Jesse Eisenberg has applied for Polish citizenship: Wanted to have greater connection to country

Growing up, I've heard stories of the Polish relationship with my Jewish family and all the stories were great: we were best friends with the Poles, the actor-director said.

Los Angeles: Actor-director Jesse Eisenberg says he applied for Polish citizenship nine months ago and is now "waiting for the final signature".

The New York-born actor, known for films such as The Social Network, Zombieland and And Now You See Me, said as someone whose family belongs to southeast Poland he wanted to have a "greater connection" to the country.

Eisenberg was recently in Poland as a guest of the Impact'24 congress.

"I applied for Polish citizenship about nine months ago. Apparently, all the paperwork has already been submitted and I'm waiting for the final signature. My family is from the southeast, from Krasnystaw, my wife's (Anna Trout) family is from Lodz. We wanted to have a greater connection to Poland. I would like to work here more," the actor said in an interview with the Polish publication Glos Wielkopolski, as quoted by US outlet Variety.

"Growing up, I've heard stories of the Polish relationship with my Jewish family and all the stories were great: we were best friends with the Poles. My family lived in Krasnystaw up until the war, one person survived the war and moved to Szczecin. Unfortunately, she passed away from Covid, so it was quite recent," he added.

The 40-year-old has shot his upcoming directorial venture A Real Pain in Poland.

Eisenberg also wrote and starred in it, alongside Succession star Kieran Culkin. The film, which premiered at 2024 Sundance Film Festival, sees two cousins heading to Poland to look for their roots.

"While I was working here, I met some people who worked in positions related to the government. I said to them: 'I would love to create better relationships between Jews and Polish people.

"To me, it's so unfortunate they are not great. I would love to do that. My family is from here, my wife's family is from here. Is there any way we could apply for Polish citizenship?'" he said.

Eisenberg said he filmed "A Real Pain" in all the places in Poland where his family is from, including in Lublin, Warsaw, Krasnystaw, as well as Krasnik-Radom.