Kieran Culkin, the 42-year-old star of A Real Pain, recently confessed to being the mischievous mastermind behind a legendary stage stunt that left his co-star, Mark Ruffalo, flying higher than Iron Man’s suit. Let’s rewind to the year 2000, when the two were performing in The Moment When, a play that no doubt became infinitely more interesting thanks to one cheeky teenager with a devilish sense of humor.
The Switcheroo of the Century
So here’s the setup: Mark Ruffalo, a.k.a. The Hulk, had to puff on a faux joint during the play. Enter 17-year-old Kieran Culkin, who spotted the bag of fake joints backstage and thought, “What if…?” Like every questionable decision made by teenagers throughout history, the idea felt genius at the time. Culkin swapped out the fake joint for a real one, then went about his merry way, blissfully unaware of the chaos he had just unleashed.
Fast-forward a few weeks. Culkin sniffed the unmistakable scent of uh-oh wafting through the theater and realized his prank had come home to roost—on stage, no less. Mark Ruffalo, ever the method actor, was inhaling the jazz cabbage like it was going out of style.
Panic, Passes, and Potluck Performances
Naturally, Culkin bolted to the wings to witness the fallout. There he was, watching Ruffalo take some Olympic-level hits before passing the joint to a co-star. By intermission, it was confession time. “I thought this was a good prank,” Kieran explained. “Turns out, I’m just dumb. Oh my God, I’m so sorry.”
But guess what? Instead of furious outrage, the cast turned into Woodstock reunion attendees. Ruffalo was thrilled. “I haven’t smoked pot in 10 years,” he said. “The second half’s gonna be amazing!” Another actor, who was apparently a marijuana rookie, chimed in, “Is this what being high is? This is lovely!” Meanwhile, theater veteran Phyllis Newman strolled in and said, “I haven’t smoked since the ‘60s. Bless you, darling.”
Then came the stage manager, stomping in like a disapproving principal. “I don’t care whose it is, or what happened, but Kieran, give me the joint!” Culkin handed over the roach like a kid caught with a slingshot. The manager didn’t mince words: “Ruin your life on your own time.” Burn.
Ruffalo’s Revelation
Mark Ruffalo, ever the storyteller, dished about the incident on The Graham Norton Show in 2012. According to him, the prank happened on opening night—critics in the audience, no less! Ruffalo, always committed to his craft, treated the real joint like a prop and went all-in. “When you’re at a party, you take two puffs and you’re good,” he explained. “But on stage, I overdo everything. So between the two of us, we smoked a giant blunt on stage.”
The aftermath? Ruffalo felt electric. “I’m on fire! This is my best performance ever! Wait… why is that kid backstage laughing at me?” It didn’t take long for Ruffalo to connect the dots, but here’s the kicker: he got rave reviews. Talk about art imitating life—or at least life under the influence.
Moral of the Story
Theater is unpredictable, Kieran Culkin is a lovable rascal, and Mark Ruffalo might just owe his best reviews to one very naughty teenager with access to real joints. As for the rest of us? We’ll settle for being an audience to this truly high drama.
