Jordan Firstman’s directorial debut, Club Kid, was the talk of Cannes this year, earning a seven-minute standing ovation and starting a bidding war. “I had a funny LA tarot card reader right before Cannes. I hadn’t sold the movie until Cannes and she was like, ‘This card is A24, and this card is Neon. If you go with A24, I think there’s a multi-picture deal happening,’” Jordan Firstman shared with Chloe on The Run-Through.
The film is out Friday and features Cara Delevigne, Saturn Risin9, and a cast of extras found on Grindr and in the local nightlife scene. But one of the standouts is newcomer Reggie Absoholm, who plays Arlo, the long-lost 10-year-old son that Peter (played by Jordan) finds out he has. “I do stuff to, like, cringe [Reggie] out ’cause I just like it. I do feel like a dad to him sometimes, and, like, it’s fun. I feel like that’s what made him comfortable on set was just being able to make fun of me.”
Jordan Firstman: Thank you for having me.
I went with my 23-year-old club-kid colleague, and it was as if I were watching a foreign film. Edward was translating for me. We also discovered afterward that Edward had received an email asking him to be an extra.
Every gay in New York City did. It’s very much that Madison Beer meme: “I was supposed to be in the video.” Every gay guy in New York.
How did these siren calls go out?
We had two amazing producers I brought on, Zach Stone and Ben Hubley, who were already in the party scene. I couldn’t have done it without them.
I went to college with Zach Stone, but anyway…
He’s great. He’s the best. They basically sent out mass texts and emails to everyone they’d ever partied with, and people showed up. It was actually a beautiful part of the process, seeing the community show up for creativity. It moved me to see everyone in one space together. They were there to have a good time and party.
I want to know what your relationship with club culture is. I think of you as an LA person, both because of I Love LA and before. Why did you set this in New York club culture rather than LA club culture?
To me, New York club culture has so much history. We’re standing on the backs of giants. From Studio 54 to the ’80s to the actual Club Kids days in the ’90s, it has such a lineage and such a vibe. LA has things going on, but it’s a bit less specific. I also think the idea of marathon partying has changed. I say in the movie, “It’s the Berlinification of New York, mama.” I think that’s happened, where marathon-style partying, starting on Friday and going until Sunday, is a new thing for New York.
That happens now?
Yeah. People really stay out all night. You end up at an afters, then go to another party. I don’t think it’s really meant to be in New York because New York isn’t Berlin. You have to hustle all week. You have to work really hard. I just heard a girl in the Vogue bathroom screaming at someone, “You need to keep your phone on!” So there’s a different vibe. She’s going to watch this and be like, “Oh, shit.”
But I think there’s a different grind in this city. When you put that next to the party scene, it creates a hamster wheel that I think a lot of gay men are living through, loving, but also having problems with. It was interesting for me to set the movie here. Also, New York and a kid are cinematic. There’s a lineage of movies like this that feel cozy, movies I wanted to replicate from the ’70s, like Kramer vs. Kramer.
Give me some examples.
Gloria, Kramer vs. Kramer, and obviously Big Daddy, which we’ve gotten a lot of comparisons to. There’s also a movie called One Fine Day. Do you remember that?
I do remember that.
That was a visual reference. Uptown Girls, obviously. Such a classic. I wanted to be part of that canon, and I felt like a queer retelling of the story was deserved and made sense. We have this delayed coming of age as gay men. We don’t have the same pressures to have kids or settle down, so we keep partying. But eventually that becomes an issue, even for your body. It’s a hard burden to carry, continuing to party every weekend.
When I’ve taken writing classes, they always say that novelists write what they know in their first novel. They write something that feels true. What’s the germ of inspiration for this story? I don’t think you actually have a club kid, but where are you coming from?
It came from a very simple idea. I was at a dinner party with friends who had an eight-year-old son. I was saying inappropriate things in front of him and making him laugh, and the parents were laughing too. I thought there might be something funny in the dynamic between me and a kid.
I feel like a kid in a lot of ways. I think I have a childlike spirit, and I’ve always gotten along with kids. I really like them and relate to them. That was the germ of the idea. Then I had a boyfriend in Berlin, so I was there a lot, partying. It was really fun, but the comedowns were hard, and I think it took away from things.
What years are we talking?
2021–2024. I basically wrote the first draft before the breakup, and it got really good after the breakup. I’ve been calling it my Adele breakup album.
It is a breakup movie in a lot of ways. There’s a feeling of love in the movie, and I think that comes from the love I had and have for my ex, the times we spent together, and the parties we had together. I see it as a love letter to him. We haven’t spoken since, and I hear he’s doing well. I want him to do well. I felt like I had a lot of love to put on the page, and that’s when it got really good.
