Eric André said he was originally offered the role of Benji Kaplan in Jesse Eisenberg’s A Real Pain, the part that would later earn Kieran Culkin the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor.
Appearing on Andrew Santino’s Whiskey Ginger podcast, André said Eisenberg approached him about the project two years ago. After reading the script, André chose not to take the role. “That seems really miserable and not in my lane,” he said, recalling his first reaction. “To go to Poland for six weeks and shoot a movie where we’re just babbling about the Holocaust seems like a bummer.”
André said he appreciated the offer but did not expect the film to become part of the awards conversation. “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.’ The motherfucker won an Oscar for the role I passed up,” he said.
Eisenberg adapted A Real Pain from his own screenplay and directed the film, which follows two cousins traveling through Poland in an attempt to reconnect and honor their late grandmother. Culkin portrayed Benji, an unpredictable character whose approach to grief clashes with Eisenberg’s more restrained lead.
In addition to the Oscar, Culkin won the SAG Award and the Independent Spirit Award for the role. The casting came together quickly. Culkin has said Eisenberg hired him without an audition, based on a recommendation from Culkin’s sister. Culkin nearly withdrew from the project shortly before production, but stayed on after producer Emma Stone encouraged him to remain involved.
André, best known for The Eric André Show and roles in Abbott Elementary, The Righteous Gemstones, and Disenchantment, said the decision wasn’t made lightly. “It’s not like I get offered roles constantly,” he told Santino. “I’m not f—ing Leonardo DiCapric—.”
Eisenberg, who also starred in the film, has described A Real Pain as a story about emotional discomfort, sibling dynamics, and unresolved history. The role of Benji provided a contrast to his own character, with Culkin bringing a disruptive energy that shaped the film’s rhythm and tone.
