Jesse Eisenberg Granted Polish Citizenship After ‘A Real Pain’ Oscar Win: ‘An Honor of a Lifetime’ – Variety
By
Ellise Shafer
Jesse Eisenberg is officially a Polish citizen.
The actor, writer and director was granted citizenship by President Andrzej Duda at a ceremony in New York on Tuesday, just days after his film “A Real Pain” won Kieran Culkin an Oscar for best supporting actor.
“I’m so unbelievably honored,” Eisenberg said in a speech at the ceremony (via Radio RAMPA). “This is an honor of a lifetime and something I have been very interested in for two decades.”
Eisenberg drew from his own life in writing “A Real Pain,” which follows two American cousins, played by Eisenberg and Culkin, who take a trip to Poland to honor their late Holocaust survivor grandmother. The idea sprouted after the 2019 death of his great aunt, who fled Poland for the U.S. in 1938. Filming the movie in Poland inspired Eisenberg to apply for citizenship, which is available to those with direct ancestors who were born in the country or lived there after 1920.
Related Stories
VIP+
State of Play Shows PlayStation Regaining Composure After Roaring Holiday Quarter
Netflix Previews Deva Cassel-Led ‘The Leopard’ Series, Its Most Ambitious Italian Original to Date: ‘Sumptuous and Emotionally Charged’
“While we were filming this movie in Poland and I was walking the streets and starting to get a little more comfortable in the country, something so obvious occurred to me, which is that my family had lived in this place far longer than we’ve lived in New York,” Eisenberg said. “And of course, the history ended so tragically, but in addition to that tragedy of history was also the tragedy that my family didn’t feel any connection anymore to Poland. And that saddened me and confirmed for me that I really wanted to try to reconnect as much as possible.”
Popular on Variety
He concluded, “I really hope that tonight and this ceremony and this amazing honor is the first step in me, on behalf of my family, reconnecting to this beautiful country.”
“A Real Pain” also earned an Oscar nomination for Eisenberg’s original screenplay. At the BAFTAs, Eisenberg took home the original screenplay prize in addition to Culkin’s best supporting actor win.
Eisenberg first revealed that he had applied for Polish citizenship in May of last year, telling local publication Głos Wielkopolski that he “would love to create better relationships between Jews and Polish people.”
“To me, it’s so unfortunate they are not great,” he said. “I would love to do that. My family is from here, my wife’s family is from here … Poland made me feel a real connection to something historically bigger than myself.”
Watch Eisenberg’s full speech at the ceremony below.Aktor Jesse Eisenberg – twórca filmu oskarowego “Prawdziwy Ból” – otrzymał właśnie w Nowym Jorku obywatelstwo polskie z rąk @prezydentpl @AndrzejDuda . Aktor powiedział, że jest zaszczycony i że czuje głęboką więź z Polską – podkreślił, że jego rodzina ma dłuższe więzi z Polską… pic.twitter.com/cpzRdDnKZj
A Variety and iHeartRadio Podcast The Business of Entertainment