I read that you crashed real parties during filming and brought crew members with you. What did that look like? Paint the scene.
I didn’t crash. There were weeks of discussion with the party planners. My friend Noah Shakoor throws a party called Pit Stop, and he was like, “Come shoot the party.” Really, all you have to do is put up a sign saying you’re being filmed. There’s also a very famous afters in New York that goes until 3:00 p.m. the next day. It starts at 7:00 p.m. on Saturday and ends at 3:00 p.m. Sunday.
What do you do for fake bundle or kundle?
There’s actually a funny story here. There’s a scene where I’m supposed to be selling drugs at the party.
“Bundle” is cocaine.
For listeners at home, bundle is cocaine.
Why?
I think they used to sell it in bundles.
Sure, sure.
Bundle is the original. Everything stems from bundle. Kundle is K, gundle is GHB, which I heard you didn’t know about.
Now I do.
You shouldn’t try GHB. I love you, but I don’t think you should try that drug.
I’ve been told I’d be even more insane. People have said I have no chill.
I think molly is good for you. I think you’re a molly girl.
Okay.
Feel it out. Feel the music. Hug someone. That’s the vibe. Mundle, molly.
Mundle. That’s a cute nickname.
And then shrundle.
What’s that?
Shrooms.
I see. Okay.
Now there are all the numbers—3-MMC, 4-MMC—so thrundle, frundle.
This is too much. You’re supposed to remember this when you’re high?
Everything is undle, so you just add the first initial.
What about ayahuasca? Is there ayawundle?
Ayawundle. Alcohundle. Wundle, wine.
Oh, wow. I’m going to be using that all week.
Wundle nights with the girls.
I’m imagining the Woody Allen big sneeze scene. Tell me about people doing fake cocaine.
Here’s the story. I was selling fake drugs, and people knew there was a camera there, but they didn’t really know what was happening. They thought something else. They were high. I gave one girl a bump, and she said, “What the fuck? That’s not K.” She started getting really mad at me. I told her it was fake drugs, just powdered lactose. She said, “I’m lactose intolerant.” I actually ended up drugging someone with fake drugs by giving them that.
Why wouldn’t you use powdered Lactaid?
I had powdered vitamin D or C and powdered lactose. I found that the lactose looked the most like coke. The vitamin C looked more like K. It was a little saltier-looking. There’s a lot of trickery. Diego, our props guy, shout-out. What a fun job for the props department.
We talk a lot at Vogue about the different etiquette for different situations. What is club etiquette?
I think club etiquette is actually very boundaried and respectful. If you lose control at the club, it’s not a good look. Especially in Berlin. When I was new to Berlin, my friend was DJing behind the decks. I was trying to say hi and get his attention, and someone told me no. It’s a no-no to distract the DJ. There are definitely rules. You don’t want to be messy. Having a good attitude is important, too. You don’t want to be a bitch.
Anytime I’m in a group and people have an attitude, I’m like, “What are we doing here?” We’re here to have a good time. Be open to new people. Read the room. If someone doesn’t want to talk to you, move on. Those are my rules at the club.
Those are good rules. You also cast a lot of people who are club habitués. How did you find these individuals? What was it like working with people who aren’t actors? This was also your first directing experience.
I did everything they say you shouldn’t do on your first film. I worked with a kid, worked with non-actors, shot on film, shot at real parties, and shot in New York. There were days when I thought, Why did I do this to myself? But as far as the non-actors go, they just came. We had so much history together by that point. We were friends, and I’d been partying with Saturn for years. I’d also partied with Alaska [Riley].
Saturn in the movie is Saffron.
She always felt like such a maternal figure in the LA party scene, but also had this power and confidence while being warm. I always wanted that for the character. The movie is about the different types of families we can create. Saffron is a mother figure to Arlo in a lot of ways.
She shockingly convinced me, as someone with a four- and six-year-old, that it was a good idea for him to DJ.
That’s the trick of the movie. You see it and you’re like, “Sure, we’re making this argument.” Then the second time, you’re like, “This is a terrible plan.” That was intentional. I wanted you to feel like you’re watching this kid learn and express himself creatively, and you’re like, “Yes, yes, yes.” Then you’re like, “No, no, no.”
It’s interesting to think about because there’s obviously a way to nurture creativity, even in a DJ setting, without actually bringing a kid to the club. There are so many merits to having these queer ideas in a kid’s life, while also being realistic and practical. That’s the whole thing with Peter. He’s doing the baseline of parenting, which is love. He’s also a pushover to everyone, especially Arlo. He just wants Arlo to have everything he wants.
I love him. This kid is such a star. I hear he also teased and bullied you.
