Jordan Firstman Says His Directorial Debut Reveals a More Sensitive Side

Jordan Firstman says his first film as a director gives audiences a glimpse of a more tender side of him than some of his earlier screen roles. The actor and filmmaker told Reuters that he wanted Club Kid to reflect the emotional and sensitive qualities he sees in himself away from the camera. Firstman also stars as Peter, an underground club promoter whose life shifts when he discovers he has a 10-year-old son, Arlo, who needs his care. The film follows Peter as he tries to take responsibility for a child while navigating his own flaws and low self-esteem. Firstman described the character as kind, but far from perfect. The movie also features Cara Delevingne, who moved from modelling into acting, and Mexican actor Diego Calva. Firstman said Peter was a change of pace from characters he had played before, some of whom were harder-edged and more guarded. Firstman became more widely known during the COVID-19 pandemic through a run of satirical impression videos. He later played a brash social media influencer in Rotting in the Sun and an irritable celebrity stylist in I Love LA. Those roles helped establish an onscreen persona that contrasts with the caring quality he says he wanted to bring forward in Club Kid. “I’m very sensitive. I’m very emotional,” Firstman told Reuters, explaining his approach to the film. He added that he had sometimes played characters with a tougher exterior, while he considers himself a caring person in real life. For his directorial debut, he said, the aim was to put that more open-hearted perspective on screen.