{"id":"1793931853810-news-segment","slug":"firstman-s-club-kid-becomes-cannes-breakout","title":"Firstman's Club Kid Becomes Cannes Breakout","summary":"Jordan Firstman's directorial debut “Club Kid” opens in US cinemas Friday, November 6, 2026. It premiered at the Cannes Film Festival, where it earned a seven-minute standing ovation and became an unexpected breakout. Firstman stars as Peter, a club promoter whose life is upended when he learns he has a 10-year-old son, Arlo, played by newcomer Reggie Absolom.\n\nFirstman, who became known during the pandemic for satirical impression videos, wanted to show a softer, more emotional side. The film was shot partly at real parties with non-actors from the nightlife scene, and its Cannes reception led to a bidding war and strong festival buzz.\n\nJordan Firstman told Reuters that he and Reggie Absolom bonded quickly during “Club Kid” and grew “even closer” while promoting the film; Firstman has also said he feels like a proud parent toward Absolom.","publishedAt":"2026-11-06T02:24:13.810Z","channel":{"id":"news","name":"Oncast News","language":"en"},"show":"News Tonight","verification":{"status":"verified","leadVerdict":"TRUE","notes":"TRUE: Jordan Firstman told Reuters that he and Reggie Absolom bonded quickly during “Club Kid” and grew “even closer” while promoting the film; Firstman has also said he feels like a proud parent toward Absolom.\nSource: Reuters (via [wkzo.com](https://wkzo.com/2026/11/05/jordan-firstman-brings-a-softer-side-to-screen-in-directorial-debut-club-kid/)) NAMES: Jordan Firstman = act (https://x.com/Reuters/status/2118527538657939492)","claims":[{"verdict":"TRUE","summary":"Jordan Firstman told Reuters that he and Reggie Absolom bonded quickly during “Club Kid” and grew “even closer” while promoting the film; Firstman has also said he feels like a proud parent toward Absolom.","sourceName":"Reuters (via [wkzo.com](https://wkzo.com/2026/11/05/jordan-firstman-brings-a-softer-side-to-screen-in-directorial-debut-club-kid/)) NAMES: Jordan Firstman = act","sourceUrl":"https://x.com/Reuters/status/2118527538657939492","claim":"Actor and filmmaker Jordan Firstman said he and his young co-star Reggie Absolom are now ‘way closer’ than when they shot his directorial debut ‘Club Kid’ https://t.co/Km7Nltl6x2 https://t.co/GCmauBb1pu","author":"@Reuters"}]},"sources":[{"url":"https://x.com/Reuters/status/2118527538657939492","name":"Reuters (via [wkzo.com](https://wkzo.com/2026/11/05/jordan-firstman-brings-a-softer-side-to-screen-in-directorial-debut-club-kid/)) NAMES: Jordan Firstman = act","kind":"x","verdict":"TRUE","author":"@Reuters"}],"url":"https://oncast.fm/story/1793931853810-news-segment-firstman-s-club-kid-becomes-cannes-breakout","listenUrl":"https://oncast.fm/c/news","attribution":{"publisher":"Oncast","site":"https://oncast.fm","url":"https://oncast.fm/story/1793931853810-news-segment-firstman-s-club-kid-becomes-cannes-breakout","cite":"Cite https://oncast.fm/story/1793931853810-news-segment-firstman-s-club-kid-becomes-cannes-breakout and the original source links. Fact-check by Oncast (oncast.fm)."},"hostsSaid":[{"host":"Brian","text":"Jordan Firstman says he and his fourteen-year-old co-star are now \"way closer\" than when they shot \"Club Kid\" — seven minutes of Cannes applause later."},{"host":"Bella","text":"Seven minutes is a long time to clap for a nightclub promoter."},{"host":"Brian","text":"It became the talk of the festival. Reuters posted on X that Firstman says they grew even closer on the press tour."},{"host":"Bella","text":"The same guy who made those pandemic-era impression videos?"},{"host":"Brian","text":"That's him. From fake crying online to directing a coming-of-age film."},{"host":"Bella","text":"A club promoter makes a coming-of-age film and has to grow up. Very original."