alphabetize the book. So I seemed almost distracted when I said, well, we're really just friends. You know, I'm friends. I don't have the same relationship as I do with Eldar. I love the relationship that your character and Eldar's character have. They need a sitcom. They need a sitcom. It's the spinoff that I know is coming. I'm curious, Eldar, could you talk a little bit, and Colleen as well, talk a little bit about – we started at a heavy place. But I want to talk a little bit about building your guys' rapport because I'm like, OK, it's a kind of marriage of convenience of sorts as roommates. And then it turns out they're kind of soulmates in this way. Yeah, we're definitely soulmates. And the first day when Colleen was on set, Colleen grabbed my hand, and then I knew we were going to be together forever. And so it was just so easy working with Colleen. It's just like, you know, there's not much I have to do when another actor is so generous. I mean, everyone on this set was so generous. But especially with Colleen, I feel like it was hard. I'm just like, if we do that spinoff, it's like we're going to be laughing for most of it. Like there's not going to be any serious – we're just – yeah, yeah. We beg you, please. Well, he's just so brilliant. And what was so funny is all of a sudden he was straight, you know, and then he gave me the Rachel. I am. And it was just fantastic. I was a little upset, though, when Jordan had called me about the script, and I was reading it. I said this before. And all of a sudden I'm reading it. I'm all excited. And I said, I'm dead. What do you mean I'm dead? And Spencer works, and he said, read another page. So I think we had a great rapport. You were so brilliant. You were hilarious. It was so fun, especially the dead part. I think it was. Obviously the greatest pairing of all in the film is father and son. And Reggie, if I'm not mistaken, you've done short films. I believe this is your first feature film. Yeah, it is. Yeah. Congratulations. I think I speak for everyone. What a debut. That's phenomenal. I'm curious what your expectations were for what this experience going across the ocean and shooting for weeks was going to be like, and what it ended up feeling like after you had built it up in your mind. I mean, I was expecting a lot of work and a lot of learning the script the day before and not a lot of breaks. But when I was there, just because everyone was so, it was a lot of work, but everyone was so kind to me. And I had such good conversations with everyone on set. It felt like it wasn't work at all. It was just something fun that I get to do while being in New York and missing school. Well, I did have to do school, but like in New York, yeah. And I ought to know the answer to this, but did you already know how to spin or did you learn how to be a DJ in order to play the role? I learned on set with Saturn Rising. Learned from the best. Yeah, I learned how to DJ on set and realized, I mean, it's kind of hard, but like there's so many buttons that are just like kind of useless. Like you don't actually have to, like you don't have to press them. You just have to do like a few things that are important and then you just kind of have to like vibe out and look like you're doing stuff. DJing is acting. The ultimate performance. I think it was more challenging back when it was vinyl. I think you're right. Just hit the button. It's easy to see, Jordan, how easy it was for you to to kind of build this rapport. I'm curious if I could speak to the director side of Jordan. Casting Reggie seems like such a challenge. You have to find a kid who's so talented, so wise beyond his years. The character, Arlo, has been through it. I'm just curious how many kids you looked at and what the experience was like of coming across Reggie. Casting this movie in its entirety was so thrilling and so fun. You just see this group of people who should not be next to each other ever, but we are. It doesn't make any sense, but it makes so much sense, you know what I mean? I just feel like it is this found family and the movie's about found family. I just feel like it replicated that in real life. I really feel Reggie is one of my closest friends now. We really built that with each other. We had two amazing casting directors, Carmen Cuba, who did our main cast, and then Lucy Bevins, who cast Arlo. She had just cast Harry Potter, the series, so she had seen 40,000 kids. She sent me the cream of the crop, and luckily for me, Reggie did not book Harry Potter because he would have been unavailable for a couple of years. We don't need to be supporting J.K. Rowling like that. I was going to say, lucky for all involved. I just felt like he was a godsend. He was in the first round of tapes that I saw, and I saw his face in the thumbnail, and it was small, and I was like, that's the face. That is the face I've been dreaming of. It's the face I've been writing in my head, and he had every detail. When I talked to Lucy, I was like, he needs to look a little bit like me. I wanted him to be half or a quarter Indian, very specific. He needs to be cool, actually real-life cool, not like a child actor. Not like Hollywood kid cool, which we know what you mean. I wanted to have curly hair, and she was like, my love, it's not going to happen. You need to manage your expectations because this is not happening. Then Reggie had everything. I clicked on the audition, and he gave the most natural audition I had seen. Then I went to London to meet him, and I wrote the movie to a playlist where a lot of the songs that were in the playlist are in the movie, but I sent them to all the kids to kind of just see what their music taste was like. I would see if they had the taste that I was looking