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Why Jesse Eisenberg felt like a “hacker” on the set of True Pain with Kieran Culkin

Posted on by Bobb
Why Jesse Eisenberg felt like a “hacker” on the set of True Pain with Kieran Culkin

Jesse Eisenberg was humiliated by co-star Kieran Culkin on the set of their new film True Pain.

Eisenberg, who wrote and directed the film, told Page Six that he felt like a “loser” and was embarrassed in front of the “Legacy” star on the first day of filming.

He explains that during Culkin’s time on the Emmy-winning HBO series, he was filmed documentary-style, with him walking around the room instead of the actors standing at a set point for filming.

Jesse Eisenberg explains how Kieran Culkin questioned his directing style on the set of True Pain. Page six
Eisenberg says that Culkin did not want to stand on any mark. Page six

The Social Network star, 43, says he asked Culkin, 42, to stand on the mark only so the Emmy winner would ask him questions.

“He said, ‘Why would I stand there? ‘” Eisenberg recalls. “I said, ‘We have this great shot, these statues behind you, and it’s beautiful,’ and he just didn’t stay at that mark.”

Instead, Culkin had the camera follow him, and Eisenberg says the alternative “was so funny, so alive.”

The Social Network star says he quickly realized Culkin was right. SPOTLIGHT FOX
Eisenberg admits he felt like a “hacker.” Taylor Jewell/Invision/AP

“And I realized that, okay, we’re going to shoot Kieran, you know, with the camera on our cameraman’s shoulder and without those great views that I’ve been planning for months.”

Eisenberg admits that his first thought about this interaction made him feel like a “hacker.”

“I immediately felt uneasy,” he adds, humbly noting that “I’m always just trying to think of behaviors that I can change that are my own, and I thought, yeah, maybe I’m wrong here. Let’s make a film that allows Kieran to achieve his greatest success.”

Director and screenwriter of the film Eisenberg. SPOTLIGHT FOX
Culkin and Eisenberg play cousins ​​who come to Poland to honor their grandmother.

It looks like Eisenberg achieved his goal, as the film has received rave reviews and Culkin is already in the running for an Oscar nomination.

The duo play cousins ​​who travel to Poland to honor their grandmother. However, the trip becomes more complicated as disagreements arise in the family.

The idea was inspired by Eisenberg’s trip to Poland.

The film is inspired by Eisenberg’s visit to Poland. SPOTLIGHT FOX
Eisenberg says he feels a deep connection to Poland and will soon receive his Polish passport. Taylor Jewell/Invision/AP

“My wife and I traveled to Poland in 2008,” he explains. “We actually went to every place the characters go, I mean pretty much every place (in the film).”

The Zombieland star was so moved by the visit that he applied for Polish citizenship, which he will receive in a couple of weeks.

“I just feel this deep connection with Poland,” he says. “My family lived there longer than they lived in New York… it felt like something I wanted, it always felt like something I wanted to connect with for reasons I don’t know exactly.”

True Pain is in theaters now.