US actor Jesse Eisenberg has been granted Polish citizenship by Polish President Andrzej Duda after he told the story of Jews during World War II in the Oscar-winning film “A Real Pain”, on Wednesday, the 5th of March, reports the British broadcaster BBC.
Eisenberg wrote the screenplay, directed and starred in the film. The film tells the story of two American cousins who travel to Poland to honour their grandmother, a Holocaust survivor, whose character is Eisenberg’s own grandmother.
“When we were shooting this film in Poland and I was walking the streets and getting a better feel of the country, something so obvious came into my mind – my family has lived here much longer than we have lived in New York,” he said at the citizenship ceremony. “And of course, the history ended so tragically.”
“In addition to this tragedy, there is also the tragedy that my family no longer felt any connection to Poland, and this saddened me and reaffirmed that I want to try to rebuild this connection,” he added.
“And I really hope that this ceremony and this huge honour is the first step for me and my family to reconnect with this beautiful country.”
Eisenberg was inspired to make “A Real Pain” after the death of his great-aunt Doris in 2019 at the age of 106. She grew up in Poland but fled to the USA in 1938. Other family members who remained in Poland were killed during the Holocaust.
President Duda said: “I am glad that people across the ocean recognise their heritage, realise that their ancestors came from the [Polish] Republic, and are trying to build links with our country.”
Eisenberg was nominated for an Oscar for his screenplay, while his supporting actor Kieran Culkin received the award for Best Supporting Actor.