for. Reggie was like, I love Massive Attack, I love Arthur Russell. No accent. You do this every time you explain this. Every time you explain this, you do an accent. He was like, hey, mate, I love Arthur Russell. I really like Massive Attack. Now you're exaggerating it. Do you have any chips and fish for me? No exaggerating it so much. We vibed right off the bat. I just remember after the audition, I don't know, he turned and looked at me. I felt like we knew each other, and I felt like we were friends already. Like I say in the movie, it always gave hotel. For me, it always gave Reggie. And I knew it. People were like, but keep an open mind. One of the other kids might jump out. I was like, no, it's Reggie. And I'm glad I trusted my instincts, because I think a star is born. I think we can all agree on that. I think one of the really smart aspects of this film is the ways in which Peter feels as though he's turned over a new leaf. He's crossed the Rubicon. His life has totally changed, but his old life keeps coming back. And that applies to Kara and Miss Benny's characters in different ways. I'm curious, starting with Kara, your character undergoes such a radical shift over the course of the film. And I'm curious if, having read the whole screenplay, you kind of seeded in where she'd end up from the beginning. Because thinking back on the film, I was like, wow, yeah, no. She was always a little tense. I'm curious how that felt for you. Yeah. I think to play her, I definitely, well, always the first thing I do is create a backstory. And I think I really only have told Jordan through this what it was, because I don't think, as a director, I probably should have shared more with her about what it was. But it kind of feels like there are some secrets that I kept. And I think, I don't think she knew that she would end up working at the audition. I don't think she ever realized at that point that she had a drug problem either. I think she thought it was aiding her. I think she was living in a delusion. But I do think that she thought her and Peter would be friends forever. I think that, you know, I think by the time they both reach 40, I think that they would be best friends, and they would maybe even have a kid together. Not in a romantic way, but in like, let's be single forever, let's monetize the shit out of this party, let's make loads of money and have a kid. I don't know. I don't see if she found the love of her life, but it's pretty hard to meet that if you're the only, like, straight woman at a gay party, you know what I mean? It's being very, how in the final seasons of Will & Grace, they think about having a kid together. It's very that, but more in the club scene. That's why I think she's jealous. I think there's a whole thing wrapped in that, and that, like, the queer community, of course, you can belong there if you're an ally. But at the same time, she never quite, you know, she never gets into the dark room. There's an element that she isn't quite involved, and I think that's probably difficult for her. I think she hasn't ever really had to grapple with her own sense of self and her own identity, so she ends up hurting the person closest to her, which, again, I think a lot of people have to go to extremes to realize that they need to be sober and deal with their demons. But it's one of those things. I don't know if we, no one ever knows where you're going to end up, but I think she realizes that, yeah, she always gave her towel again. Like, she did. She was like, it was always meant to be a different. I think structure. I think structure is good for Sophie. Structure, you know, just whatever the edition gives. It's like she's in charge of a celebrity guest list at this event. Like, I think she has a happy ending. It's like those events at the edition, like, they're a vibe. Yeah, and I do think that, like, the fact that Peter forgives her is something I don't know if I could do, but that shows his transformation going, like, there are bigger things that matter more than, like, holding a grudge. Like, Peter in the beginning would have been petty and would have never given that up, even though that's not petty, like, obviously. But I think he's like, there's more important things. She was in a bad place. You know, I think it's really beautiful. But I don't think their friendship probably recovers in the same way, because the person who does that is not okay. But again, she just wanted that baby for herself. That's an interesting, yeah. She's looking at Arlo and thinking, hmm, interesting. Like, how dare you have had sex with another woman? Like, that's crazy. I was right here, yeah. I think the flip side of the coin of Sophie in terms of Peter's old life is Miss Benny's character and the coterie around you guys. And I just, I'm curious what it felt like shooting the scenes where you're just kind of, like, for instance, the scene where you all kind of try to burble into Peter's apartment. He's like, guys, I have some news. I'm just curious what it was like keeping the energy up, because it is such an effervescent part of the film. And something that we are a little bit sad to see Peter leave behind, even as killing him, because it's so fun, too. Yeah, I mean, well, first of all, hi, everyone. I just heard my voice. Oh, my God. Anyway, so I felt like something that I liked about the script that I read, and I remember thinking about doing these scenes so much is, like, a lot of the times I feel like when you shoot party scenes or when you have, like, specifically a queer friend group in something, you, like, sort of are designated to be, like, really campy with your comedy and, like, play the jokes to the audience. And I felt like when we were shooting this, Jordan was really