Emma Stone intervenes to keep Kieran Culkin in A Real Pain before production starts

Kieran Culkin almost quit his role in the film A Real Pain just two weeks before production began. Producer Emma Stone intervened, reportedly "blackmailing" him to stay, even flying him to Poland with his children. Jesse Eisenberg, who wrote and directed the film, shared this story at the Palm Springs Film Festival. He noted that Culkin arrived late to rehearsal after the unexpected travel. Culkin later won a Golden Globe for his performance and praised Eisenberg's work as a writer and director during his acceptance speech. The film received multiple nominations, including Best Motion Picture — Musical or Comedy.