PREVIEWS have begun for “Asuncion,” with Fil-Am actress Camille Mana (right) in the title role. Also in photo is her famous co-star Jesse Eisenberg, who wrote the play. photo:Sandra Coudert
LOS ANGELES—Not surprisingly, Jesse Eisenberg is a big fan of Woody Allen’s.
In a recent interview, Jesse, whose speech and mannerisms evoke a young version of the revered actor-director, told us, “Woody Allen’s movies always spoke to me more than anybody else’s literature and art. Woody Allen always spoke to me far more than anything else I’ve absorbed. I recognize myself in him— the way I look at the world is exactly in line with his movies. I find them very entertaining.”
In a serendipitous turn, Jesse was about to shoot his first film with Woody at the time of our conversation.
“It’s a dream come true to see how Woody works because I’m so fascinated by him,” Jesse admitted, “mostly because of what he’s creating and also because of how prolific he is. I can’t believe that somebody does as much as him.”
Woody, who just finished shooting in Rome, has changed the film’s title— from “The Bop Decameron” to “Nero Fiddled.”
Jesse is in terrific company: Woody himself, Penelope Cruz, Ellen Page, Alec Baldwin, Roberto Benigni, Judy Davis, Ornella Muti, just to name a few in the cast.
On speaking fast just like Woody, Jesse, who is 28 but can easily pass for 18, said, “My mother is a very energetic person. My dad is a college professor. So maybe both of them together created somebody who talks very quickly and with great agitation.” Jesse’s mom was a professional clown; his sister is also an actor.
WOODY Allen (left) directs a scene from "Nero Fiddled." photo: www.fusedfilm.com
In the comedy “30 Minutes or Less,” (in Manila theaters next week) Jesse plays Nick, a pizza delivery guy whose small-town existence is upended when he crosses paths with two criminal wannabes (Danny McBride and Nick Swardson). The duo kidnap Nick, strap a bomb to his chest and force him to rob a bank. With precious time ticking, Nick turns to his ex-best friend, Chet, played by Aziz Ansari, for help.
Release, anxiety
“One of the things I like about acting is that it gives me a release,” admitted the Oscar- and Golden Globe-nominated actor (for “The Social Network”). “I have a lot of anxiety but doing a movie like ‘30 Minutes or Less’ allows me to get all that out during the day. After 14 hours of shooting a scene where my character is facing a life-or-death situation, I can finally sleep at night. When I’m not working, I have no release for that anxiety. It’s difficult to sleep.”
Still on anxiety: Asked if it’s better to suppress candor sometimes because honesty can end a friendship, as depicted in a scene capped by frank revelations, Jesse replied: “I’m in therapy multiple times a week. So I’m encouraged to be honest. When you’re in therapy and forced to divulge information and deal with things constructively, it allows for more open and honest relationships.” He quipped, “And bigger phone bills. But that’s the healthy way to deal with things. In this movie, when the guys finally have this fight, it opens them up to have a real relationship.”
Of this fight scene involving Jesse and Aziz, the actor cracked, “Luckily, we both weigh half of one man, so it was not a very painful fight. It was over quickly.”
Jesse rode along with a pizza delivery guy where the film was shooting so he “understand what that life is like.” His findings? “I found that it’s possible to not think twice when you’re entering a dangerous situation, like my character does in the movie where he’s called into this crap yard to deliver pizza to these criminals,” he said. “In the middle of the night, we went to houses where people are drunk and weird and you have to deliver pizza to them.”
It was an adventure for Jesse to drive around fast in the movie as his character had to race to deliver pizza on time, or else it’s free. “I don’t drive because I live in New York,” he pointed out. “I don’t have a car there. So it was a lot of fun to be able to drive and be surrounded by 25 stunt drivers who had to react to anything I did. I could be as reckless as I naturally am and be safe. I took stunt-driving lessons for the movie. They were of no use because I had no idea what I was doing.”
Intense situation
The actor explained that he felt relieved to be surrounded by comedians like Aziz, McBride and Swardson. “My character is dealing with a very intense situation,” he said. “I’m supposed to play the scenes very dramatically, but I know the movie is a comedy so I felt unburdened. I was surrounded by guys who are funny and could take the pressure off me. I could take my thing very seriously and be funny occasionally… and still let them be more explicitly funny.”
Asked whether he worked as a pizza delivery boy or something similar in his younger years, Jesse said, “I did a little construction with my father and interned at a company. But both of those were free. I do theater in New York. It’s a low-income job. You have to supplement it by doing episodes of ‘Law & Order: SVU.’ Every actor in New York shows up on ‘Law & Order’ in order to make a living.”
Going back to “The Social Network,” Jesse has met Mark Zuckerberg, whom he portrayed in the acclaimed movie. “We met once, very briefly,” Jesse said. “He couldn’t have been nicer. I was pleasantly surprised to see how nice he was to me because I could imagine it must have been such a strange thing to have a movie made not only about your life, but at the same age as when you’re living the situation. And also a movie that controversially argues that maybe the origin of your idea was complicated.”
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Jesse has been appearing with Filipino-American actress Camille Mana, his buddy, Justin Bartha (of “The Hangover”) and stage veteran Remy Auberjonois in “Asuncion,” his off-Broadway debut as a playwright which began its preview performances last Oct. 12 at the Cherry Lane Theatre.
“Previews were sold out in our first week, and audience response has been overwhelmingly positive,” Camille Mana, who plays the young Filipina of the title, told us. The character Asuncion tests the supposed liberal mindedness of Jesse and Justin’s characters when she stays in their apartment.
Larger thoughts
“I am so glad,” exulted Camille, who is loving October—her indie film “Norman” opens in US moviehouses on the 21st, while “Asuncion” officially opens on the 27th. “The crowds have been very mixed in age and demographic, and everyone seems to be laughing along as well as thinking larger thoughts upon exiting,” she said about the preview audiences of “Asuncion.”
Continued the Californian, who is living temporarily in New York on account of the play: “It is rare for a piece to be all at once funny and depressing, and these are the kinds of stories I enjoy, so I am glad audiences have been enjoying ours as well.. “After one show, I met a couple of Filipino-American women who said they were very entertained, so hopefully it is something that adults of all ages can appreciate.”
“I am having a blast playing Asuncion, and am truly flattered by the feedback from viewers,” she added. “I am glad that people are appreciating the hard work and love that are going into this piece from all of us.”
She disclosed that while “Asuncion” will run through Nov. 27, “there is a good chance we will extend our run slightly based on the packed houses we have had so far.” More details on “Asuncion,” which is directed by Kip Fagan, are available on www.cherrylanetheatre.org.
Email the columnist at rvnepales_5585@yahoo.com. Follow him at https://twitter.com/nepalesruben.