Eisenberg Says Leaving America Over Trump Would Be 'Silly' — Then Talks AI

The Social Network actor collected the President's Award in the Czech Republic and used the stage to address his Polish passport, his politics, and what he calls a very human new film.

Jesse Eisenberg accepted the President's Award at the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival.
Despite recently obtaining Polish citizenship, Eisenberg said it would be 'silly' to leave the United States because of the Trump administration.
Eisenberg described his new A24 film The Debut as 'the opposite of AI,' a pointed remark given A24's recently announced partnership with Google DeepMind.
The Debut is Eisenberg's second feature as writer-director and follows A Real Pain, which earned him an Oscar nomination.
Eisenberg said he feels a personal responsibility to remain in the U.S. during the current political climate.

The gold-and-red interiors of the Grandhotel Pupp in Karlovy Vary have seen a few speeches, but Jesse Eisenberg's turn at the festival's President's Award podium this week landed with an unusual amount of news attached. The actor arrived in the Czech spa town with a Polish passport in his pocket, a new A24 film in post, and, apparently, a few things to get off his chest.

On the question of emigration — a topic that has circulated quietly through certain corners of Hollywood since January 2025 — Eisenberg was direct. Leaving the United States because of the Trump administration would be “silly,” he told Variety on the festival's sidelines, adding that he feels a genuine responsibility to stay. The Polish citizenship, obtained through family heritage, is a door he has chosen not to walk through, at least not as a full exit.

The more pointed remark came when Eisenberg turned to The Debut, his second feature as writer-director. He called it “the opposite of AI” — a line that would have read as routine auteur modesty six months ago but now lands differently. A24, the film's distributor, announced a production partnership with Google DeepMind earlier this year, making Eisenberg's framing feel less like an offhand compliment to his cast and more like a quiet position statement.

The Debut follows A Real Pain, Eisenberg's 2024 Holocaust road-trip film that earned him an Academy Award nomination for original screenplay and turned Kieran Culkin into a belated awards-season fixture. Whether the new film can repeat that crossover remains to be seen. A24 has not announced a release date.