Comedian Eric André recently revealed on a podcast that he turned down the role that saw Kieran Culkin sweep the 2025 awards season.
Appearing on Andrew Santino’s Whiskey Ginger podcast on Friday, André shared that Jesse Eisenberg, the writer, director, and co-star of A Real Pain, called him two years ago and offered him the role of Benji Kaplan, which would eventually go to Culkin. André declined, deciding, “That seems really miserable and not in my lane.”
He continued, “To go to Poland for six weeks and shoot a movie where we’re just babbling about the Holocaust seems like a bummer. I was like, ‘Appreciate the offer. I’m sure it’s gonna be great. I don’t think that’s what I’m looking for right now.‘”
Unfortunately for André, Culkin went on to sweep the 2025 awards season for his performance in the film, winning Best Supporting Actor awards at the BAFTAs, the Golden Globes, the SAG Awards, the Critics’ Choice Awards, and the Academy Awards.
André acknowledged as much, telling Santino, “The motherf—er won an Oscar for the role I passed up. It’s not like I get offered roles constantly.”
The film, which was also nominated for Best Original Screenplay at the Academy Awards and won the BAFTA Award for Best Original Screenplay, followed cousins Benji and David Kaplan as they participated in a Jewish heritage tour of Poland, where their late grandmother was born.
Culkin himself almost turned down the part, attempting to pull out of the film just before production began because he was nervous about spending time away from his kids and only acquiescing after a phone call from producer Emma Stone. He told Vulture, “She did an almost reverse-psychology thing on me. 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.’
He continued, “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.‘”