I gave him permission. He would say things like, “You’re being really cringe right now,” or, “That’s such a dad joke.” I became the embarrassing dad to him. Now I do things to make him cringe because I enjoy it. I feel like a dad to him sometimes, and it’s fun. I think that’s what made him comfortable on set: being able to make fun of me.
It’s hard to work with a young person in that way, and also to get to know them.
That’s one thing I hope people take away from the movie: having a more honest relationship with kids. It’s something I wish I’d had when I was younger. I didn’t know my parents were people. That never occurred to me. I don’t think they really saw me as a person, either. They saw me as their kid. I wish I’d known more about their struggles or what they were feeling inside. I think it would’ve taught me more about what life was going to be like. We have these barriers between parents and kids that I think we could soften a little.
I want to know whether Reggie is actually into music. I was impressed with how seamless it was.
Yes, majorly. But his music taste has completely changed. He’s at that age where he’s impressionable. He came in loving Slipknot and Metallica. He was like, “I like the hard stuff.” Now he loves Cocteau Twins and Massive Attack. His whole playlist has changed. We have a shared playlist now.
Wow. Did you start that during the movie?
We started it a bit after the movie, but obviously the movie inspired it. It’s really sweet to watch him change through this experience. Watching him start doing press and interviews, he’s become so mature, grown-up, and funny. I feel like a proud parent. I understand why parents cry watching the school play. You’re like, “Oh my God, this is my kid. He’s up there doing it, and he’s so good.”
He’s so good. I hear you guys have been DJing together.
He DJs, I’m the hype man. I’m in the back. I don’t know all the knobs and stuff. Saturn taught him the basics. He knows his highs, lows, and mids.
Absolutely. I also heard that you brought the straight film crew to Basement and were teaching them some lingo. What was that Duolingo lesson like?
Duolingo, cundle edition. We need to get the Duolingo owl.
You should do a Duolingo collaboration.
That’s an A24 idea. Are you here? That’s a really good idea. Pay her some money. You have a good job; you don’t need the extra funds. I’ll take the Duolingo license.
The question was about bringing your straight crew to Basement and teaching everyone.
They just had the best time. It’s not like they’d never partied before, but exposing them to the exact type of queer people the movie was about was important. I wanted everyone to deeply understand the details. The movie comes alive with the details, even the types of furniture a New York gay guy has in his apartment. We have Butt magazine, and we have our own specific things.
What is the furniture?
A lot of chrome right now. There’s one kind of chain-link table that a lot of gay guys have. It’s a lot of chrome and black. Black leather couch. Chic, but also a little grimy.
I want to know if you ever considered having someone else play Peter.
Keanu Reeves. No, this was always my goal and my dream. I thought of people like Lena Dunham, Donald Glover, Phoebe Waller-Bridge. I knew I had a voice, and I knew I could act a bit, so it was always the plan.
I’m always impressed with people who can do all three. You wrote it, directed it, and acted in it. How did you move between those three roles?
I tried to think of it like Pandora’s box. The movie was the box, and everything went into it. All my jobs were funneling into the project. I tried not to separate my actor brain from my writer brain or my director brain. If I did that, I’d start to freak out and lose control of the whole thing. Everything was in service of getting all the ideas, vision, and craft into one thing.
What’s the biggest mistake you made?
That’s such a good question. I think it’s both a mistake I made and something I don’t regret. You can tell in a club scene when people are faking dancing. I had a looped beat and thought we should dance to it to get the energy up. My sound guy said we really needed to do takes without sound because the edit would be a nightmare. The edit was a nightmare because you have to go beat by beat. But the crowd had more energy because the music was playing. It was a double-edged sword: harder in the edit, but better for the movie.
You’ve cast a lot of your friends in your projects. Do you ever find it difficult to work with friends? Is it harder to give direction?
I found that both the party host in me and the people-pleaser in me conflicted with directing. I wanted everyone to have a good time. Part of shooting is doing a lot of takes. It’s not comfortable and it’s annoying. Some of my friends didn’t realize that they’d do a scene full-out, and I’d say, “That’s the wide, and we’re not really going to use the wide.” By the time we got to their coverage, they didn’t have the same energy as they did in the wide.
Especially in those group scenes, where I had every cool gay guy in New York, excluding your friend who didn’t show up to work. I felt bad asking them to do 10 takes of dancing. They were sweaty and tired and they weren’t getting paid that much. That was the hardest part: getting what I needed as a director while keeping everyone happy.
I want to know about your crazy T-shirt collection. That was one of my favorite things. We’ve been talking a lot on the Vogue fashion team about how there’s a real slogan T-shirt renaissance right now.
I saw that article. I think I was in it.