good at sort of, like, tonally directing everyone that it's, like, it's on human scale. We're, like, trying to make each other laugh, not, like, the people watching the movie at home, necessarily. And I remember, it's funny you point out that scene, like, that was so early in the group shooting together that, like... That was the first day you shot, yeah. Yeah, that was the first day, and we were all genuinely, like, super excited to meet Reggie and, like, super excited to, like, see what this process was gonna be. And so, like, we were all excited and were, like, trying to, like, enjoy each other's company and, like, get to know what the project was gonna be like. And I remember it was really fun because the, you know, Jordan had written, obviously, like, a really amazing script that was, like, super tight and had such great, like, humor to it. But he really, like, wanted us to just sort of, like, come in as a group with, like, whatever energy we had that day. And it was really easy keeping that energy up because we were just having so much fun and, like, enjoying each other and making each other laugh. I mean, there's so many shots where, like, something's happening in the foreground and you can look deep in the shot and the rest of us are, like, doing things in the apartment. Because we were just told, like, just pretend the camera's, like... Once you found those gummy bears, it was over for you. Yeah, oh, yeah, that scene, I went through, like, a bag of them. I was like, forget continuity. Like, I'm dropped in right now. But it was great. I mean, I always tell people, like, I have, before we saw it for the first time, I was, like, kind of scared because I was like, we said and did so much and gave, we gave Jordan so much to work with that, like, I had no idea what I said or what was going to be in it. I remember there was literally, like, a day of, I mean, we had so many party scenes where we had to just party for 10 hours on camera, essentially. And I remember there was one night where we had, like, a page or two of, like, scripted scene dialogue. And then we got there at, like, 10 p.m. at night, and Jordan was like, we're just going to shoot y'all having a party. And so we all were like, sure, like, let's just, like, drop in and, like, exist in the world as much as we can. And I don't know, to answer your question, like, to keep that energy was pretty easy because the group that Jordan had curated was so, like, we just clicked immediately and we're all super excited to be there. It was, I don't think I've ever been on a set that went as smoothly and as, like, fun as this. And it could have been a disaster. I mean, when I read the script, it's how many times we were going to be at a club. I was like, this is either going to be heaven or hell. And it was heaven. I will say, I've met a lot of different casts over the years, and very often, it's like you see them reunite and it's kind of like a business meeting, like, oh, hi, how was the flight? Oh, what are you doing for dinner later? Oh, I'll probably do something alone. The level of affection you all have for one another is very palpable and very kind of, I think it shows through in the work. And I think that one thing you just said, Miss Benny, that really speaks to that is that you were trying to make a film for one another. Not that it doesn't matter if the audience cares, but it's not assaultively trying to reach out and grab the audience by the lapels. It's very human scale. And I'm curious, Jordan, in the writing of it, and in thinking about who you were going to cast, were there like touch points? Were there inspirations that you were, I'm thinking a little of this vibe of some favorite film of mine. Yeah, I mean, when I thought about the friend group, I always thought about American Honey. And just like how real that group felt. And when they're singing the Lady Antebellum, the titular song, in the car, and seeing the joy that this rag tag, and it's, again, this specificity. It's like that movie is about a group of wayward teenagers selling fake newspapers around the country, but it feels so visceral and so relatable and so specific. And I wanted, that's why I wanted to cast within the community and cast so specifically because I wanted that, yeah, I just wanted that reality, and I wanted that texture. And I think also this cast comes with a lot of history. I've known Saturn for 10 years from partying. Alaska and I met partying. Miss Benny and I met at a fashion dinner and she bullied me, so there's a little history there. Colleen and I knew each other before. Kara and I have known each other for years. So it's like, I think history is in the bones of this movie and different dynamics with different people, but I think it's like, season seven of Friends, they felt more comfortable and I feel like we came in season seven of Friends vibes. We just had that rapport already and then obviously, I can't even, I don't even wanna speak the same name in the same sentence, but Paris is burning. I wanted the reality of that movie and how far that movie has reached and how many people have been moved by these very real, still queer, New York stories. It was always on my mind and I wanted to, I think the lens of that movie is so filled with adoration and respect. I think I really wanted to make sure that my camera respected these people and also loved them. And so I think I could show their messiness and show their imperfections and show their joy and show their creativity because it was coming from a place of true affection and love. I think that really bleeds through. I'm returning to you, Miss Benny, not to put you on the spot, but you represent the contingent of the cast that's really a part of the nightlife storyline. I'm