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Jesse Eisenberg knows ‘A Real Pain’ is getting acclaim. His dad put it in perspective : NPR

A note from Wild Card host Rachel Martin: I appreciate Jesse Eisenberg not just because he’s really good at acting, but because he helps me raise my kids. That may sound unnecessarily provocative, but here’s what I mean: Eisenberg tends to play male characters with deep interior lives. Characters who spend a lot of time feeling things like anxiety, fear, insecurity. They are also big hearted and kind. And on screen, we see Eisenberg’s characters trying to find their place in a world where men are expected to flatten their vulnerabilities and all of their emotions to fit into some antiquated definition of masculinity.

What does this have to do with my kids? Well, I’ve got two boys, they’re 10 and 12, and I very much want for them to turn into young men who are comfortable living through every one of their emotions. And maybe I’m giving Hollywood too much power in my life, but it feels affirming as a parent to see these kinds of male characters on screen.

Cases in point: The Squid and the Whale, The Art of Self-Defense, the show Fleishman is in Trouble. And of course the movie that’s getting a ton of accolades right now — including a best original screenplay and supporting actor nomination at the Oscars — A Real Pain, which Eisenberg wrote and directed. He also co-stars in the film alongside Kieran Culkin.

The trailer for “A Real Pain.”

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This Wild Card interview has been edited for length and clarity. Host Rachel Martin asks guests randomly-selected questions from a deck of cards. Tap play above to listen to the full podcast, or read an excerpt below.

Question 1: What’s a moment when you remember being brave as a teenager?

Jesse Eisenberg: Well, so in my senior year of high school, I kind of came into my own a little bit. I grew up in New Jersey, and in my senior year of high school, I transferred to a performing arts high school in New York City. And it was like I just became, like, an adult overnight going there. But the bravest thing I did was probably cut school one day to go see a Broadway matinee of Judgment at Nuremberg — which maybe tells you enough about me to understand my full personality.

Actor, writer and director Jesse Eisenberg says he has had far more failures than successes.

Gareth Cattermole/Contour by Getty Images

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Gareth Cattermole/Contour by Getty Images

My friends and I — we were planning it like a heist at math class in the morning, like, “Yeah, cool I’m gonna meet you at lunch and I think we can get student tickets for the last row mezzanine.” So our big transgression in high school was going to see a Broadway matinee.

I’m sure it would have been the kind of thing if our teachers caught us, they’d be like, “Oh my God, you sweet nerds. Of course. Go. That’s great. I’m giving you an A anyway.”

Question 2: Has ambition ever led you astray?

Eisenberg: I mean, yeah, I think about it all the time. In an attempt for me to stay busy and active I sometimes will push for my things to be done sometimes, even if they’re premature. But I will say, I’m not naturally an ambitious person for myself, but I really am quite a worried person about failing. And so it creates an ambition in me by necessity to just try to stay busy at all times.

Rachel Martin: How have you managed that fear of failure? Because that’s inevitable. I mean you’ve had them, right?

Eisenberg: Yeah. I’ve had far more failures than successes. And my father is a sweet person. He’s a teacher and has such sweet perspectives on my life. So, like, with this movie, A Real Pain, it’s doing well and everything and, you know, there’s a feeling inside of me that this should be the norm and like, “I’m a failure if this is not the norm.”

(L-R) Kieran Culkin and Jesse Eisenberg at The National Board of Review Annual Awards Gala in January.

Jamie McCarthy/Getty Images for National Board/Getty Images North America

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And my dad has kind of a 60,000-foot view or 30,000-foot view – depending on your airline – of what this means. And he tells me things like, “If you have two of these in your career, that’s a cool thing.” A really successful career to have in the arts is to have, like, let’s say two movies that you make that are regarded this nicely.

And so that puts things in perspective, because what it tells me is that this should not be expected to be the norm. And then my friend Jim tells me all the time that if you want a career in the arts, success is basically staying active and busy. The successes are not the one or two things that spike.

Question 3: What is your best defense against despair?

Eisenberg: I married a woman who has the same values as me. I mean, she’s a far better person — she teaches disability social justice and awareness in public schools. And her mom ran a domestic violence shelter for 35 years. So she comes from this kind of world.

And I’m preoccupied with privilege versus struggle and meaning versus emptiness, etc. But the interesting thing that occurs to me, though, is that my wife – she just does something about it. She always just says, “OK, so what are you going to do about it?”