What’s your favorite slogan T-shirt in the rotation right now?
I have some things I’m making. We made an “Innit Babes” one for the movie. We’re going to make a “Mama, Let’s Research” one.
I saw you made “I Boofed at Cannes and All I Got Was This Lousy Shirt.”
That was a good one. I’m going to go with “I Boofed at Cannes” because people didn’t understand what either of the two T-shirts I made for Cannes meant. There was “I Need a Doll Line and a Sickening Dose Stat” and “I Boofed at Cannes and All I Got Was This Lousy Shirt.” The beauty of them was that no one understood either of them.
I loved your character in I Love LA. You’re a stylist. What did you do to research for that role? Are there stylists you look to?
There’s one stylist whose aesthetic I’d been looking at. I won’t say who it is. In LA, you’re around a lot of creative people. Being friends with Charli, you see her whole glam team. Makeup people and hair people have their own personalities. Stylists have their own personalities.
I’ve been around a lot of stylists, so I was channeling some specific behaviors. But I was also thinking about the loneliness you can have as a gay stylist. You’re basically a paid best friend to these celebrities. You’re there when they need you, but then at a certain point you have to leave and go do more work for them. Sometimes they yell at you. Sometimes you mess up, and sometimes things aren’t perfect. It’s a hard job being a stylist, and you don’t get a lot of gratitude from the world or sometimes even the people you work with.
I Love LA has started production on season two, or not yet?
Ended. It comes out very soon. I don’t think I can say the date, but soon. Sooner than you could ever imagine.
What’s the vibe on set with that crew? Do you have group chats? How much are you guys in touch?
All the time. We’ve become family, and the set is so easy and fun. We improvise, help each other with our looks, and it’s definitely family vibes now.
I want to know what your cultural diet is right now. Have you seen the Elizabeth Holmes documentary?
I have. I was in the room at Telluride when they dropped it.
Was it as shocking then as it is now?
It was a pure, unadulterated gag. I can’t remember the last time I was squeezing someone’s hand like that. I couldn’t believe it. The “Who’s on First?” thing really got me.
Don’t ruin it for people.
Sorry. Never mind. It was a once-in-a-lifetime kind of thing. It only would have worked with those two people together. There aren’t two other people who could make that movie work. I think it’s a real accomplishment.
What are you listening to right now?
Remi Wolf. Her new album is so good. She has a song called “I Won’t Cry” that’s one of the best love songs I’ve ever heard. I’m also getting into the new Troye Sivan album. “Fucking Forever,” another good love song. I’m newly in love, maybe, so I’m into love songs right now.
What’s the dream date when you’re newly in love?
I actually like a party. I love a classic walk. If we’re in Paris, walking, eating, and sitting by the river is always romantic. New York, too. A little rain never hurt anyone. I love a first date with kissing. Sitting at a bar for a long time and just kissing is really hot to me.
For a gay guy, it’s kind of transgressive to only kiss on a first date. It’s sexy not to know what’s going on underneath the pants and just keep it to mouth stuff. I also like going to the club with someone I love, doing a little molly, and making out. That’s really sweet and fun to me.
I have a clubbing speed round.
Okay. Let’s do it. Then I have to run upstairs.
Who is the worst type of person to party with?
A Debbie Downer.
Who’s the best type of person to party with?
An Olivia Upper.
The club attire you’re tired of seeing?
Strappy. We’ve seen it. Strappy and midriff. We’ve seen it.
What are your clubbing closet staples?
I’m such a gay guy. I think a white tank top is hot and looks good. A black tank top, too. Shorts. Athletic shorts are so hot at the club.
Favorite hour to be at the club?
3:00 to 4:00 a.m. I think it’s a really cool hour. Things get a little loosey-goosey, but not cracky.
That’s when Innit Babes is happening.
That’s when you want loosey-goosey, not cracky.
Cracky-wacky.
Loosey-goosey, not cracky-wacky. You’re not only learning lingo, you’re inventing it. I’m helping gay culture. You’re really pushing the culture forward.
Drink of choice?
An espresso martini at the club is kind of a vibe.
That doesn’t conflict with the mundle or the trundle?
If you’re doing G, you can’t drink anything. If I’m being real, a crisp Diet Coke. Or a mate. In Berlin, they have Club-Mate. Mate and vodka is really nice.
Favorite post-club snack? This is where our interests can overlap.
You know what? I like a soup. Something nourishing, like a vegetable soup or pho. You want to go fried, but your body actually wants something nourishing.
Your body says, “Let’s go pho.”
Let’s go pho. You say to someone, “Let’s go pho. Let’s get out of here and go pho.”
This conversation has been edited and condensed.
