Not only did the writer, director, and actor, Jesse Eisenberg have a glamorous awards season, he can now call himself a Polish citizen. Eisenberg applied to be a Polish citizen in conjunction with his award-winning 2024 film, A Real Pain. President Andrzej Duda granted him the citizenship at a ceremony on Tuesday.
The film received a lot of attention as Eisenberg’s co-star, Kieran Culkin, swept the best supporting actor category. Amongst several nominations, the Social Network actor won BAFTA and a Film Independent Spirit Award for best screenplay. Eisenberg’s directorial debut was praised by critics with a 96% score on Rotten Tomatoes.
Loosely based on Eisenberg’s own family, the film follows two cousins who return to their grandmother’s Polish hometown after her death. In real life, Eisenberg’s great-aunt fled Poland to the United States in 1938. The family members who stayed were killed during the Holocaust.
Upon acceptance, he stated: “I am happy to be European member but I am even happier to be a citizen of Poland. This is an honor of a lifetime and something I have been very interested in for two decades.” Eisenberg recognized the film’s fully Polish crew and the “brilliant” people who worked at the camp to memorialize his family history.
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