Kieran Culkin Just Set a Controversial Oscars Record—And It’s Not What You Expect
Kieran Culkin’s Oscar win for his performance as Benji in A Real Pain seemed inevitable. Having dominated the awards season, his victory at the Academy Awards felt more like a coronation than a competition. However, one surprising statistic sets his win apart—and makes it highly controversial. Culkin now holds the record for the highest screen time percentage of any Best Supporting Actor winner, raising questions about whether he was truly a supporting performer or actually a co-lead in the film. While his co-star Jesse Eisenberg has slightly more screen time, the difference is minimal.
Kieran Culkin Holds the Record for Longest Screen Time in a Supporting Role
The Oscars’ supporting categories have long been ambiguous compared to their lead counterparts. While it is rare for a lead performance to be miscategorized, exceptions exist—such as Anthony Hopkins in The Silence of the Lambs and Louise Fletcher in One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest. However, debates about the legitimacy of supporting category placements arise almost every year. In 2025, similar controversies surrounded Zoe Saldaña and Ariana Grande, but Culkin’s win has sparked the biggest backlash.
Now that all the nominees’ performances are available for viewing, screen time analysis reveals that Culkin appears in 64.88% of A Real Pain—the highest percentage ever for a Best Supporting Actor winner. This number is nearly double that of his competitors in 2025. He also recorded the most screen time in minutes (58:06), despite A Real Pain being the shortest film among the nominees. Notably, Culkin is the first winner in this category to exceed 60% screen time. The previous record-holder, Jack Albertson (The Subject Was Roses), appeared in 58.59% of his film, and his categorization was similarly scrutinized at the time.
Kieran Culkin’s Category Placement Was Not Wrong
Culkin’s win raises questions about what truly defines a supporting role. While there are no official screen time limits for each category, some argue that a performance occupying such a large portion of a film gives the actor an unfair advantage over other nominees. In A Real Pain, Culkin is undeniably central to the film’s emotional core, and much of the narrative revolves around his character. The screenplay even suggests that the title itself is a reference to Benji.
Jesse Eisenberg, Culkin’s co-star, has a slightly higher screen time percentage at 69.77%, translating to about five minutes more than Culkin. This blurs the line between defining them as co-leads or co-supporting actors. However, simply labeling them as co-leads doesn’t entirely capture the movie’s structure. The story is told from David’s (Eisenberg’s) perspective, making him the clear lead, while Benji remains a significant yet secondary presence. This becomes most apparent in Eisenberg’s pivotal solo moment—a monologue delving into his emotional struggles. In contrast, the few moments where Benji is alone, such as at the airport, do not grant the audience the same level of insight into his thoughts.
Due to A Real Pain’s intimate nature, small cast, and streamlined narrative, each character naturally occupies a large share of screen time. While Culkin’s performance sets an Oscar record, this does not mean his win was miscategorized. The Oscars’ rigid category structure forces performances into a binary distinction: lead or supporting. In this case, Culkin—despite his significant presence—is not the film’s lead. His record-breaking screen time may be unusual, but his win is far from unjustified.
