Jesse Eisenberg is now a Polish citizen. The stellar actor was granted citizenship by Poland’s President Andrzej Duda at a ceremony in New York. The actor, writer and director was awarded the citizenship after his film A Real Pain won an Oscar. Actor Kieran Culkin was given an Oscar for best supporting actor for the film.

Advertisment

A Real Pain won an Oscar

At the ceremony, Jesse said, “I’m so unbelievably honored. This is an honor of a lifetime and something I have been very interested in for two decades.”

Jesse Eisenberg had penned the script for A Real Pain. He drew from his own life in writing the film. The plot of the film follows two American cousins, played by Eisenberg and Culkin, who take a trip to Poland to honour their late Holocaust survivor grandmother. 

Advertisment

Jesse’s great aunt died in 2019. She fled Poland for the US in 1938.

As he wrote the film, Jesse was inspired to apply for citizenship. Poland citizenship is available to those with direct ancestors who were born in the country or lived there after 1920.

A Real Pain trailer: Jesse Eisenberg film explores grief, identity and forgiveness

Advertisment

Jesse was inspired to apply for citizenship while writing the film

In his speech, he said, “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.”

Two people arrested for stealing Taylor Swift's concert tickets and selling them for $600,000

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.”