Eisenberg dismisses – Jesse Eisenberg, honored at the Karlovy Vary Film Festival, said he has no plans to leave the U.S. over politics—calling it “silly” and saying he and his family feel a responsibility to stay in New York. He also discussed the pressure of directing after A Real
Jesse Eisenberg didn’t soften his frustration during a weekend appearance at the Karlovy Vary Film Festival.
At the ceremony, the 42-year-old actor accepted the President’s Award and was asked whether he’d ever considered moving overseas permanently. Even though he became a Polish citizen in 2025, Eisenberg said he has no intention of leaving the United States because of political differences.
“I am a very lucky American,” he said. “I have a nice life. My wife is a teacher and she teaches a lot of students who are not as lucky as we are…No, I’m not going to leave because I don’t like the politics of America. That seems a little silly, because my life is very good.”
Eisenberg framed his stance as duty, not denial. He said he and his family feel a responsibility to remain in New York and support people facing greater challenges than they are, even while he stays openly critical of Donald Trump’s administration.
The festival conversation also turned to his experience as a director. and how confidence can shift when a first film doesn’t land the way a second one does. Eisenberg compared the process to his critically acclaimed A Real Pain. saying his latest film. The Debut. came together without the pressure he felt on his second directorial outing.
“I didn’t feel like there was any opposition,” he said. He pointed back to his first feature film as the moment where that weight changed—When You Finished Saving the World had met a lukewarm box office and mixed reviews.
Eisenberg described the pressure he felt as personal and immediate. “I noticed this thing when actors are making their first films. there’s this feeling that this person might be a genius. ” he said. “If that movie doesn’t work. you’re starting way below genius because now you’re an actor who can’t direct. When I was doing A Real Pain. I was like. now I’m an actor who lost money for a studio. That was worse than starting out.”.
In a separate session at the festival, Eisenberg addressed reports about whether he would reprise his role as Mark Zuckerberg in Aaron Sorkin’s upcoming sequel to The Social Network, titled The Social Reckoning. The Oscar nominee said he no longer wants to be associated with Zuckerberg.
“I don’t want to be associated with him anymore because I don’t really like the comparison,” he said. Eisenberg said the first time he took the part felt unusual because Zuckerberg had not yet become the polarizing figure he is today.
Eisenberg’s remarks landed against a broader backdrop of public pushback from Hollywood since Donald Trump returned to office. His criticism has remained loud and visible, with actors across generations refusing to soften their views of Trump’s administration.
Mark Hamill, for example, said he considered an actual move abroad after the 2024 election, telling his wife, Marilou York, he wanted to choose between London and Ireland—before she talked him out of it.
Robert De Niro, Meryl Streep, and George Clooney are among the Hollywood figures who have used public platforms to condemn Trump’s policies in recent months. Others have taken smaller, symbolic steps, skipping White House events or declining interviews connected to his administration.
More recently, Mark Ruffalo, Sarah Jessica Parker, and Ted Danson appeared in a video marking America’s 250th anniversary that criticized the administration’s direction.
Jesse Eisenberg Karlovy Vary Film Festival President's Award Donald Trump New York Poland citizenship 2025 The Debut A Real Pain When You Finished Saving the World The Social Network sequel The Social Reckoning Mark Zuckerberg Aaron Sorkin