So if I’m, like, feeling miserable, she’s like, “OK, so what are you going to do about it?” Or I’m like, “I feel so bad about what happened to my friend.” She always is just like, “Oh, let’s call him now and try to get him a job. Oh, you know what? I can call my friend. She actually knows somebody who just lost their job here. Maybe they can talk. Maybe they can work together.” There’s not an instinct in her to wallow in it or to, like, make it about herself.

I make it about myself. “Oh God, I feel so guilty.” She’s not even aware that she’s doing something different than me. It’s just the way she’s wired. And so I look to her all the time, and we’ve been together forever.

Martin: I think it’s so lovely that you found each other.

Eisenberg: Oh, I’m lucky. I’m lucky. Because I’m not wired for anything good. She’s wired to do all this good stuff.

Martin: That’s not true. I’ve known you for an hour, and Jesse Eisenberg I don’t think you’re wired to do nothing good.

Eisenberg: No, no, no. I’m a thoughtful person, but it doesn’t lead to, like, you know, benevolent action. She’s just, like, she’s less contemplative than me. She’s just very active and has a good heart.

Jesse Eisenberg’s latest play, ‘A Real Pain,’ has been receiving critical acclaim, but the actor’s dad has a unique perspective on his success. In a recent interview with NPR, Eisenberg shared how his father’s perspective has helped him navigate the highs and lows of his career. Check out the full story here!

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February 2, 2025
Jesse Eisenberg used ChatGPT to understand his anxiety over ordering a bagel

Think of actor Jesse Eisenberg speaking and, well, you’re likely thinking of him nervously hemming and hawing, a ball of anxiety and neuroses. Anxiety is pretty much his brand.

Eisenberg is so curious about answers about his anxiety that he’s apparently turned to AI. In a recent interview, while promoting his Oscar-nominated film A Real Pain, he said he asked ChatGPT to help him understand why he was so nervous about asking a question while ordering a bagel.

SEE ALSO:

‘A Real Pain’ review: Jesse Eisenberg and Kieran Culkin charm as odd-couple cousins

“I asked ChatGPT this morning: ‘Do you think if I had more circumstantially difficult life experiences, do you think I’d be more confident asking for a bagel?’” he said on the NPR show Wild Card. “And ChatGPT said, ‘Well, actually, there is a trove of academic evidence to support what you’re saying, which is like growth through trauma, etc.’”

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Eisenberg went on to explain that he had wondered if pumpernickel was healthier than a regular bagel. He considered asking the folks at the NYC bagel shop but then got anxious because he figured the workers would be too busy. So, naturally, he went to AI to ask if he’d be less anxious if his life had been more difficult.

Eisenberg told NPR: “So then I went to ChatGPT, and I said, ‘Do you think if I suffered an objective trauma, I would have asked if the pumpernickel was healthier?’ And it said, ‘Yeah, maybe.’”

Personally, I wouldn’t put my mental health concerns anywhere near ChatGPT, considering AI’s habit of misinterpreting information or making things up. But at least Eisenberg got some of the answers he was looking for.

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In a recent interview, actor Jesse Eisenberg revealed that he turned to ChatGPT to help him understand his anxiety over ordering a bagel. Eisenberg, known for his roles in films like The Social Network and Zombieland, opened up about his struggles with social anxiety and how the AI-powered chatbot provided him with valuable insights.

Eisenberg explained that he often found himself feeling overwhelmed when ordering food, especially something as simple as a bagel. He would worry about making the right choice, saying the right thing, and not inconveniencing the person taking his order. This anxiety would sometimes lead him to avoid certain situations altogether.

However, after using ChatGPT to discuss his feelings and thoughts around ordering a bagel, Eisenberg found that he was able to gain a better understanding of his anxiety. The chatbot offered him a non-judgmental space to express his fears and uncertainties, and helped him recognize patterns in his behavior.

“I never thought that I could find clarity and comfort in a conversation with an AI, but ChatGPT really helped me see things from a different perspective,” Eisenberg said in the interview. “It’s amazing how technology can provide support and insight in unexpected ways.”

Eisenberg’s story serves as a reminder that mental health struggles can affect anyone, regardless of their background or profession. By seeking help and support, whether through therapy, medication, or innovative tools like ChatGPT, individuals can learn to manage their anxiety and live more fulfilling lives.

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February 2, 2025
Nearly 2 Million People Watched Jesse Eisenberg Explain The Unusual Reason He Feels “Guilty” Taking Vacations

If there’s one type of character Jesse Eisenberg is known for playing, it’s guys with a wee bit of stress. OK, sometimes it’s full-blown anxiety.

