Citizenship applied for
“Zombieland” star Jesse Eisenberg wants to become Pole
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US actor Jesse Eisenberg wants to go back to his roots. For him, that means Polish citizenship. But it's not just the origins of his family and his wife that play a role. His plan also has a political component.
Jesse Eisenberg is applying for Polish citizenship. And apparently the last step to naturalization is not far away. In an interview with the newspaper “Głos Wielkopolski”, the Hollywood star, who was born in New York City, recently said that he applied for citizenship around nine months ago. “Supposedly all the paperwork is done and I'm waiting for the final signature,” is Eisenberg's current status.
Eisenberg also explains why he applied for Polish citizenship. His family comes from the small eastern town of Krasnystaw. And his wife, Anna Strout, also has Polish roots. Her family comes from Łódź. The two wanted to build a better connection to Poland and Eisenberg would also like to film there more often.
Eisenberg filmed in his family’s hometown
The actor's latest film to date, “A Real Pain”, was shot in Poland – in several places to which he has family ties. In addition to filming in Krasnystaw, material was also shot in Lublin, Warsaw, Radom and Kraśnik, among others.
Eisenberg, known from “Zombieland” and “The Social Network”, among other things, not only stars in the feature film alongside “Succession” star Kieran Culkin, he also directed it. It is about two cousins from the United States who travel to Poland, their family's homeland.
The actor feels a special connection to Poland, he explains. Growing up, he often heard stories about his Jewish family's relationship with the Polish people – and all of these stories were great. “We were best friends with the Poles,” says Eisenberg.
When he was working on his film, he met some people who had connections to the government. “I would like to create better relations between Jews and Polish people. I think it's such a shame that relations are not good,” the 40-year-old said at the time. “I would love to do that. My family is from here, my wife's family is from here. Is there a way we could apply for Polish citizenship?”
