Summary
- Jesse Eisenberg found a sense of ease and liberation in playing J. Daniel Atlas in Now You See Me, aligning with his own profession as a performer.
- Eisenberg revealed that he doesn’t actively pursue method acting, but Now You See Me movies allow him to feel like the character to a greater extent.
- Eisenberg’s role in the Now You See Me series has positively impacted his mental health, allowing him to lower his antidepressant dosage and find joy and comfort in playing Atlas.
Jesse Eisenberg is at the center of growing excitement as the release of Now You See Me 3 draws near. In a recent interview with Collider, Eisenberg shared his distinct acting philosophy, particularly highlighting his experience in the Now You See Me franchise while promoting Manodrome.
Eisenberg’s performances are often driven by depth, so he enjoyed a change of pace with his role in the Now You See Me movies. Contrary to his usual roles in the industry, Eisenberg finds a sense of ease and liberation in playing J. Daniel Atlas, a character that aligns closely with his own profession as a performer.
Discussing his approach to acting, Eisenberg revealed:
“I discovered that I don’t like actively pursuing what you would call “method acting,” which is where you almost treat the circumstances as reality. I found that not a lot of actors do or some do it kind of performatively, but in a way that doesn’t feel exactly real. For me, doing those movies, Now You See Me more than anything is like the furthest I go in terms of feeling like the character, because I am an actual performer as my job and the character is a performer.”
Behind the Scenes: How Now You See Me Changed Jesse Eisenberg’s Acting and Mental Health
Now You See Me
- Release Date
- May 29, 2013
- Director
- Louis Leterrier
- Cast
- Jesse Eisenberg, Mark Ruffalo, Woody Harrelson, Isla Fisher, Dave Franco, Mélanie Laurent
- Genres
- Crime, Mystery, Thriller
Eisenberg candidly admits to grappling with self-doubt and anxiety as a performer. He further confessed:
“Yet the character is this very confident performer, and I’m a very unconfident performer experiencing self doubt. I don’t watch any of the movies I’ve been in, I try to avoid still frames of the movies. I don’t wanna see myself because I’m just encumbered with my own anxieties about myself. So getting to be a performer that feels good about himself and actually be on a movie set where I am performing is the most method I felt. I walk around almost arrogant on these sets.”
Eisenberg’s reflection on his role in the Now You See Me series goes deeper than just professional satisfaction. He shared how these films have positively impacted his mental health, allowing him to lower his antidepressant dosage. The joy and comfort he derives from playing Atlas act as a therapeutic counterbalance to the demands of his more serious roles. His candidness about the positive mental health effects of this role underscores the often-overlooked aspect of how certain roles can profoundly affect an actor’s well-being.
Now You See Me 3 has already started pre-production last week. While waiting, fans can rewatch the previous films. Prime Video is currently streaming Now You See Me. While Netflix will let you see the sequel, Now You See Me 2.