Jamie McCarthy / Getty Images for National Board of Review

Whether it was his Oscar-nominated turn as Mark Zuckerberg in The Social Network or his critically acclaimed role in the FX/Hulu miniseries Fleishman Is in Trouble, Jesse has a knack for personifying jittery characters.

Merrick Morton/©Columbia Pictures/Courtesy Everett Collection Linda Kallerus / ©FX / Courtesy of FX via Everett Collection

He’s playing another one in his new film A Real Pain, which he also wrote and directed. The film follows Jesse as a disciplined guy and Kieran Culkin as his laissez-faire cousin taking a trip to Poland. It’s earned rave reviews.

Searchlight Pictures / Courtesy Everett Collection

Earlier this month, A Real Pain received two Oscar nominations. Jesse is up for Best Original Screenplay, while Kieran is competing for Best Supporting Actor.

Arturo Holmes / Getty Images

Jesse stopped by Jimmy Kimmel Live! last week to talk about the movie, but one anecdote he shared about his vacation habits…or lack thereof…really caught people’s attention.

Randy Holmes / Disney / Getty Images

While discussing travel habits, Jimmy asked Jesse if he goes on vacations, which prompted the actor to say, “I don’t like vacations.”

Of course, he explained why. “I feel too guilty to go on a vacation. I have a very good life,” he said, noting that working as a film actor has him feeling “lucky” since he regularly travels for work.

As a result, he isn’t prone to laid-back vacations. “I can’t do that because I’m riddled with guilt,” he said.

He noted his vacation habits are more in line with that of his and Kieran’s A Real Pain characters who traveled to Poland for a Holocaust tour. “Those are the travels I do,” he said, using his last two vacations as an example. One was to a concentration camp in Austria, and the other was with his family to Timisoara, Romania, which is where the 1989 Communist revolutions began.

Searchlight Pictures / Courtesy Everett Collection

“That’s the only time I could go on vacation and not hate myself,” he said of the Romanian trip.

Jesse later admitted he hasn’t told his son about Disney World. “I went to Disneyland during his lifetime without him,” he said. “I was doing something in Shanghai, and they took me to Shanghai Disney. I told him about it and he said, ‘It sounded interesting, but when are we going back to Rwanda?’”

The interview moment went viral on the late-night show’s TikTok page, garnering nearly 2 million views. In the comments, people were amused by Jesse’s self-deprecating humor about his stress.

“He is the personification of anxiety ,” one person wrote.

“i feel his anxiety through the phone,” another said.

Someone even noted he should’ve voiced Anxiety in Inside Out 2, which would have been genius casting.

Someone saw their own anxiety in Jesse, commenting, “I’ve never seen someone as anxious as me.”

And another summed up the moment best, saying, “As nervous as he looks, he is actually hilarious.” Because if you can’t laugh at yourself, who can you laugh at?

You can watch the clip on TikTok and read all the great comments here.

In a recent interview with Jimmy Kimmel, actor Jesse Eisenberg revealed an unusual reason why he feels guilty taking vacations. Nearly 2 million people tuned in to watch as Eisenberg explained his unique perspective on taking time off.

During the interview, Eisenberg shared that he feels guilty about taking vacations because he enjoys his work so much. He explained that he feels privileged to be able to do what he loves for a living and feels guilty when he takes time away from it.

Eisenberg’s candid confession struck a chord with viewers, many of whom could relate to feeling guilty about taking time off from work. The interview sparked a conversation about work-life balance and the pressures of the entertainment industry.

Fans of Eisenberg praised his honesty and vulnerability in discussing his feelings about vacations. Many commented on how refreshing it was to hear a celebrity speak openly about their struggles with guilt and workaholism.

Overall, Eisenberg’s interview with Kimmel resonated with viewers and sparked a thoughtful discussion about the importance of taking breaks and prioritizing self-care. Nearly 2 million people watched as Eisenberg shared his personal perspective on guilt and vacations, proving that his candidness struck a chord with audiences.

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February 2, 2025
Jesse Eisenberg on the bitter and sweet of “A Real Pain”

We’ll tell you up front: Actor-director Jesse Eisenberg, who says he can appreciate a good Jewish deli, is a different kind of movie star. We joined him last week at the legendary Canter’s Deli in Los Angeles, and shared some chocolate babka, with a dill pickle chaser. “This is the real test,” Eisenberg said.

