Jordan Firstman is wrapping up his career at this year’s Cannes Film Festival. Although he is in awe of the success of his directorial debut, Club Kid (a film festival selection that sold to A24 for $17 million after a bidding war with six competitors), he knew technically it would happen.
“Last week, a psychic told me, ‘It’s going to be A24,'” Firstman told Variety, following the widespread acclaim for the film, which he wrote, directed, and starred in. Casey Bloys, CEO of HBO and Max Content, linked Mr. Firstman to a clairvoyant and said he too pulled a card depicting a large audience: “A lot of people are going to see this movie.”
That was certainly the case at the grounds in the south of France, where ‘Club Kid’ rose above the hustle and bustle of major competition titles to become an unconventional favorite. Firstman plays a Manhattan club promoter who spends his life partying until a 10-year-old boy who didn’t know he was a father shows up as his son. On screen, First Man combines the rawness of queer party culture with a heartwarming family thread. In life, Firstman has shown a depth that is unfamiliar to his core audience accustomed to his irreverent, comedic social media persona, which has occasionally drawn backlash.
Here he talks about his wild week on the Croisette, his eye-opening distribution deal, and the changing perception of him as an artist and a person.
It would be an understatement to say that we have had a wonderful week here in Cannes.
It truly was the best week of my life. It was really wonderful to see my mother here. My mom is a non-binary sibling who lives a very different kind of queer lifestyle. Watching people fall in love with Diego Calva. I’ve seen some posts[about me]saying, “Oh my God, this is going to make him one hell of a monster.” However, I feel the opposite. I don’t want to smile. I really appreciate it.
Was it scary to play at such a serious festival?
They can be a little dirty here, and my movies are corny in many ways. By design.
I think that’s just sentimental and corny.
I’m like a nasty police officer, so I never allow anything to go too far. But my references are movies like “Uptown Girls” and “Big Daddy.” That’s how I pitched it, and once I started writing it, it became a bit of “Kramer vs. Kramer.” My editor (Sofia Sverkassou) is also the editor of “Rotting in the Sun” and is also a harassment police. There’s a scene in the movie where Arlo (my character’s son) is DJing, and he’s so excited he’s throwing his hands up. she said: This is invisible. It’s very uncomfortable for me. ”
You told me that you’ve felt misunderstood for the past five years. I think this movie shows your complete side and might fix that.
For better or worse, it’s all a matter of perception. I’m not Meryl Streep. I’m not a chameleon, but Rachel Sennott wanted to show my softer side in “I Love LA.” I have cancer. I cry every day. I felt like my public persona shaped this particular idea about me. I always say inappropriate things, but I’m a really nice person. The relationships in my life are really good. He cares about people and is generous. I feel like I’ve become a bit of a punching bag. People saw something in me that was even more sinister than when I felt that way, and then you wonder, “Am I like that?” It was difficult. Since 2021, I have been at a low level with that. “Everyone hates me” has been humming for a long time.
It should be corrosive.
You’ll get used to it. And let’s be honest, 99% of them were gay. But I’ve grown. When I started writing this film, I had a much more cynical view of drugs and partying. But immersing myself in my community while making this film made me more compassionate towards gay people, even if they’re not good to me. And I understand. When I see a gay man win, I find myself instinctively wanting to say “no.” I had to rewire my brain to say: “We can all be here. It’s good for all of us.”
One of the strengths of this film is that its depiction of queer life is accurate and not tokenized.
And this movie doesn’t condemn the party scenes. It can be beautiful when it’s right for you. Celebrating, dancing, and doing drag with queer people is a wonderful thing, and some people can last a lifetime. This is the story of someone who couldn’t do it and grew beyond it. In New York, so many people are functional drug addicts. A literal surgeon will be out all weekend administering 25 doses of G and then performing open heart surgery. And they do a good job!
“Club Kid” also features transgender characters. (Courtesy of outstanding performances from actors Saturn Risin9, Miss Benny, and Alaska Riley).
