>>> WELCOME BACK. WE ARE EXCITED TO INTRODUCE OUR
NEXT GUEST.
NEXT GUEST. JESSE EISENBERG.
JESSE EISENBERG. IN 2010, HE LEARNED AN ACADEMY
AWARD NOMINATION FOR "THE SOCIAL
NETWORK."
NETWORK." >> A FEW YEARS LATER, HE SHOWED
OFF HIS MAGIC IN THE "NOW YOU
SEE ME" FRANCHISE.
AND NOW, HE’S PLAYING LEX
LUTHOR.
LUTHOR. >> HIS LATER FILM, "THE ART OF
SELF-DEFENSE," EISENBERG PLAYS A
MEEK ACCOUNTANT WHO JOINS A
NEIGHBORHOOD KARATE STUDIO AND
REALLY GETS INTO IT.
>> WHAT’S YOUR FAVORITE STYLE OF
MUSIC?
MUSIC? >> ADULT CONTEMPORARY.
>> NO.
>> NO. SHOULD BE METAL.
YOU EVER LISTEN TO METAL?
>> YOU MEAN LIKE HARD ROCK?
>> METAL IS MUCH MORE AGGRESSIVE
THAN HARD ROCK.
FROM NOW ON, YOU’LL LISTEN TO
METAL.
METAL. >> YEAH.
>> YEAH. >> TOUGHEST MUSIC THERE IS.
WHAT ABOUT HOBBIES?
IS THERE ANYTHING THAT YOU FEEL
PARTICULARLY PASSIONATE ABOUT,
OTHER THAN YOUR NEWFOUND PASSION
FOR METAL?
FOR METAL? >> I ENJOY CRAFTS.
>> JESSE EISENBERG, GOOD TO HAVE
YOU.
YOU. >> THANKS.
>> THANKS. >> IS IT TRUE YOU READ THE FIRST
FEW PAMGGES OF THIS AND ALMOST
TURNED IT DOWN?
>> THE MOVIE IS A BRILLIANT,
SUBVERTED SPORTS MOVIE.
THE FIRST PAGES SEEMS LIKE WHERE
THE WEAK GUY SIGNS UP FOR
ATHLETICS, THEN GAINS HIS
CONFIDENCE.
CONFIDENCE. IT FELT LIKE I DIDN’T REALLY
WANT TO DO THAT KIND OF THING.
I THOUGHT THE SCRIPT WAS SO
GOOD, I CONTINUED TO READ OUT OF
CURIOSITY.
CURIOSITY. I REALIZED, ACTUALLY, IT IS A
BRILLIANT SATIRE ON MASCULINITY
AND THE ABSURDITYIES THAT MEN GO
THROUGH IN THE NAME OF BEING
STRONG.
STRONG. >> I HAVE TO TELL YOU, YOU’RE
RIGHT.
RIGHT. SOMETIMES YOU WATCH THE MOVIES
AND KNOW WHERE IT IS GOING.
I DID THE SAME THING YESTERDAY
AS I WAS WATCHING.
THEN I WAS LIKE, WHOA, I WAS
ROOTING FOR HIM, AND THEN IT
TOOK ME TO THE DARK SIDE.
>> IT BECOMES THIS BRILLIANT
SATIRE ON MODERN FORMS OF LIKE,
I GUESS WE’RE CALLING IT TOXIN
MASCULINITY, THE DANGERS
MASCULINITY CAN POSE TO A
SOCIETY.
SOCIETY. >> WHAT WERE YOUR KARATE SKILLS
GOING INTO THIS MOVIE?
>> BELOW NONE.
THAT’S AFTER STUDYING FOR WEEKS
IN NEW JERSEY.
I GREW UP NEAR YOU IN CENTRAL
NEW JERSEY.
NEW JERSEY. I DON’T KNOW IF YOU --
>> WHICH NO ONE EVER SAYS THAT
SO THANK YOU.
>> NO ONE ADMITS TO IT.
EVERYBODY IS FROM THERE BUT NO
ONE EVER --
>> YEAH.
>> YEAH. >> SO I HAD TO TAKE THREE WEEKS
OF -- EVERY SUBURBAN KID GOES TO
THE PLACE, THEN YOU QUIT WHEN
YOU CAN.
YOU CAN. >> BOTH MY BROTHERS DID THAT.
>> MY SISTERS STAYED.
I QUIT WHEN I REALIZED I COULD
DO ANYTHING ELSE IN THE WORLD.
>> HOW DID YOU LEARN IT FOR THE
MOVIE?
MOVIE? >> I HAD A THREE-WEEK BOOT CAMP
WITH A WOMAN WHO SAID TO STOP
TALKING AND STOP MIMICKING.
SHE WAS A STRICT TRAINER, MINDY,
YOU CAN LOOK HER UP.
>> ARE YOU COMING BACK FOR LEX
LUTHOR
LUTHOR LUTHOR?
LUTHOR? >> IT IS A COOL PART TO DO.
LIKE THE "ART OF SELF-DEFENSE,"
A GREAT ROLE LIKE THAT, JUST ON
A MASSIVE SCALE.
AS AN ACTOR DO "ART OF
SELF-DEFENSE," "BATMAN," IT’S
THE SAME THING.
>> WHEN WE INTRODUCED YOU AND
NAMED THE PROJECTS, YOU’VE HAD A
RANGE.
RANGE. HOW REWARDING IS THAT FOR YOU?
>> OH, IT’S THE BEST.
THIS IS NOT LIKE FALSE HUMILITY,
BUT I’D NEVER HAVE THOUGHT TO
CAST MYSELF IN ANY OF THOSE
ROLES.
ROLES. >> REALLY?
>> REALLY? >> YEAH.
>> YEAH. >> BECAUSE YOU’RE FROM CENTRAL
NEW JERSEY?
NEW JERSEY? >> I THOUGHT WE’RE SUPPOSED TO
STAY THERE AND OPEN A BAKERY OR
SOMETHING.
SOMETHING. THE FACT I’M IN MOVIES, LET
ALONE THESE GREAT MOVEIES, IS A
SHOCK.
SHOCK. >> ARE YOU ON FACEBOOK?
>> I’M NOT ON ANYTHING.
I HAVE THE LAST LAUGH BECAUSE
ALL YOUR DATA IS BEING SOLD.
>> JESSE.
>> JESSE. >> SO YOU HAVEN’T DONE THE
FACEAPP?
FACEAPP? >> I HAVEN’T DONE ANY OF THESE
THINGS.
THINGS. >> YOU HAVE A SMARTPHONE THOUGH.
>> BARELY HAVE A SMARTPHONE,
YEAH.
YEAH. >> I LOVE THIS.
>> EXACTLY, I’M TERRIFIED OF ALL
THAT STUFF.
THAT STUFF. >> WOW.
>> WOW. >> ALSO, YOU KNOW --
>> KEEPS YOU SANER.
>> PROBABLY.
>> PROBABLY. >> "THE ART OF SELF-DEFENSE"
OPENS NATIONWIDE.