I’ll have what she’s having: Jesse Eisenberg and correspondent Tracy Smith share chocolate babka and pickles, at Canter’s Deli in Los Angeles.

CBS News

It was a little unusual, but for Eisenberg, it’d already been a pretty unusual day. Just a few hours earlier, he received his second Oscar nomination, this time for best original screenplay.

And he was mortified.

I asked, “Are you able to enjoy moments like this?”

“No, I’m not really wired to enjoy praise,” he replied. “I don’t know why. I think it just, like, I don’t know, triggers some guilt response in my brain and I try to find something to be miserable about. But I’ll tell you what I do love: I love actually doing my job. Like, I feel so lucky that I found something I like to do.”

At the moment, his job is to promote the film he wrote, directed and starred in, “A Real Pain,” co-starring Kieran Culkin. The film is about two cousins who travel to Poland to see their ancestral home, and visit the actual home of their late grandmother, who barely survived the Holocaust.

Kieran Culkin and Jesse Eisenberg star in “A Real Pain.”

Searchlight Pictures

The film started out as a buddy movie about a trip to Mongolia. As he was writing the script, Eisenberg got stuck, until inspiration literally popped up on his computer. “I was, like, 30 pages into the script and something was missing,” he said. “I knew the script was not going well. And so, I’m, like, kind of, like, banging my head against the keyboard. And an ad pops up online for ‘Auschwitz tours.’ And then in parentheses, ‘with lunch.’ And I was like, ‘Auschwitz tours (with lunch)?’ That’s, like, the strangest pairing of four words I’ve ever seen. And once I saw that, and once I read that brochure, I was like, ‘Oh, that’s the movie. That is so interesting,’ because I was trying to deal with these two characters who are both kind of, like, in pain in their own ways.”

“Dude, we are Jews on a train in Poland, ******* think about it. … Does no one else see the irony here? Like, eating fancy food and sitting up here, when 80 years ago we would’ve been herded into the backs of these ******* things like cattle?”

Watch a scene with Jesse Eisenberg and Kieran Culkin in “A Real Pain” [Warning: Graphic language]

A Real Pain Movie Clip – Anyone Else Feeling This? (2024) by
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Eisenberg has had those same thoughts. He is himself of Polish lineage, and he has relatives who were victims of the Holocaust. “I come from a family who survived the war; a lot of, you know, cousins, aunts, and uncles who didn’t,” he said. “And yet, I walk around New York City, like, kind of miserable. Like, I’m not, like, a happy person. I’m not asking for pity or anything; I’m just recognizing objectively, like, I’m not a happy person. And yet, I come from people who survived through miracles. Intellectually, I think I should be waking up every morning kissing the dirt that I’m here by virtue of a thousand miracles. And instead, I walk around, I’m like, Oh my God. What am I gonna do today? Oh my God. I shouldn’t drink a coffee ’cause then I’ll peak at noon.

“And so, I’m constantly trying to reconcile my fortunate life with how I feel about things, and my forebears’ very unfortunate lives and how they appreciated things. And that’s what this movie is kind of focusing on.”

It seems he’s been feeling that same kind of anxiety all of his life. Raised in New Jersey, Jesse Eisenberg was, by his own admission, a “sad kid” who was uncomfortable at school, and took refuge in acting. By 2010 he’d made a name for himself in Hollywood, with roles like Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg in “The Social Network.” The part earned him an Oscar nod, and the juice to branch out into writing and directing.

But when COVID shut down the film industry in 2020, Eisenberg and his wife, Anna Strout, moved back to her native Indiana, and spent their days volunteering at her mom’s domestic violence shelter in Bloomington. “I was just volunteering every day at the shelter,” he said. “It sounds weird to say this, and I don’t mean this for any kind of – it was, like, the happiest time of my life. I was painting walls and fixing garbage disposals. And I just loved it so much. I loved being able to, like, accomplish something where there was no, like, critique of it, you know what I mean?”

“It makes total sense,” I said. “You fix the garbage disposal, the garbage disposal’s fixed. End of it.”

“Exactly.”

But of all the roles he’s played, on-screen and off-, he says the confident illusionist in the “Now You See Me” franchise is the most challenging, because it’s absolutely nothing like him. “We just did the third ‘Now You See Me,’ and it’s such a blast,” he said. “And it’s such a challenge, because I’m doing something that’s, like, the exact opposite of my psychology. It’s the only time I ever walk away thinking, ‘I did a good job today.’ But that’s because my character thinks that they’re doing well. And yes, they’re Hollywood movies, and they’re really fun. But, like, for me, it’s been a kind of like a therapy.”