Bringing dolls and fags here is very emotional and great to see. A company provided us with a yacht for an event, and I stood up and said it was important to have a lot of dolls and fags (in this space). They are the ones who create the culture. We deserve to stand next to other creative people here. The film had seven or eight offers. I said in every meeting with buyers that it was extremely important to me that this cast be present to promote the film. It’s very important to me that they be there because they are the heart of the movie. Just like (my child actor) Reggie Absolom. He will be very cuddly. We are aiming for the BAFTA Rising Star Award.
Netflix was among the bidders for the film, but did they go in a different direction because they wanted a theatrical release?
That was extremely important. Shot on 35mm film. We would like you to make prints of this movie. It looks and sounds much better. With so many films shot on film at this year’s festival, I think a bigger comeback is on the way. I gave up on film fees.
Since this week, the film’s popularity has increased significantly. In 2022, Billy Eichner’s Brothers stands as an important test of the commercial appeal of gay films in the mainstream. The film did not meet expectations either creatively or financially. Obviously Club Kid is a very different movie, but do you feel any pressure to perform commercially, especially since it’s such a big seller?
I wouldn’t call this a gay movie. I was probably one of the people who hated Billy as a gay guy when[Brothers]came out, but I have a lot of respect for him. He’s funny as shit. However, we are working with a different approach. This movie is like that. There is no need to declare it (symbolically). So I really hope A24 gets its revenue back. But this movie doesn’t have to change the industry. This is a human story about a person going through difficult times and figuring out his life.
They also hosted the best Croisette afterparty I’ve been to at this festival.
Bobby Beethoven and lsdxoxo are coming to Cannes (to spin) and people need to realize they’re two of the coolest DJs in the world. We got them because we’re friends, and that’s the spirit of this movie. It’s the people that we’re in the field with. One of my friends had the genius idea of transporting 50 transgender and queer people from Marseille Vougueur to Cannes. We put them on the bus to come to the party. Since then, we have been creating AI images of buses on the red carpet (at the Grand Palais).
Pedro Almodovar and Jordan Firstman (Credit: Handout)
Cannes is the place to meet your movie heroes. Who did you encounter?
Julianne Moore appears on the red carpet. She is my number one. She talked about “I love your show!” and “I Love LA.” Another pinch point was last night (meeting with Pedro Almodovar). He said, “How naked are you in this picture?”
How long did it take to write “Club Kid” from script to editing?
This started a few years ago at Sundance, where I was discussing ideas with certain companies. The concept was simple, it was just me and the kids. I recently met a friend’s kid and I really bonded with him. We had built a relationship of trust. This company thought it was interesting. I also came from Rotting in the Sun, so I felt like I wanted to do something a little softer. That movie was great, but it was brutal. That was tough for me and that’s how (director) Sebastian Silva thought of me. He didn’t know me at the time. I think if he had written it today, it might have turned out differently.
It must be weird that someone else is writing an exaggerated version of you and you have to show up and deliver it.
It was that moment. It was a moment where I could say “yes” without fear. I wanted him to fall a little bit, for his character to fall apart. But for (‘Club Kid’), I didn’t end up going to that company.[Then producer]Alex Coco came along and we got some really great feedback. He obviously made “Anora” with Sean Baker and made “Prince of Broadway,” a movie that reminded me of “Club Kid.” I wanted to make this movie the way Sean makes movies. Boots on the ground. We wanted to shoot in real space and cast the unknown. Throughout my career, I’ve worked on jobs that took a fucking long time and didn’t happen, but this one was like a rocket. I submitted a second draft of the script and received funding within a few months. Three months later, we started filming.
Has this movie changed your perspective on having children?
I asked permission to say this, but one of the craziest things that happened during this process was that after I wrote the script, my gay sister asked for my sperm to give to her wife. So, I have a child. I’m your uncle and my biological father. The baby is already a great star. I’m going to be a part of her life as an uncle, and when that age comes, I’m going to let her decide whether to call me “Uncle Dad” or “Uncle J.” It turned out beautiful.
