"We Lost Him": 'A Real Pain' Almost Featured This 'Doctor Who' Star in a Major Role

Jesse Eisenberg was very purposeful in the casting of his latest hit film, A Real Pain. A buddy comedy-drama about two very different cousins who embark on a Holocaust tour in Poland in honor of their late grandmother and, in turn, confront their own tensions with each other, the movie takes inspiration from the Oscar nominee's family history, even using his great aunt's childhood home as a filming location. To ensure it properly captured a feeling of remembrance through a modern angle, he also brought in other actors who would be natural fits for the tour group, with the most important casting being Kieran Culkin as his character's cousin Benji. However, during a self-moderated Q&A at the Palm Springs International Film Festival, he shared that he almost reeled in another big name to play a crucial member of the group, the Rwandan Genocide survivor, Eloge.

In the film, Eloge is played by Kurt Egyiawan, who sports a strong resume in his own right. He's previously taken up prominent roles in Jeremy Slater's The Exorcist series as well as more recent shows like House of the Dragon, Kaos, and The Agency. Eisenberg even consulted his real friend, whom he based Eloge on, to ensure the final choice he made honored his history and the Rwandan culture. Before Egyiawan was ever considered, however, the director's main target was Ncuti Gatwa, better known as the Fifteenth Doctor on Doctor Who. Things very nearly worked out to have Gatwa join the tour group in Poland until the TARDIS came calling for the Time Lord and sent Eisenberg back to the drawing board:

"With Kurt, I tried to cast a Rwandan actor. The only Rwandan actor we met with was this brilliant guy, Ncuti Gatwa. He's the current Doctor Who, and he was going to do the movie, but then Doctor Who's schedule changed and so we lost him. And so we were looking for a Rwandan actor, it was really hard to find a Rwandan actor. Kurt's family is Cameroonian and, at that point, I turned it over to Eloge, the real Eloge, and said 'Can you help me cast this so this feels respectful to your culture?'"

'A Real Pain' Soared With Its Stellar Cast

In the end, the film still managed to soar with the excellent stars it had in tow. Egyiawan was just one member of the tour that helped flesh out A Real Pain's chaotic trip of remembrance and reconciliation. The rest of the supporting cast featured Will Sharpe, Jennifer Grey, Liza Sadovy, and Daniel Oreskes. Each helped contribute to what is widely considered one of the best films of the year with a solid $9.3 million haul at the box office against a budget of only $3 million. Collider's Taylor Gates gave it a 9/10 in her review, saying "Eisenberg knocks it out of the park and proves he is a triple threat to be reckoned with, with solid writing, confident directing, and stellar acting — even if, at the end of the day, the film really does belong to Culkin."

Despite all the praise for the film, Gatwa is hardly feeling any pain for missing out on A Real Pain. He's still going strong in Doctor Who, recently bringing "Joy to the World" with a new Christmas special opposite Nicola Coughlan that has been thriving on Disney+. Now, the focus is on Season 2 of his tenure, which is set to begin next year, though an exact date has yet to be announced. Also on the horizon for the three-time BAFTA nominee is Jay Roach's The Roses, a star-studded remake of Danny DeVito's The War of the Roses featuring, among others, Olivia Colman, Benedict Cumberbatch, Kate McKinnon, and Andy Samberg.

A Real Pain is now available on digital platforms and is expected to arrive soon on Hulu.

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