He is no longer the brother-of. In fact, any insinuation in this regard is quickly settled with what could be interpreted as a statement of principles. "I'm not interested in the past, nor much in the future... The present is my only concern," he says between resolute and listless. Kieran Culkin (New York, 1982) rediscovers in A Real Pain, by Jesse Eisenberg, not only his best acting instinct since he debuted in front of the screen at the age of six, but also that his characters become uncomfortable, tender, hyperactive, hateful, and perhaps for all that, so close.
In Igby Goes Down (Burr Steers, 2000) his best work to date in cinema, he brought to life a rich heir at odds with a family and a life, as comfortable as they were unbearable. Not far away is his celebrated and award-winning role as Roman Roy in Succession. Even richer and much more unbearable.
Now he plays a young man traveling with his brother to the horror of the Holocaust. After the death of their grandmother, the two decide to visit Poland, where their ancestor lived. What follows is a journey through issues such as recognition, memory, and, worst of all, forgetting. And in the midst of it all, a Kieran Culkin in the skin of an uncomfortable, tender, hyperactive, hateful character, and perhaps for all that, so close. Also, already a Golden Globe winner and a clear Oscar contender.
Judging by the headlines accompanying this new movie, it would seem that we are witnessing the definitive resurrection of Kieran Culkin after the success ofSuccession. Do you feel comfortable with this definition?
I cannot see myself through the eyes of those who see me from the outside. I cannot perceive another person's perception. I am not one to consider having a career, and I never take a strategic approach to the choices I make in my work. I am not one to ask myself after a job, "What should I do now? How should my next job be to avoid being typecast?" I remember one of the creators of Succession, Jesse Armstrong, asked me, "What are you going to do now to surpass what you have done in the series?" Definitely, I am not one to impose that the next thing has to be better. My only concern is if I will do my best, whatever it may be. On the other hand, whether it is better or worse is a matter of each person's opinion, and I do not care at all. I do not care about people's reactions because it is not my movie. I just do my part, and the only relevant thing is that I feel good. Although it is also true that it is important for the reception to be good and for what you do to have some resonance. This allows, among other things, for you to continue and for there to be new seasons of Succession.
Although they are different characters, there is something in common in your most celebrated works. They are all quite unbearable types...
It is not the first time that this has been pointed out to me. Not so much regarding A Real Pain as in what I did in Igby Goes Down and in Succession. The first thing I have to say is that the role of Igby, which has become a cult character, I did when I was 18, and I had a great time. It catches my attention that it is being brought up now. But I would say that it is a somewhat superficial connection. Both come from wealthy families and both live in New York. But that does not mean they are the same person. A rich heir of a lifelong fortune is not the same as the son of a self-made billionaire, a new rich person. Roman, my character in Succession, is the latter. His father made a fortune by screwing everything up. He is the kind of rich person who doesn't care what they do; they will always get away with it.
Put that way, it sounds very current.
Yes, from the beginning, I was clear that my character was immune to everything and everyone. He can say and do whatever he wants because his money will save him from facing the consequences. That is the society we live in. That is Roman, while Igby is different. His struggle is to distance himself from his family's way of life, and to achieve that, he is capable of anything, even killing his mother. Roman, on the other hand, desperately loves his family and insists on making things work. But if people insist on finding similarities, then there will be. In the end, you cannot avoid both characters having the same voice and face. What I am sure of is that my character in A Real Pain is completely different. His problem is that he cannot control his emotions. He does not feel immune, and that is why he does what he does. In his case, he simply cannot act differently. Roman does not understand what he feels, he never discovered himself sexually, whereas Benji (as he is called in Jesse Eisenberg's movie) has a deep emotional self-awareness but cannot figure out how to make it work in his life.
Between the two, who is Kieran Culkin closer to?
No, no, I am not like them.
Okay. The movie talks about how we relate as a society to our past...
Neither am I a person who asks those kinds of questions. I have no idea what society does or thinks about that.
And on a personal level? How do you relate to the past, to your family, and especially to everything your brother Macaulay meant in the past?
I am not interested in the past, nor much in the future... The present is my only concern. I have heard Jesse [the director] talk about the importance of connecting with the past, and his reflection is very interesting. But, truthfully, I do not feel the need to try to connect with where I come from. I am not interested at all. Perhaps on my father's side of the family... although I do not know, really. On my mother's side, I can identify ancestors, but I truly do not care about which country my family comes from, and I do not need to know the heritage of history. The name Culkin is simply my last name. I really do not care about my past or anything related to my last name. It is not something I think about or have a strong affection or affinity for.
And your own past. You started as an actor at a very young age, probably without considering if that was what you liked or not. Have you ever imagined yourself doing something different?
It is difficult. The truth is that you are right. I have been doing the same thing professionally since I was six years old. I cannot imagine a different life. When I turned 20, I thought about it. I thought, "Well, what do I want to do with my life?" And I could not answer then. It took a long time for me to realize that this was precisely what I wanted to do, that I wanted to be an actor. I spent a long time acting before realizing that I wanted to be an actor.
In an interview not long ago, you confessed that you thought about leaving the profession...
Of course, there are doubts. As I said, six years old is not the right age to make a decision that will determine your entire life. Who knows at six years old what they want to do in life? Furthermore, I did not even make any decisions as an adult. I simply did what others expected of me, as all children do. And I continued to act while trying to figure out what I wanted to do with my life. I have always had the instinct to flee from a profession with which I have a love-hate relationship. But I finally came to the realization that this was what I wanted. I made the decision at 34 years old. That was when I said to myself, "Well, I do not know if I love this, but I think this is what I am going to do because I know how to do it." I still fantasize about leaving it all behind. Even recently, a week ago or a couple of days ago, I thought, I think I could just end it right now. There is a part of me that thinks about retiring in seven or eight years and another part that thinks about how elegant it would be to quit everything right now.
Going back to what we were talking about before regarding howA Real Pain reflects on the importance of not forgetting the past and the Holocaust, we are currently seeing a resurgence of the extreme right and denialist ideas throughout Europe, in Germany, and around the world...
I understand, but these questions are better suited for the director, for Jesse. Sometimes I hear him talk about what the movie is about, and they are arguments that I did not even realize.