Photo by: Lionsgate
We were joined on the Popternative show by Rory Culkin to discuss his new film, the action thriller, 5lbs of Pressure. It premiered in theaters and on demand on March 8th, 2024, and also stars Luke Evans (Good Grief, Nine Perfect Strangers), Rudy Pankow (Outer Banks, Uncharted), Alex Pettyfer (Echo Boomers, Magic Mike), James Oliver Wheatley (Belgravia: The Next Chapter, Burn Country), and Stephanie Leonidas (American Gothic, Defiance).
Written and directed by Phil Allocco (The Truth About Lies), 5lbs of Pressure follows an ex-con (Evans) returning to his neighborhood after serving a 16-year stretch for murder trying to seak forgiveness from his son (Pankow) who grew up without him, while the bitter, volatile brother of the youth he killed looms in the background. It also follows Mike (Culkin), fed up of doing the bidding of his drug-dealing uncle (Pettyfer), who is desperate to leave his life behind. Eventually, Adam and Mike’s paths cross leading to violence and redemption.
When discussing playing Mike, Rory touches on what drove him towards wanting to portray him:
“A big part of the appeal was this guy just makes the worst decisions at every turn and he’s really trying to take control of his own life and he’s just blowing it the whole time. And I’m reading [the script] and watching this guy blow it over and over again, and I thought that was interesting, to try to come in a room with confidence and then just fail. I thought that would be fun to do.”
Rory also touches on his past projects and how those roles compare to Mike, including the 2011 horror film Scream 4. Watch the full conversation below.
5lbs of Pressure is playing in theaters and is available on demand.