“Does that confidence linger at all past the shoots?” I asked.

“Yes, normally it will linger through dinner,” he replied. “Once I get on set and I’m in those clothes, and I’m speaking in the way they’ve written for me … I stand up straighter. I’m, like, an inch taller. It’s amazing. I can make eye contact with my father!”

You’d think the success of “A Real Pain” would give Eisenberg some swagger. His movie also snagged Culkin an Oscar nomination for best supporting actor. But like the babka and pickles at Canter’s, Eisenberg can’t seem to enjoy the sweet without just a little bit of sour.

I asked, “Is there a part of you that finds this whole experience, with the way that ‘A Real Pain’ has been received, kind of unreal? That at some moment you’re gonna wake up?”

“Oh, yeah, I assume a piano is gonna fall on my head every day,” Eisenberg said. “Because I feel like, I am so lucky. And, like, the way my mind does equations is that this lucky thing must mean this horrible upcoming thing. And so, yes, I’m not walking under any air conditioners in New York City. I don’t know how to think about it any other way. And that’s really unfortunate, but true!”

Watch an extended interview with Jesse Eisenberg:

Extended interview: Jesse Eisenberg

17:53

To watch a trailer for “A Real Pain,” click on the video player below:

A REAL PAIN | Official Trailer | Searchlight Pictures by
SearchlightPictures on
YouTube

For more info:

Story produced by John D’Amelio. Editor: Ed Givnish.

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Tracy Smith

Tracy Smith is an award-winning correspondent for “CBS News Sunday Morning” and “48 Hours,” who joined CBS News in 2000. Smith has covered a wide range of subjects, producing revealing interviews with news-making artists to moving, in-depth reporting.

Jesse Eisenberg on the bitter and sweet of “A Real Pain”

In a recent interview, actor Jesse Eisenberg opened up about his experience working on the film “A Real Pain” and the emotional rollercoaster that came with it. Eisenberg, known for his intense and nuanced performances, delved deep into the complexities of his character and the challenges he faced while filming.

Describing the film as both a “bitter and sweet” experience, Eisenberg revealed that the dark subject matter and intense scenes took a toll on him emotionally. “It was a real challenge to dive into the darkness of my character and explore the painful emotions he was going through,” he said. “But at the same time, there was a sense of catharsis in being able to fully embody and express those emotions on screen.”

Eisenberg also spoke about the camaraderie and support he received from his fellow cast and crew members during filming, which helped him navigate the difficult moments. “It was a true team effort, and I couldn’t have done it without the incredible talent and dedication of everyone involved,” he added.

Despite the challenges he faced, Eisenberg expressed gratitude for the opportunity to work on such a powerful and thought-provoking project. “At the end of the day, I’m proud of the work we did and the impact it will have on audiences,” he said. “It may have been a real pain to film, but it was also a deeply rewarding and fulfilling experience.”

“A Real Pain” is set to premiere later this year, and fans can expect to see Eisenberg deliver a raw and unforgettable performance that will leave a lasting impression.

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February 2, 2025
Jesse Eisenberg on ‘A Real Pain’

Jesse Eisenberg is the guest on the latest episode of The Hollywood Reporter’s Awards Chatter podcast. The 41-year-old actor, writer and director is best known for his portrayal of Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg in David Fincher’s 2010 masterpiece The Social Network. Fourteen years after receiving an best actor Oscar nomination for that performance, the former child actor is an Oscar nominee again, this time for the original screenplay that he wrote for a 2024 film that he also directed and stars in, A Real Pain.

The semi-autobiographical drama is about two very different cousins — one “successful” but anxious, played by him, the other struggling but charming, played by Kieran Culkin — who travel together to Poland to pay tribute to their beloved late grandmother. It premiered at the 2024 Sundance Film Festival, where Eisenberg was recognized with the Waldo Salt Screenwriting Award, and at which its U.S. distribution rights were acquired for $10 million by Searchlight, which released it on Nov. 1, 2024. It has since garnered rave reviews — it’s at 96% on Rotten Tomatoes — and has grossed $16.4 million worldwide.

