VIDEO EXCLUSIVE: Rory Culkin On Alex Pettyfer, Luke Evans, ‘5 Lbs of Pressure’

In an exclusive uInterview, Rory Culkin discusses his new film, 5 Lbs of Pressure.

5 Lbs of Pressure follows Adam, an ex-con, as he returns to his neighborhood following a 16-year prison sentence for murder. Culkin’s character, Mike, meets Adam as he is searching for a way out of his uncle’s drug-dealing business. The two men embark on a journey to redemption.

“Mike is looking for a way out, he’s trying to carve his own path and he’s kind of blowing it the whole time,” Culkin told uInterview founder Erik Meers. “But I guess the whole film is about poor decisions and trying to redeem yourself. Some people are better at that than others.”

When asked how he tries to relate to a character like Mike, Culkin said he discussed the character with writer and director Phil Allocco.

“He has a lot of stories that are similar to what we see in the film, and I realized that it was semi-autobiographical,” said Culkin, who is the brother of famed actors Macaulay and Kieran Culkin. “My entry point was Phil. He’s been through a lot of dark things and he’s such a pleasant guy now, he talks about everything so lightly. He doesn’t put pressure on you, but you have to respect that people do live this. You have to take it seriously because this is the reality for a lot of people.”

Culkin worked alongside stars like Luke Evans and Alex Pettyfer on the film.

“I worked more closely with Alex. We have both been doing this for over 20 years and it really shows. I had so many scenes with different actors and they’re all great, but there is a difference when you’re sitting across from someone who has been doing it for decades,” Culkin explained. “It almost seems like second nature, he makes it seem effortless. It was like we were playing catch with each other, it was a lot of fun.”

On his favorite scene in the film, he noted working with actor Gary McDonald, who played crime boss ER in the movie.

“There’s a scene where I just blow it and borrow money from him. I had to go back to him and tell him that I lost the money, and I wasn’t sure how he was going to play that scene,” Culkin said. “He was so calm and so forgiving, and it was really unsettling. At the end of the scene, he just started laughing at me, and then they all started laughing, and that wasn’t written. While they were laughing I realized they were going to hurt me, and laughter quickly turned into fear. I think that was my favorite scene because there were just a lot of interesting layers.”

5 Lbs of Pressure is currently in theaters and available on demand.