Jesse Eisenberg reveals why leaving the US because of Trump would be 'silly'
KARLOVY VARY, CZECH REPUBLIC: Despite recently obtaining Polish citizenship, actor Jesse Eisenberg has no plans to leave the United States, citing a responsibility to remain in New York during what he described as a difficult period in American history.
Speaking at the Karlovy Vary Film Festival on Saturday, July 4, where he received this year’s President’s Award, Eisenberg also discussed his upcoming film, the backlash surrounding A24’s AI partnership, his directing journey, and why he is not returning for 'The Social Network' sequel.
Jesse Eisenberg explains why he's staying in America
Despite becoming a Polish citizen, Eisenberg said relocating is not something he is considering. “I am a very lucky American,” he said, adding, “I have a nice life. My wife is a teacher, and she teaches a lot of students who are not as lucky as we are."
He continued, "I think we feel, if anything, a responsibility to stay in New York and help those who are struggling through a tougher period in American history. No, I’m not going to leave because I don’t like the politics of America. That seems a little silly, because my life is very good.”
Eisenberg also addressed the discussion surrounding his upcoming directorial feature, 'The Debut,' a musical comedy starring Julianne Moore and Paul Giamatti that is scheduled for release in the US on December 3 through A24.
The discussion follows A24’s announcement of an AI research partnership with Google’s DeepMind unit to develop AI-powered technologies for filmmakers, which prompted criticism from some film fans following the release of the movie’s first trailer.
Asked whether the timing affected him, Eisenberg said he did not dwell on it because “it doesn’t have anything to do with me. A24 could not have been better about making our movie analog.”
He continued, “The movie takes place in the 1990s, with two stars who have been working forever and who are just brilliant in the movie. We shot on film, which is very rare, so the movie felt like a movie from the 90s, which was my era growing up and starting to watch independent movies. Our movie could not have been more analog.”
Jesse Eisenberg rejects 'The Social Network' sequel
Reflecting on his directing career, Eisenberg said he “felt more comfortable directing” 'The Debut' than he did while making 'A Real Pain.'
He explained that the confidence came after the poor critical reception and lukewarm box office performance of his directorial debut.
“I didn’t feel like there was any opposition,” he went on, adding, “With my second movie, ‘A Real Pain,’ I did feel a little bit like I had to prove myself even further. I noticed this thing [that] when actors are making their first films, there’s this feeling that this person might be a genius."
He further said, "If that movie doesn’t work, you’re starting way below genius because now you’re an actor who can’t direct. When I was doing ‘A Real Pain,’ I was like: Now I’m an actor who lost money for a studio. That was worse than starting out. The last movie I did feel a little more comfortable.”
He also explained why writing his own scripts gives him greater creative freedom.
“Because I write scripts, it allows me to be the first person to get the job as a director. I feel if I write a good enough script, I can always direct it. For directors who don’t write, it’s tougher. If their movie doesn’t work, they’re not going to be the screenwriter’s first choice.”
During a separate in-conversation event at the festival, Eisenberg also explained why he will not reprise his role as Mark Zuckerberg in Aaron Sorkin’s upcoming sequel, 'The Social Reckoning.'
“At the time, the movie seemed like such a strange thing to me because no one really knew who he was,” he said, adding, “He was interviewed on ‘60 Minutes,’ which is our big news show, but otherwise he wasn’t in the public a lot. And then he’s become famous and now I don’t want to do the movie […] I don’t want to be associated with him anymore because I don’t really like the comparison.”