Over the course of a conversation at the Los Angeles offices of The Hollywood Reporter, Eisenberg reflected on how a shy and socially-awkward kid wound up on the stage and the screen in the first place, in films such as 2002’s Roger Dodger, 2005’s The Squid and the Whale and 2009’s Adventureland; what led him to begin writing, even as his acting career took off thanks to the commercial success of 2009’s Zombieland and 2010’s The Social Network, and why he shifted from penning scripts in the mold of Adam Sandler comedies to more personal material; how A Real Pain — the second feature that he wrote and directed, after 2022’s When You Finish Saving the World — essentially brings together ideas he first explored in other pieces that he wrote years ago; plus much more.

Jesse Eisenberg on ‘A Real Pain’

In a recent interview, actor Jesse Eisenberg opened up about his experience filming his latest movie, ‘A Real Pain’. The film, which follows the journey of a man suffering from chronic pain, required Eisenberg to delve deep into the emotional and physical struggles of his character.

Eisenberg revealed that the role was one of the most challenging he has ever taken on, as he had to truly empathize with the daily struggles of those living with chronic pain. He spoke about the intense research he conducted to understand the psychological toll that constant pain can have on a person, and how he worked closely with medical professionals to accurately portray the character’s journey.

The actor also shared that filming ‘A Real Pain’ was a deeply emotional experience for him, as he had to tap into his own vulnerabilities to authentically convey the pain and frustration his character was feeling. Eisenberg expressed his admiration for those who live with chronic pain every day, and the resilience they show in the face of such adversity.

Overall, Eisenberg hopes that ‘A Real Pain’ will shed light on the often overlooked struggles of those living with chronic pain, and spark important conversations about empathy and understanding. The film is set to be released later this year, and Eisenberg’s powerful performance is sure to leave a lasting impact on audiences.

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February 2, 2025
Jesse Eisenberg on ‘A Real Pain,’ Acting vs. Writing and Mark Zuckerberg 2.0

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Jesse Eisenberg is the guest on the latest episode of The Hollywood Reporter’s Awards Chatter podcast. The 41-year-old actor, writer and director is best known for his portrayal of Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg in David Fincher’s 2010 masterpiece The Social Network. Fourteen years after receiving an best actor Oscar nomination for that performance, the former child actor is an Oscar nominee again, this time for the original screenplay that he wrote for a 2024 film that he also directed and stars in, A Real Pain.

The semi-autobiographical drama is about two very different cousins — one “successful” but anxious, played by him, the other struggling but charming, played by Kieran Culkin — who travel together to Poland to pay tribute to their beloved late grandmother. It premiered at the 2024 Sundance Film Festival, where Eisenberg was recognized with the Waldo Salt Screenwriting Award, and at which its U.S. distribution rights were acquired for $10 million by Searchlight, which released it on Nov. 1, 2024. It has since garnered rave reviews — it’s at 96% on Rotten Tomatoes — and has grossed $16.4 million worldwide.

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Over the course of a conversation at the Los Angeles offices of The Hollywood Reporter, Eisenberg reflected on how a shy and socially-awkward kid wound up on the stage and the screen in the first place, in films such as 2002’s Roger Dodger, 2005’s The Squid and the Whale and 2009’s Adventureland; what led him to begin writing, even as his acting career took off thanks to the commercial success of 2009’s Zombieland and 2010’s The Social Network, and why he shifted from penning scripts in the mold of Adam Sandler comedies to more personal material; how A Real Pain — the second feature that he wrote and directed, after 2022’s When You Finish Saving the World — essentially brings together ideas he first explored in other pieces that he wrote years ago; plus much more.

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In a recent interview, Jesse Eisenberg opened up about the challenges of playing complex characters, the difference between acting and writing, and his thoughts on the evolution of Mark Zuckerberg in the upcoming film “The Social Network 2.0.”

Eisenberg, known for his intense and nuanced performances, described the process of getting into character as “a real pain.” He explained that he often immerses himself in the mindset of his characters, which can be emotionally draining. However, he also expressed a deep love for the craft of acting and the opportunity to inhabit different personas on screen.

When asked about his experience as a writer, Eisenberg emphasized the distinct challenges that come with writing compared to acting. He noted that while both require creativity and storytelling skills, writing often involves more solitary work and a different kind of discipline. Despite these differences, Eisenberg revealed that he enjoys both pursuits and finds fulfillment in expressing himself through multiple artistic mediums.

One of Eisenberg’s most famous roles was portraying Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg in the original “The Social Network” film. Now, with a sequel in the works, Eisenberg shared his excitement for revisiting the character and exploring how Zuckerberg has evolved over the years. He hinted at a more mature and introspective portrayal of the tech mogul, suggesting that audiences can expect to see a new side of Zuckerberg in the upcoming film.

