Jordan Firstman wears Suit, Shirt, and Tie Bottega Veneta. Watch Omega.
Jordan Firstman has always been extremely online in the most exhausting way possible, a comedian whose viral impressions were so on point they became something people mistook for his actual personality: loud and needy, maybe a little much. Then he made Club Kid , and the joke is on everyone who thought they had him pegged. Firstman writes, directs, and stars as a washed-up Manhattan club promoter blindsided by fatherhood, and the movie is genuinely great, funny, messy, and unexpectedly tender. It earned a seven- minute standing ovation at Cannes, and A24 won a bidding war for the rights to release it this fall, setting Firstman on an unlikely collision course with awards season. At the Telluride Film Festival, Firstman got together with his friend and fellow festival traveler Andrew Scott , who was in town for his movie Elsinore , to talk about finally being seen the way he wants to be.
SUNDAY 3:30PM SEPTEMBER 6, 2026 TELLURIDE, CO
ANDREW SCOTT: When did you start writing Club Kid ?
JORDAN FIRSTMAN: I did this movie Rotting in the Sun .
FIRSTMAN: It was an interesting experience because it was someone else’s projection of me. I thought it was going to be so obvious that that’s what it was, but for a lot of people, it wasn’t. They just thought I was an insane narcissistic monster.
FIRSTMAN: That felt so different from how I saw myself, so Club Kid started as a response. Like, “I know I want to make something to show my soft side.” You know me, I’m sweet.
FIRSTMAN: The first draft was commentary on the community and had some good relationship stuff, but then I went through a breakup and did a script pass after that, which is when it became really deep. I was still in love with the person I broke up with. What I really like about the movie is that it feels like a love letter to something. There’s so much love poured into it. There’s critiques, but done from a very empathetic angle.
SCOTT: That’s what’s really mov ing—it’s compassionate and loving to yourself. Do you feel, because everybody loves it, that it’s helped you personally?
FIRSTMAN: Yeah. I’ve been trying to do stuff for so long. Some has worked and some hasn’t, but I knew I had a voice and it hasn’t been shown. I do think I have more confidence, even conversationally. I don’t feel like I have to say the funniest thing.
SCOTT: Of course. It must be tyranni cal, people saying, “Say something hilarious.”
FIRSTMAN: Do you feel like you have to be charming all the time?
SCOTT: Irish people have to be friendly all the time. You have to make sure nobody thinks you’ve got what they call in Ireland “notions.” That you’ve got notions about yourself.
SCOTT: So that’s a big obsession. We don’t want people to think we’re getting above our station. But yeah, it’s on the festival circuit now, so when it comes out—and it’s such a crowd pleaser as well.
FIRSTMAN: How do you feel about that word? I hear it and I always go—
SCOTT: It sounds like you’re trying to manipulate people. It’s just an enjoyable movie to watch. The club scenes are insanely brilliant. I have to say I recognize—
SCOTT: I do recognize some people, more on that later. But no, just the feeling. Where did you shoot?
FIRSTMAN: All in New York. We shot at real parties, which was crazy and fun.
FIRSTMAN: The scene where the sun is coming up, that was a real afters, where everything was happening.
SCOTT: You can tell. How did they feel about you being there?
FIRSTMAN: In those situations, you just have to put a sign at the door saying, “You’re being filmed.” The people who threw the afters for us invited everyone, and they’re like, “This is a real afters, but we will be filming.” So everyone kind of knew, and everyone low-key wants to be in a movie.
FIRSTMAN: It was great. We shot at one other party, and I was going to fake sell drugs. People thought I was really selling them drugs, and then other people were coming up to me, and I would give them a bump and they’d be like, “What the fuck is this? This isn’t K.” And I was like, “It’s like lactose.”
SCOTT: Were you like, “That bit was amazing, would you mind doing that again?”
FIRSTMAN: No, I was just like, “Let’s get a bunch and we’ll stitch something together.”
FIRSTMAN: What was your biggest party era?
SCOTT: When I was young, there wasn’t a lot of party, party stuff. I enjoy a party much more now than I ever did.
FIRSTMAN: You were focused on acting in your twenties.
SCOTT: I guess I was. I wanted to go and do stuff, but I was probably a bit more ashamed. Do you know what I’m saying?
SCOTT: Had I had the opportunity to, I probably would’ve.
FIRSTMAN: You just weren’t invited. [Laughs]
SCOTT: But I think all that culture is sort of, I don’t know, all this stuff with G is so wild now.
FIRSTMAN: That’s become a very interesting topic in the community, because you start to talk about it and about harm reduction, but then there’s backlash of “let people do what they want.” But then I’m like, “This is a really dangerous substance.”
SCOTT: It’s done brilliantly in the movie. You don’t want to be lec turey, but the problem in movies showing people in their party era is that the movie doesn’t actually make it look that fun.
SCOTT: You have to show the fun of it before you show the other side of it. That’s what you did so beautifully.
FIRSTMAN: I mean, how amazing is the group?
SCOTT: They are fucking insane, every single one of them. What was that casting process like?
FIRSTMAN: I went to Pride in June to scout. I was just meeting peo ple at the party, like, “You need to audition.”
FIRSTMAN: I think they knew it was legit. All the boys are real party boys. When you add personal history to something, you can’t buy that. I have years of experience partying with these people— chem istry, jokes, banter, all that.
SCOTT: Yeah. Queer people just know how to play.
SCOTT: You have to be funny. The most terrifying type of gay person is a non-funny gay person. How improvisational was it?
FIRSTMAN: Not that much. Because of my comedy background, I write in a kind of improvisational way. I think of lines I want on the spot. But the scenes with the friends and the dolls definitely have some improv. Everyone was free to say whatever they wanted and play around with what was there.
