Jesse Eisenberg Says He Only Acts on Stage to Get His Plays Produced

Jesse Eisenberg has revealed that he only acts in his plays to get them produced.

Eisenberg has written four published plays, three of which he starred in in New York - Asuncion, The Revisionist, and The Spoils.

The actor and writer told The Times that he has stage fright, but fears that theatres would not put on his work if it weren't for him starring in the productions.

"Nothing causes me more stress than doing a live performance," he said. "I really only act in theatre because I write my plays and I have to get them produced."

When asked if he means that he does them because they need the star power, he responded, "Yeah, or it's so specific to me that I have to do it."

Eisenberg goes on to say that once he's on stage, he's relaxed.

"The irony of it is, once you're on stage and the show is going well, there's nothing that's more relaxing," he said. Because you're distracted from your own mind in a beautiful way."

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In 2009, Eisenberg had his breakthrough with starring roles in the comedy-drama film Adventureland and the horror comedy Zombieland. His portrayal of Mark Zuckerberg in The Social Network earned him nominations for various awards, including the BAFTA, Golden Globe, and Academy Award for Best Actor. He also starred in Holy Rollers (2010), which was nominated for the Grand Jury Prize at the 2010 Sundance Film Festival.

Eisenberg later voiced the main character, Blu, a male Spix's macaw, in the animated films Rio (2011) and Rio 2 (2014). His other films include the action-comedy film 30 Minutes or Less (2011), the action-comedy film American Ultra (2015), the Woody Allen films To Rome with Love (2012) and Café Society (2016), and the heist film Now You See Me (2013) and its sequel Now You See Me 2 (2016). In 2016, Eisenberg portrayed Lex Luthor in the superhero film Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice and briefly reprised the role in 2017's Justice League.