Overall, Eisenberg’s reflections on acting, writing, and his upcoming projects offer insight into his passion for storytelling and his dedication to his craft. Fans can look forward to seeing him tackle new challenges and bring fresh perspectives to the characters he embodies on screen.

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February 1, 2025
In ‘A Real Pain,’ Jesse Eisenberg follows 2 cousins on a tour of Holocaust sites : NPR

Jesse Eisenberg and Kieran Culkin star as cousins who take a Jewish heritage tour in Poland in A Real Pain.

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A few years ago, actor Jesse Eisenberg was writing a movie about two men on a road trip in Mongolia when an ad popped up on his screen, offering “Auschwitz tours, with lunch.”

“I clicked on the ad and it took me to a site for what you would imagine: An English speaking heritage tour of Poland that culminates at Auschwitz,” Eisenberg says. “And it … just posed all these interesting philosophical questions like: Why do we do tragedy tourism and why don’t we try to connect to this kind of history in a way that feels less comfortable?”

Eisenberg shifted the setting of his Mongolia script to Poland, and borrowed details from his own family history. A Real Pain, which Eisenberg also directed and stars in, follows two American cousins who go on a Jewish heritage trip to Poland, culminating in a tour of Majdanek concentration camp. The trip is funded by their recently deceased grandmother, who wanted her grandchildren to see the home she fled when the Nazis were coming to power.

Each cousin is dealing with mental health issues, which are exacerbated by the trip. Eisenberg’s character, David, is introverted, and takes medication for his OCD. His cousin Benji, played by Kieran Culkin, has severe depression at times, but outwardly is charismatic and lights up the room. Eisenberg says one of the themes he wanted to explore in the film is the validity of pain.

“What is real pain?” he says. “Is my character’s manageable, medicated OCD pain valid? Is Kieran’s pain valid … [if] he’s experiencing the worst of what a psyche can experience, but at the same time he is in a comfortable life? Or is the only pain that’s valid and should be acknowledged is the pain of war, genocide and mass trauma?”

A Real Pain was nominated for four Golden Globe Awards, including the award for best supporting actor, which Culkin won. Eisenberg is grateful for the recognition his film has received, but he also acknowledges the disconnect between the subject of his film and the celebratory nature of the award season.

“There’s some kind of irony there, and it certainly sums up probably a lot of my inner life,” he says. “I have a materially nice life and I walk around kind of feeling bad for myself, being miserable over minor things. And yet I’m also incredibly fascinated by my family’s history in Poland and learning about the suffering. And I don’t know how to reconcile those two things: Feeling bad about my very fortunate life and also understanding the horrors of my family’s past or the horrors of people around the world today.”

Interview highlights

On shooting part of the movie at Majdanek concentration camp in Poland

[The authorities at Majdanek] get asked every day [for the camp] to be turned into essentially war sets that take place in 1942 and have extras running around in Nazi uniforms. Of course they’re not going to allow that at this kind of site, which is a cemetery, which is a site of mass horror. And so over the course of the next eight months before we made the movie, I just tried to reach out in any way possible to this concentration camp, Majdanek, to explain what I wanted to do, which is I wanted to film a scene of a modern tour group going through this place, in an attempt to have it be part of the movie, but also to show audiences what this place is. And my kind of plea to them was that I want to do the same thing you’re doing. You exist as a museum to show people today what happened on this site. And I’m trying to do the same thing through my movie. …

We went over every word in the script. We went over every angle that we wanted to film, and it took a long time, but they agreed to it and we had two cameras and we basically set up the shots in the most kind of unfettered way. It was written in the script even that these scenes will be shot very simply. There will be no music. The actors will walk in and out of the room. So that’s how I wrote it in the script, and that’s what we filmed.

On needing to be flexible with Kieran Culkin on set

Kieran Culkin, in this movie, didn’t want to stand on any marks, which means, when you’re setting up a shot in a movie, the actor has to stand on their mark to deliver their lines. This is kind of a standard practice. Kieran would never stand on a mark because he didn’t know what he was going to do or where he was going to walk or what he was going to be performing. And so for me, if I had some kind of strict compulsion to wanting the actors to all do my thing, the movie wouldn’t be good because it would be stifling our leading character, Kieran. And so learning to be flexible is helpful. In the arts, that’s really kind of paramount, because you want the most creative, interesting idea to win.

