Jesse Eisenberg is now a Polish citizen.
The actor, director and writer was granted citizenship in Poland Tuesday by President Andrzej Duda. The ceremony happened a few days after the 97th Academy Awards, where Eisenberg was nominated for his original screenplay for his film A Real Pain.
A Real Pain is primarily set in Poland. It follows the story of two American cousins who travel to the country to honor their recently deceased grandmother, who was a Holocaust survivor. Eisenberg said he applied for Polish citizenship after filming in the country.
“I’m so unbelievably honored,” Eisenberg said at the ceremony, according to a video shared by Radio RAMPA. “This is an honor of a lifetime and something I have been very interested in for two decades.”
He said that while they were filming A Real Pain in Poland, he found himself “walking the streets and starting to get a little more comfortable in the country.”
“Something so obvious occurred to me, which is that my family had lived in this place far longer than we’ve lived in New York,” Eisenberg said. “And of course, the history ended so tragically, but in addition to that tragedy of history is also the tragedy that my family didn’t feel any connection anymore to Poland, and that saddened me and confirmed for me that I really wanted to try to reconnect as much as possible.”
Eisenberg ended his speech saying he hopes this will be the first step in reconnecting with his Polish roots.
“I really hope that tonight in this ceremony and this amazing honor is the first step for me and my family to reconnect with this beautiful country,” Eisenberg said.
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