Jesse Eisenberg, celebrated actor, writer, and director, dives deep into his personal journey behind his latest film, A Real Pain. He shares memories from his travels in Poland and reflects on his family’s influence while growing up. Eisenberg discusses his early writing experiences and landmark acting roles, plus the transformation he underwent for The Social Network. With humor and introspection, he explores the complexities of creativity, heritage, and personal growth, shedding light on the emotional challenges he faced while crafting his art.
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Seinfeld Rankings
Jesse Eisenberg ranked every Seinfeld episode for Vanity Fair at 21 years old.
He rewatches Seinfeld episodes nightly and considers himself a Seinfeld expert.
insights INSIGHT
Complex Relationships
Eisenberg's film, A Real Pain, explores his complex relationships with men, not as a typical buddy comedy.
He envies those comfortable in their own skin while also valuing his stability.
insights INSIGHT
Envy and Iowane
We are often jealous of specific aspects of a person's life, not their entire life, according to Richard Ayoade.
These envied aspects might disrupt the stability we have built.
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This graphic adaptation of Marcel Proust's 'In Search of Lost Time' presents the first volume, 'Swann's Way', in a compressed and visually engaging format. The adaptation, likened to a 'piano reduction of an orchestral score', retains the fundamental architecture and themes of Proust’s work, including time, art, and the elusiveness of memory. Stéphane Heuet's detailed illustrations bring to life the narrator Marcel's childhood memories in Combray, capturing the humor, wit, and memorable characters of Proust's original text. This adaptation is designed to make Proust's work more accessible while maintaining its essence and beauty[3][5][4].
Fleishman is in Trouble
Taffy Brodesser-Akner
The novel follows Toby Fleishman, a 41-year-old hepatologist, and his wife Rachel, a successful talent agent, as they navigate their divorce. The story is narrated by Toby's college friend Libby, who serves as a stand-in for the author. The book examines the reversal of traditional gender roles, with Rachel as the primary breadwinner and Toby as the secondary earner. It also critiques the affluent Manhattan professional class and explores the challenges of modern marriage, parenting, and the impact of dating apps on relationships. The narrative delves into the complexities of their 14-year marriage and the events that led to its breakdown, while also reflecting on Libby's own life and experiences.
The Double
A Petersburg Poem
Fyodor Dostoevsky
The Double tells the tragic and comic tale of Yakov Petrovich Golyadkin, a humble office clerk in 19th-century Saint Petersburg. Golyadkin's life is disrupted when he encounters a doppelganger who is his exact double in appearance but confident, aggressive, and extroverted. As the double begins to take over Golyadkin's life, their relationship evolves from friendship to bitter enmity. The novella delves into themes of identity, sanity, and the internal psychological struggles of Golyadkin, leaving the reader to question whether the double is real or a figment of Golyadkin's imagination[2][3][5].
Actor, writer, and director Jesse Eisenberg’s latest project, A Real Pain, is perhaps his most personal to date.
He joins us today to unpack the journey that shaped the film(9:18), memories from his travels to Poland (15:40), and what he observed about his family growing up in East Brunswick (22:23). Then, Eisenberg reflects on his first jokes written on post-it notes (29:20), his breakthrough acting roles in Roger Dodger (31:35) and The Squid and the Whale (34:37), and formative visits to his aunt Doris in New York City (35:32).
On the back-half, we talk about his transformation in The Social Network (41:15), the erotic dream that inspired his play The Spoils (42:48), the real anxiety he explored while writing A Real Pain (46:39), lessons on directing from Richard Ayoade and Greg Mottola (51:14), and why he cares so deeply about his art (1:00:10).
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