Interview: Jordan Firstman on Club Kid heartbreak and humour
Filmmaker Jordan Firstman talks Club Kid at Toronto International Film Festival. Image: Leigh Livingstone/Popcorn Podcast
Comedian-turned-director Jordan Firstman talks new film and scene-stealing Club Kid co-stars
Filmmaker Jordan Firstman estimates he cut roughly 80 per cent of the jokes from early drafts of Club Kid, his feature directorial debut, with the aim of making the narrative as realistic as possible. However, the sometimes heartbreaking film about a New York nightlife promoter who discovers he has a 10-year-old son, still leaves room for lightness among its heavy themes of trauma, self-worth and the value of chosen family. Club Kid first premiered at Cannes Film Festival in Un Certain Regard earlier this year, before A24 snapped it up in a bidding war. At the time of writing, an Australian release date has not been set.
Firstman, best known for sketch comedy and the HBO series I Love L.A., wrote the film with himself in mind as Peter, a queer club promoter whose life changes when Arlo (Reggie Absolom, The Other Bennet Sister) arrives on his doorstep. Bouncing from one party to the next with a perpetual hangover from drugs and alcohol, Peter suddenly has to step up and care for someone other than himself, while addressing his own shortcomings and navigating Arlo’s trauma.
Popcorn Podcast watched Club Kid at Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) before attending an intimate press conference with Firstman, where the filmmaker shared how he balanced the story’s more emotional beats with its comedic twists.
“Once I cut 80 per cent of the jokes, there was still a decent number of laughs, but I wanted to write the most honest thing that I could,” Firstman says. He reveals the more personal the writing became, the less “precious” he was about whether individual moments landed.
Plenty of moments do land, in large part due to Firstman’s vulnerable portrayal of a man who has perhaps become tired of the drug-fuelled monotony of his life. Among the pulsing soundtrack and withering one-liners, Peter seems to be waiting for a catalyst to change when Arlo arrives and puts a dent in his carefully constructed shield of denial.
Producer Alex Coco, who won a best picture Oscar for Anora, said the film was never meant to be a comedy first. “As much as Jordan is great at comedy, and as much as the movie turned out comedic in certain parts, the goal of the project was not to make people laugh,” Coco said. He shares the filmmakers used Kramer vs Kramer and An Unmarried Woman as reference points for the emotional beats.
When asked about the character of Nicky (Eldar Isgandarov), Peter’s melodramatic roommate who provides most of the film’s laugh-out-loud moments, Firstman described the role as part of the film's comic design.
“I wanted the movie to feel like a movie – to have that classical, comfort-movie feel – Nicky is a bit of a comedic foil, but in a way that still feels plausible,” Firstman told Popcorn Podcast at TIFF. “It makes sense for Peter, who’s a people-pleaser… he can't say no to anything.”
Firstman added the character also exists partly for the audience’s benefit. “The movie has a lot of heavy material in it, so this is a bit of a treat to get these characters who are just funny,” he said.
The casting of Isgandarov, a first-time actor who also features in Jesse Eisenberg’s The Debut, changed the part from its original design. “Originally I had someone else in mind for the part, but then Eldar auditioned,” Firstman shared. “He was trying an American accent, but I caught a hint of something Eastern European underneath it. He’s from Azerbaijan. I asked him to re-tape in his natural accent, and the character just clicked.”
Firstman also praised the pairing of Isgandarov with veteran actor Colleen Camp (Amsterdam, Joy), who plays Peter’s eccentric downstairs neighbour, Evelyn, as “comedy magic”.
“Him and Colly, I think they could have their own sitcom. He’s a real discovery,” Firstman said.
Club Kid screens as part of Toronto International Film Festival (September 10-20, 2026). For more information, visit the official TIFF site
Fast Facts: Club Kid
Director/writer/star: Jordan Firstman, in his feature directorial debut
Premise: A New York nightlife promoter's life changes when he discovers he has a 10-year-old son
Cast: Firstman as Peter; Reggie Absolom as Arlo; Diego Calva as Oscar; Cara Delevingne as Sophie; Colleen Camp as Evelyn; Eldar Isgandarov as Nicky
Genre: Comedy-drama, veering from a frenetic queer-nightlife comedy into a more serious drama about parenting and family
Release: Limited US theatres from November 6, 2026; Australian date not yet confirmed
Runtime/rating: 122 minutes, rated R
Popcorn Podcast spoke with Firstman at a press conference during the film's Toronto International Film Festival run