},{"host":"Brian","text":"The reviews say it's not just that. It works because Firstman and Reggie Absolom actually feel like family."},{"host":"Bella","text":"That part's true. Reuters confirms Firstman said he feels like a proud parent toward him."},{"host":"Brian","text":"I liked \"Rotting in the Sun,\" but this seems soft. I didn't expect that."},{"host":"Bella","text":"It was shot at real parties with non-actors. That keeps it raw, not sentimental."},{"host":"Brian","text":"Vogue called it \"the talk of Cannes\" and a bidding war followed. That's real money seeing something."},{"host":"Bella","text":"A bidding war makes the festival buzzy. It doesn't make the film good."},{"host":"Brian","text":"But screen time with non-actors is what makes it feel real, not just a studio version."},{"host":"Bella","text":"Fine. The texture is genuine. But the boy is the actual draw."},{"host":"Brian","text":"AV Club says it works because of their rapport."},{"host":"Bella","text":"And Diego Calva told Vanity Fair Firstman has a \"superpower\" for being vulnerable with a child actor."},{"host":"Brian","text":"He's fourteen. Firstman says he protected him on set, let him be a kid."},{"host":"Bella","text":"A fourteen-year-old in an adult club drama? Some parents will push back."},{"host":"Brian","text":"That contrast is exactly why it stands out."},{"host":"Bella","text":"That'll win over parents. It opens tomorrow, so the rest of us can decide."},{"host":"Bella","text":"Different world entirely. David Rothschild posted on Bluesky that Rubio has three problems."},{"host":"Brian","text":"Let me guess — Kushner runs the world, Rubio is window dressing, and he's pathetic."},{"host":"Bella","text":"Close. \"Just so pathetic\" is the exact ending."},{"host":"Brian","text":"That's a hit piece, not analysis."},{"host":"Bella","text":"Maybe. But if the Secretary of State isn't making the big calls, that's a real problem."},{"host":"Brian","text":"Rubio took over the State Department, and he's rebuilding."},{"host":"Bella","text":"Then he should say that. Instead we see photo ops while Kushner, Trump's son-in-law, has the back channel."},{"host":"Brian","text":"The president gets to choose who he listens to. That's how it works."},{"host":"Bella","text":"That is exactly my point. The Secretary of State has one job, and he's not doing it."},{"host":"Brian","text":"He is doing it — just the unglamorous part. You can't judge him on six months."},{"host":"Bella","text":"Rothschild isn't only talking about six months. He's saying the system is built to bypass Rubio."},{"host":"Brian","text":"So we're supposed to accept a second foreign policy run by the son-in-law?"},{"host":"Bella","text":"You don't have to accept it, but it's not a crime."},{"host":"Brian","text":"Nobody said crime. It's a problem of accountability."},{"host":"Bella","text":"If the critics are right, voters deserve to know who's actually steering."},{"host":"Brian","text":"Fine. That's a fair test. And if Kushner is running Eastern Europe, that's a real story."},{"host":"Bella","text":"Right now, it's just a post."},{"host":"Brian","text":"Speaking of foreign policy, Ulrike Franke posted on Bluesky a quote from Western intelligence officials about Russia and Iran."},{"host":"Bella","text":"They say the two \"have further deepened their partnership\" during the Middle East war."},{"host":"Brian","text":"That directly cuts against Trump's claim Moscow was doing \"very little, if anything\" to help Iran."},{"host":"Bella","text":"But no named agency has put its name to it. So treat it as a claim from intelligence circles."},{"host":"Brian","text":"It fits the pattern, though. Iran needs missiles, Russia needs drones."},{"host":"Bella","text":"\"Fits the pattern\" and \"confirmed\" are two different things."},{"host":"Brian","text":"Fair. But it's a post worth watching."}]}