Jesse Eisenberg appears determined to do it all.
Best known as an actor in such movies as The Squid and the Whale, Now You See Me, Zombieland, Adventureland, Batman v Superman, and his Oscar-nominated performance as Mark Zuckerberg in The Social Network, Eisenberg also is an established playwright and author who has contributed numerous stories for The New Yorker in particular. He is also stepping behind the camera more consistently now after his first directorial effort, When You Finish Saving the World, premiered at Sundance in 2022. Eisenberg returned to Sundance in January to premiere his second film as writer and director, A Real Pain, a kind of buddy road-trip movie that only he could have dreamed up.
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This time he not only writes and directs but also stars along with Kieran Culkin, the latter playing a bit of a loose cannon as the pair embark on a trip to Poland to trace family roots during the Holocaust. The house they discover was one that already was in Eisenberg’s family as it belonged to his great aunt and holds great significance in the story of the film, which won high praise after its Sundance debut and now is in theatres drawing audiences longing for the kind of smart indie dramedy it represents.
Watch on Deadline
Eisenberg joins me for this week’s edition of my Deadline video series Behind the Lens to talk about the movie, how it came about and the casting of Culkin — despite admittedly never having seen him in anything — who won an Emmy for Succession at just about the same time this movie was debuting in Sundance. We also discuss the logistics of not only shooting in Poland but being given permission to film some scenes at the real concentration camp that plays a part in the screenplay.
To watch our conversation and to go “behind the lens” with Jesse Eisenberg, just click the link above.
Join me every Monday during Oscar season for a new episode of Behind the Lens.