Jesse Eisenberg reveals why he once thought acting was a ‘ridiculous job’

Los Angeles: Hollywood actor Jesse Eisenberg has opened up about how his perspective on acting changed after witnessing Julianne Moore prepare for a difficult scene early in his career.

The 42-year-old actor, who attended the San Sebastian Film Festival, said he once had a negative view of the profession. Eisenberg said he felt acting was over-rewarded and driven by vanity, despite being an actor himself. 

Speaking at a press conference during the festival, he said, "I used to have this negative opinion about acting because I was an actor and I just thought, ‘This is just such a ridiculous job. They pay us too much. We’re vain'. We want to look pretty in the morning, we want to stay in the nicest places, and we want to not ever lift anything on movie sets, and then we want all the credit for the movie”.

Eisenberg said his outlook began to shift while working on his first film, when he watched Moore rehearsing for a scene.

He recalled, “I was always like, ‘This is a weird job, and it’s not fair.’ And then on my first movie, I saw Julianne Moore rehearsing for a scene”.

The experience gave Eisenberg a different understanding of the demands involved in acting. He said Moore appeared to be going through an intense emotional process while preparing, contrasting it with the more relaxed atmosphere around the set.

"She was going through a real, deep emotional process to get ready for the scene. I remember looking at it, and I go, ‘Oh, wait a second, that’s really hard’. Like we’re all out here joking, and I’m having a donut, and she’s in there suffering. I realised, ‘Oh, maybe acting is actually a really valuable thing. Maybe difficult. Maybe it’s challenging”.

Eisenberg added, “Maybe it takes a lot. And suddenly, in (one) moment, my entire opinion on acting changed because I saw somebody else doing it, and it wasn’t just about me”, he added.

Eisenberg has since reunited with Moore for ‘The Debut’, a musical comedy that he has written, co-produced and directed. The project marks another collaboration between the two actors after their earlier work together.