Jesse Eisenberg reveals how he watched movies for free and shares acting tips for aspiring actors.
Jesse Eisenberg is known for his on-screen persona, and the Academy Award-nominated actor knows this. In an interview with The Guardian, Eisenberg speaks about why his role in Now You See Me and its sequel is one of the best acting jobs he has ever had, and he shares his secret to acting in the amazing interview.
During a speech at CinemaCon, Eisenberg revealed how he joined the Screen Actors Guild when he was only a child and tricked the movie theater to show him free movies. “When I was about 18, I got my Screen Actors Guild card and, for some reason, I decided to tell my local Regal Cinemas box office that this SAG card allowed me two free movie tickets to any movie. I saw a movie, like every other day, at this Regal Cinema, illegally using my SAG card. Swordfish, Dr Doolittle 2, America’s Sweethearts, Hedwig and the Angry Inch, Serendipity, Training Day, Shallow Hal,Gosford Park…”
Eisenberg says that he enjoyed working on Now You See Me franchise because it’s a completely different kind of character and he feels comfortable playing that role.
“I enjoy Now You See Me because my character is a performer. I’m also a performer obviously – but this guy is the most confident performer, he’s worked hard establishing this incredible skill-set and doesn’t apologize for it. He has confidence probably in excess and in a lot of ways I’m kind of the opposite.”
Eisenberg continues to argue and point out the connections, adding, “I perform on stage for a living, as my main job, and I have total stage fright and anxiety so reprising this character in Now You See Me 2, is really the only time I’m totally at ease. When you’re playing a character for a long time, several hours a day, for an extended period of time, over the course of a few months you end up subconsciously taking on the experience of that character. If you make the face of somebody confident for 12 hours a day, over the course of a few months, you end up tricking yourself into thinking that you have all those feelings and so, for me, this is the only time when I can actually lower my medication.”
Eisenberg confesses that he has an easier time portraying characters who are not like his real personality. He explains, “It’s much easier for me to play a character with some kind of eccentricity or strange behavior. Those roles are most comfortable to play because you just lose your consciousness. If you’re playing a character who is very similar to you, you are hyper-aware and second-guessing every aspect of that performance because it seems so close to you. But in a part that’s so different to me, I can just lose myself in the character and I don’t feel any of my usual self-awareness.”
Via The Guardian
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