curious how important it was to you to really get that right and what it felt like to be filming in queer nightlife spaces in New York. Yeah, we shot in real, active parties for a lot of it, which was very special to be able to do. And kind of rare. I mean, yeah. It's hard to even get into a lot of those parties. So to be able to be let in with a 35mm camera was, you know, we felt very grateful and lucky to be able to do that. I have Marie Antoinette on the brain because I just rewatched it and it was very rare to shoot at Versailles and you got it through the door here. Anyway, sorry, Miss Benny. No, no, no, that's exactly it. It was really surreal and cool. I mean, from the New York scene side of it, it was cool because some of the clubs and parties we were filming at, some of us, including myself, had attended just a week before. So it was just weird to be like, I was here under different circumstances moments ago and now I'm on set. But then on a technical side, I mean, I don't know. Anyone who's filmed a party scene knows they're kind of the worst thing usually to film. You're standing around. Everyone's sweaty. There's so much background to work with. There's usually not music. It's just very sterile and it needs to not feel that way and yet when we filmed, it was like because we were in the actual club spaces and because we had music playing and because everybody there was actually, I mean, the casting of the background for this was unreal because we would be on, when we're there for Arlo's set, we were looking out at the crowd and it's like all of our friends who were at the club with us the week before and we're like actually dancing and talking about what are you doing this weekend? It was a real party. I mean, there are certain scenes in the movie where they're legitimately at functioning parties that we just happened to, not happened, you guys had to coordinate very well, but we just put cameras in and we're like, we're going to film and show people what the nightlife scene really feels like and I don't know. There were so many moments. I had so many moments with the three of us because the three of us are sisters and bonded forever now and I just, I had so many moments with them where I was like, while we were filming, while the movie's been coming out, where we were just like, I can't believe we got, we're out of the club and we're doing this together. I mean, there's, on set together, we just, every now and then would check in and be like, I can't believe we're doing this and then when we were at Cannes, we were on the carpet together and I was just like, I just can't fathom that we made it all the way here but we did. Thank you. And I do think that that's like an incredible, I always say the number one compliment that I give to Jordan, he has incredible taste and respect for any artistic medium he's working on. One time, you called me the rat king of tasteful faggotry. I did. I did and I just have a way with words. They come to me so naturally. You know, I'm not a fan of the word faggotry but I do think it's an incredible compliment Yeah, he's like the ultimate gay guy taste maker and it was just super clear when we were making it that he respects this so much. I remember one time you even said you were like, this movie lives and dies on if the party is represented well and I mean, the first time we ever shot at a party, I was like, we're gonna be okay. I was like, from the DP to the producers to Jordan, I just was like, oh my god, everyone's taking care of this. We don't have to worry about this being really tumultuous or bad or cringy. Like, I don't know. It's a hard thing to get right. I really, as a fan of the movie, taking myself out of it, I was like, oh my god, I'm so glad to see something like this. It's funny you bring up Paris is Burning because that is like, obviously resonates for a million reasons for me and I get a similar feeling watching this of being like, oh my god, I'm so excited to view into or capture and I feel like it was done right this time in the same way and, god, what a movie. Am I right? Like. As a kind of closing thought, for this viewer who has lived in New York for many years, this instantly enters the pantheon of great New York movies for the new era. It's lofty comfort. It's cozy. It's cozy. It's lofty company to be in. There have been a lot of really wonderful movies about this city. Now, for some of you, the city is home but for one of you, it was, you know, across an ocean and Reggie, I'm just curious, our club kid, as our kind of last question, what it was like shooting on the streets and in the clubs of New York? How did it feel? What's a memory that sticks out to you if any? The main memory is probably, it's a scene that isn't even happening anymore. It was where me and Jordan were walking, I think, probably back to his apartment while eating ice cream and then, I can't remember what I say but then eventually he smacks the ice cream out of my hand and this is in, like, public and I hadn't, like, shot in public before. I'd normally been in, like, a massive warehouse where the set is built but, and then random people would shower us, like, you can't slurp a kid's ice cream out of his hand and they would get really, they would get really mad at us. You guys started screaming at me. Like, we just love that kid's ice cream out of his hand. We had to go, it's a movie, it's a movie, it's a movie, I'm fine. It's all pretend. That's New Yorkers for you. They show up for each other. Exactly. They show up for each other. That's it. All right. Well, thank you very, very much on behalf of the SAG-AFTRA Foundation to the cast of Club Kid. Thank you guys so much. Thank you for having us. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.