On his own relationship to Judaism and bar mitzvahs

I dropped out of Hebrew school when I was like 12. … I hated, in a real way, these [bar mitzvah] parties that people had. I grew up in the suburbs of Jersey. They turned my stomach in a way that I couldn’t probably even articulate. Just like the deification and celebration of a 13-year-old kid, for doing what? I don’t know. And then, the karaoke celebrating a kid, it seemed so gross to me. The kids in school would talk about the checks they got. … In retrospect, I still feel a little put off by it. Like, why are we celebrating this kid and giving them the kind of false illusion that they’ve done some great deed for the world by learning seven seconds of Hebrew? …

Probably 10 years later, I was playing a Hasidic Jew in a movie called Holy Rollers. And so I was doing all this research on Hasidism and I actually got a bar mitzvah because I was kind of like going to this Hasidic school and I was kind of pretending like I was just a kind of curious, secular Jew, which they, of course, loved to have because they thought they can kind of convert me into their world. And so they gave me a bar mitzvah. … So not only did I not have a secular Jersey bar mitzvah, but I ended up having a Hasidic bar mitzvah with, like, 100 Hasidic young men standing around me chanting … so I had probably the most religious bar mitzvah a person could have, but it was just because I was trying to infiltrate the school to learn about it for an acting job.

On struggling with anxiety, depression and OCD as a child

I cried everywhere. I guess at some point I probably shed the embarrassment that most kids would have probably felt. I was kicked out of preschool … because I locked my mom in the closet because I didn’t want to be away from my mom. … I probably at some point got over the expected humiliation the kid would have about being very emotional in front of people. … I didn’t want attention or pity. I think I was just so miserable. I couldn’t control myself.

On being briefly admitted to a mental hospital as a child – and his parents taking him out because of a swastika drawn in his room by another patient

I was really going crazy. … They kept bringing me to this padded room or something and it was terrifying. … I would go to the soft room and they would put their knee in my back and hold me back to restrain me. …

I remember actually not being bothered by the swastika at all, but for whatever reason [that] was the thing that tipped my parents into taking me out of there. And I was going home and I was like, “I think I should skydive!” I had this feeling on the way home, like, I just love life. I was kissing the car and I was kissing my sister’s arm hair.

I was only in there for like a week. And then after a week or two of being out, then you’re like, you go back to the same problems. But the problem for me was like, if I didn’t at least try to go to school, not to go to class, but to try to go to school and sit in the therapist’s office at least for three hours a day, then [I would] have to go back to the institution. So the institution became this kind of boogeyman.

On finding a place for himself in community theater as a kid

What was really great about it was I was with adults. Somehow I just felt so much more comfortable not only being with adults, but being with adults who are all attracted to the arts. And especially when you’re working on the community theater level. It’s all people that feel outcast in every other part of the world, and that’s why they’re working after their job at AT&T during the day, they come and they have their outlet at night. And just being around people like that was just so life-changing and affirming and made me realize, you know what? I think [I’m] going to be OK when I’m an adult because I could see all these people are more like me. They’re not like the people I go to school with. These people are outcasts and weirdos and artists. And that just was life-changing.

Lauren Krenzel and Anna Bauman produced and edited this interview for broadcast. Bridget Bentz, Molly Seavy-Nesper and Beth Novey adapted it for the web.

In ‘A Real Pain,’ Jesse Eisenberg follows 2 cousins on a tour of Holocaust sites : NPR

In his latest project, actor Jesse Eisenberg takes on a new role as a documentary filmmaker, following two cousins as they embark on a journey to visit various Holocaust sites in Europe. Titled “A Real Pain,” the film explores the deep emotional and psychological impact of the Holocaust on survivors and their families.

The cousins, both descendants of Holocaust survivors, set out to confront their family history and grapple with the intergenerational trauma that has been passed down through the years. Eisenberg captures their raw emotions and candid conversations as they visit concentration camps, memorials, and other significant sites, shedding light on the lasting effects of one of the darkest chapters in human history.

Through interviews with historians, survivors, and experts, “A Real Pain” delves into the complexities of memory, grief, and healing in the aftermath of the Holocaust. Eisenberg’s sensitive and thought-provoking approach offers a unique perspective on the enduring legacy of this tragic event and the importance of bearing witness to the past.

Don’t miss this powerful and poignant film, now streaming on NPR.

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Jesse Eisenberg, Holocaust sites, cousins, NPR, A Real Pain, tour, historical sites, Jewish history, World War II, family history, trauma, memory, cultural heritage, remembrance, documentary, Jewish heritage, personal journey.

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January 23, 2025

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