Eric André Says Jesse Eisenberg Offered Him Kieran Culkin’s Oscar-Winning ‘Real Pain’ Role

If it weren’t for Eric André, Kieran Culkin might not have won his 2025 Oscar. 

Before Jesse Eisenberg tapped the Succession star to play the role of Benji Kaplan in his 2024 comedy-drama A Real Pain, he offered the part to André. While the comedian was flattered by the proposition, he ultimately decided not to take it on because he thought the film sounded “really miserable” and wasn’t in his “lane.” 

“Two years ago, Jesse Eisenberg called me [and] offered me the role that Kieran Culkin got the Oscar for,” André said during a Friday appearance on Andrew Santino’s Whiskey Ginger podcast. “I was like, ‘That seems really miserable and not in my lane.’”

After reading the script, André thought, “To go to Poland for six weeks and shoot a movie where we’re just babbling about the Holocaust seems like a bummer.” Though the part went on to land Culkin his first Academy Award, the comedian didn’t project the film’s success in the 2025 awards circuit and turned down the role while wishing Eisenberg all the luck with the film. 

“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,’” he said. “The motherfucker won an Oscar for the role I passed up. It’s not like I get offered roles constantly.”

Aside from his big win at the 2025 Oscars, Culkin also won the SAG Award and the Independent Spirit Award for his portrayal of Benji in A Real Pain. Eisenberg wrote, directed and starred in the film alongside Culkin in a story about two cousins who reconnect to pay homage to their grandmother.