Interview With "Club Kid" Star Reggie Absolom

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SPEAKER_2 (1:00)

You are listening to The Next Best Picture Podcast, and this is Cody Derrick's interview with the star of Club Kid, Reggie Absolom.

SPEAKER_1 (1:07)

Hey, I had a lot of fun today.

SPEAKER_2 (1:10)

Because love's out there and I can't leave it behind.

SPEAKER_1 (1:16)

I have news.

Cody Derrick (1:17)

What? What?

SPEAKER_1 (1:19)

I found out I have a kid.

SPEAKER_2 (1:20)

What?

Reggie Absolom (1:26)

Do we have anything to make breakfast?

SPEAKER_1 (1:28)

Oh, no, not that shirt. Okay.

Reggie Absolom (1:30)

Well, I like Björk.

SPEAKER_2 (1:34)

He's so good.

Reggie Absolom (1:35)

He's just like, he's good, sweet.

SPEAKER_1 (1:38)

If you want to cry, it's fine by me.

Reggie Absolom (1:41)

Well, why do you cry?

SPEAKER_1 (1:42)

I don't really like myself a lot of the time. Hi, Reggie. How are you doing?

Cody Derrick (1:47)

Good. Thanks. How are you? Good. Thanks. Glad to be talking with you.

I want to start with just checking in with you. This movie has been a phenomenal success ever since Cannes, I want to know how you're doing with this explosive success. I'm sure you're doing a lot of interviews and press and all sorts of other crazy stuff.

Reggie Absolom (2:06)

I mean, it's been a very good experience because people seem to really like this movie so far.

So it's been like a really good experience. Reading letterbox reviews is like really fun. All the interviews have been really nice and the whole cast just feels like a second family to me. So being with them all the time is always something that I like to do.

Cody Derrick (2:28)

That's awesome. Yeah, I mean, I was at Cannes where it premiered and the reaction, I was even at an 8 a.m. screening, which for this movie is crazy. And it was still wonderful. Just such a good movie. So before you even started filming though, tell me about the casting process. How long was the actual, like, was there an audition process or what was it like for you to get this role?

Reggie Absolom (2:50)

There was a few auditions. It wasn't, it didn't go over super long, it was a very last-minute thing just before filming. Well, I did a self-clip first and then a Zoom audition with Jordan, but the main one I remember is after that month, with my second audition, he, on his birthday, came over to London to meet with a couple of other kids.

We did some scenes. He took us to like a pavement at one part to film on the sidewalk to make it feel real at one point for one of the scenes, and then we went and got ice cream with me, Jordan, my mom, and we just walked around the park, had a nice chat, and it was a really nice day, and it was actually pretty good weather for walking around in a park. I think that was the last audition before I got told, but that was obviously the, like I don't know how long, but there was some time getting the visa, so I went out before I went, and that was super last minute. We barely got it before I was able to go.

Cody Derrick (4:05)

How do you feel about self-tapes? I know a lot of actors are kind of iffy on them and prefer in-person.

Reggie Absolom (4:11)

Oh, I like to be in-person, but self-tapes are much easier, because I can't imagine having to go to London for everything, or like self-tape that I get, it'd be really annoying, like especially school and stuff, and make it way harder.

Cody Derrick (4:28)

I mean, this one worked out for you just fine, so self-tapes are fine going forward, I guess.

So when did you get to read the script? Was it in that between the self-tape and the in-person, or was that given to you later? And what did you think when you first read the script?