Jesse Eisenberg is making it clear that he is not allowing politics to dictate his place of residence.
“I am a very lucky American,” the actor and director, 42, told the crowd at this year’s 60th Karlovy Vary Film Festival, held in the Czech Republic, where he received the President’s Award, after he was asked if he had a “responsibility” to stay in New York City amid President Donald Trump’s second term.
“I have a nice life,” he continued. “My wife is a teacher, and she teaches a lot of students who are not as lucky as we are. I think we feel, if anything, a responsibility to stay in New York and help those who are struggling through a tougher period in American history.”
He added, “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 made headlines in 2024, when he applied for dual U.S.-Polish citizenship among a contentious presidential election between then-president Joe Biden and Trump, who ultimately won both the popular and electoral vote.
“I applied for Polish citizenship about nine months ago. Apparently, all the paperwork has already been submitted and I’m waiting for the final signature,” Eisenberg told local media outlet Glos Wielkpolski at the time. “My family is from the south-east of Polan, from Krasnystaw. My wife’s family is from Lódź. We wanted to have a better bond with Poland, and I would like to work here more.”
According to the director, who is married to Anna Strout, his experience directing and starring in his award-winning 2024 film A Real Pain contributed to his desire to apply for dual-citizenship, explaining he essentially wanted to “repeat” the transformative process when working on future projects.
“I feel a bond with Poland,” he added at the time. “Growing up, I heard stories about Polish relationships with my Jewish family, and all of those stories were wonderful. We were best friends with Poles.”
While Eisenberg has no plans to leave the U.S. due to the country’s contentious political climate, plenty of celebrities have decided to relocate across the pond in the wake of Trump’s second presidential term.
Mark Hamill considered an international move after the 2024 presidential election. “I still believe there are more honest, decent people than there are the MAGA crowd,” the Star Wars star, 73, told The Times in an interview published on Saturday, August 16, referring to the political movement made popular by current President Donald Trump. Hamill, […]
“We got here the day before the election and woke up to lots of tests from our friends with crying emojis, and I was like, ‘He got in,’” Ellen DeGeneres told English broadcaster Richard Bacon of her decision to move to the U.K. with her wife, Portia de Rossi, in 2024. “And we’re like, ‘We’re staying here.’”
Rosie O’Donnell, who also relocated overseas in the midst of Trump’s election win, exclusively told Us Weekly the she was surprised by her former daytime TV talk show host’s decision to leave the U.S. for political reasons.
“I’ve never really known Ellen to say anything political in her life, so I was surprised to read that she left because of President Trump. Like, that shocked me, actually,” O’Donnell told Us. “I’ve been a political person my whole life, not better or worse, it’s just a different way to be in teh world. I was very clear about the reason why I was leaving, and I don’t think it came as a surprise to anyone.”
She continued at the time, “We’re not really in each other’s worlds, and it’s been kind of awkward but you know what? I wish her the best. I wish that she has peace and love in her life and that she is OK.”