SCOTT: How are you with looking at yourself onscreen?
FIRSTMAN: It was hard in the begin ning. The whole edit felt like soul surgery. You just feel like nothing works and how am I going to make my thoughts and feelings meld into this thing, and there’s no music, and the sound sucks. The movie is so personal and takes such big swings that if it didn’t work, it’s like, what an embarrassment. That was in my head the whole time.
SCOTT: That’s why it’s so wonder ful, Jordan. Your performance is just fucking amazing. What do you want to do next acting-wise?
FIRSTMAN: I don’t know. I’m not an actor in the way you’re a real actor. You want to embody different characters.
FIRSTMAN: I don’t have that in me. I want to tell different stories and use my point of view. I feel like a writer first, maybe director sec ond, and actor third.
SCOTT: What else do I have to ask you? Are you excited about it coming out?
FIRSTMAN: Very excited. It’s been amazing showing it to people because they feel things. It can be intense though. Sometimes after screenings, people really want to tell me their drug stories.
SCOTT: You’re like, “Just give me a compliment.”
FIRSTMAN: Yeah, just say, “Great movie.” It’s a lot. You’re going to have to have a lot of AIDS conver sations with people [for Scott’s film Elsinore ]. How are you going to handle that?
SCOTT: We are so fucking lucky we’re able to take PrEP. Do you know what’s absolutely wild? The other day I was talking about something around the film. I asked somebody and they didn’t know what PrEP is.
SCOTT: I guarantee you 70% of peo ple don’t know. When I was first starting out, the idea that there was still a correlation between— this is maybe a bit dark.
SCOTT: Relationships, sex, and death. Do you feel like you have that?
FIRSTMAN: Yes. I mean, I have been promiscuous since I was 13. I was a really horny kid and making it happen.
FIRSTMAN: It’s not that I was even scared of the consequences, but I think I dealt with more of the shame that was probably left over from sex and AIDS.
FIRSTMAN: I love my mom, but moms say shit. The first thing my mom said to me when I came out was, “That’s okay, but just don’t get a gay voice and don’t get AIDS.”
SCOTT: Do you think you have a gay voice?
FIRSTMAN: I don’t know, do you think I have a gay voice?
SCOTT: But I quite like a gay voice. I don’t have a straight fetish, so if somebody’s a little fruity I think it’s cute.
FIRSTMAN: The guys I date need to be able to queen out, for sure. If they don’t want to watch Celine Dion— you need to be a gay guy. The best part about gay people is we’re fun.
SCOTT: Exactly. I remember hearing my voice on an answering machine or something and being like, “Oh, fucking hell, you can’t have a gay voice. That’s the worst thing you could possibly have.”
FIRSTMAN: You played straight mostly for a long time.
FIRSTMAN: I remember when I found out you weren’t. I was gagged.
FIRSTMAN: Obviously. You know I used to have the biggest crush on you.
FIRSTMAN: Let’s think. It was that night. Honestly, it was soon after— you really want to talk about this?
Jacket, Shirt, Pants, Tie, and Shoes Balenciaga. Watch Omega.
FIRSTMAN: Kind of. I was like, “I feel like this is just not going to happen.” I still think we flirt every time we see each other.
FIRSTMAN: But the pandemic, we were going for dates. And the banter.
FIRSTMAN: I remember when we first started messaging, I just was gagged. I was like, “I can’t believe I’m texting with a hot priest.” I’m like, “This is my husband, a hundred percent going to happen.”
SCOTT: How do you feel about this year, with so many gay films here at the festival?
FIRSTMAN: It’s amazing. We started in Cannes and everything was gay. There was the Almodóvar , the Javis, Ira Sachs , and now there’s you guys. I really want us all rid ing this together. I love everyone involved. No one feels shady, and no one that feels like they want it too much.
FIRSTMAN: It didn’t feel like culture was going that way, and then all these movies are exploding.
SCOTT: It’s the distinctive nature of the artists. I used to hate the idea that, “Oh, you’re the gay one.” And you’re like, “Okay, but there’s com pletely different types of stories you can tell.”
FIRSTMAN: You look at these movies together and it makes you look at how limited straight movies can be.
FIRSTMAN: This is not your first time doing this circuit.
FIRSTMAN: Into awards season. I’m curious if you have advice for me. What’s your sleep like? How do you sleep?
SCOTT: Are you changing the subject completely?
FIRSTMAN: No, no, no, because that’s what I’m really nervous about, being sick all the time. We’re on day four of this festival and I’m already like, “I don’t know how I’m going to continue.”
SCOTT: Well, I do a little IV drip. Do you like an IV drip?
SCOTT: You know the Earthbar in Santa Monica?
FIRSTMAN: But also, when they do a vitamin B12 shot…
FIRSTMAN: I’m like, “But girl, it’s like $150.” I’m like, “Can’t we buy B12 and shoot it?” I shoot myself already with so many things every day.
FIRSTMAN: Yeah, I’m on all the pep tides, of course.
FIRSTMAN: The KLOW is really good because it’s for skin and hair, but also muscle recovery if you work out.
FIRSTMAN: KLOW. It has GHK-Cu, which is copper, and then it has BPC-157. It makes it so you can have less recovery time after work ing out.
FIRSTMAN: And if your muscles are tearing, that’s good.
SCOTT: So how often do you take that peptide?
SCOTT: Are we turning this off ? Because there’s more shit I want to say.
Shirt, Pants and Tie Saint Laurent by Anthony Vaccarello,
Grooming: Kerrie Urban using Oribe Hair Care and La Mer at The Wall Group.
Fashion Assistant: Hannah Loewen and Kathia Sánchez Ruiz.
On-set Production: Richard Knickerbocker.
Source: Fashion
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