Jordan Firstman Made ‘Club Kid’ as ‘An Act of Compassion for Myself’

Firstman was struck by Absolom’s naturalism and further impressed when the budding performer picked cuts from Massive Attack and Cocteau Twins from a playlist the filmmaker had sent the prospective Arlos. (“I had them pick out their favorite songs just so I could gauge their taste because I wanted the kids to be cool,” he explains.) And then they met and it was basically settled. “After he auditioned, I turned to say goodbye, and he gave me a look, and I just felt like I knew him. I felt like he was already my friend,” says Firstman.

Absolom came to the role by way of sheer ambition. “When I got told I had the first audition, I was like, OK, maybe I can be in my first film because that was one of the goals for me, acting-wise, just to be in a film. And this was such a big role,” says the British actor, on the same Zoom call with Firstman. But the script, which features drug use, public sex, and prolific profanity, gave Absolom, who would be 13 at the time of filming in late 2025, pause: “I was a bit skeptical, if I’m gonna be honest, at first. Like, ‘I’m gonna be around all this?’”