Jesse Eisenberg: "'Fleishman is in trouble' reflects a world in which I grew up"

Although when New York Times journalist Taffy Brodesser-Akner wrote her first novel, "Fleishman's in Trouble," she didn't imagine that its protagonist, a hepatologist going through a bitter divorce, would be played in the television adaptation by Oscar nominee Jesse Eisenberg looks as if the role was written especially for him.

Oliver Thansan
Oliver Thansan
15 March 2023 Wednesday 00:13
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Jesse Eisenberg: "'Fleishman is in trouble' reflects a world in which I grew up"

Although when New York Times journalist Taffy Brodesser-Akner wrote her first novel, "Fleishman's in Trouble," she didn't imagine that its protagonist, a hepatologist going through a bitter divorce, would be played in the television adaptation by Oscar nominee Jesse Eisenberg looks as if the role was written especially for him. It is that this actor who shone as Mark Zuckerberg in "The Social Network" and who has been so efficient working with teachers like Noah Baumbach or Woody Allen, but who has also played Lex Luthor, a zombie hunter and Marcel Marceau, reflects perfection to the educated middle-class New Yorker. In the series, which arrives on Disney this Wednesday after premiering in the United States in November, Eisenberg is a recently separated man who discovers the benefits and bitterness of his new bachelorhood while he must take care of his children in the inexplicable absence of his ex, incarnated by Claire Danes. The cast is completed by Lizzy Caplan, Josh Radnor and Adam Brody.

What was it that attracted you to the proposal?

The series seemed to me something very specific on a cultural, humorous and dramatic level, but at the same time it generated something similar to what happened to me when I read the book, because I felt that it was something that was very familiar to me. "Fleishman's in Trouble" reflects a world I grew up in, but is also something accessible to anyone who grew up in completely different circumstances. That for me is the beauty of the series and also of the book.

How difficult was it to transfer the character from the novel to the small screen?

I think what's interesting to both me and Claire Danes is that our characters are seen from each other's perspective. When we see Claire from my perspective, she seems to be tremendously ambitious, vengeful, negligent, and when the show changes perspectives and you see me from her point of view, as a viewer you have the same feelings about me. And so one of the challenges we faced was modulating as actors how villainous or heroic we were in those scenes. We had to show our kindness and sympathy from a look, and show a more distant and cold version when the perspective was that of the other. In that sense, it was a very interesting challenge. Sometimes we would have to shoot the same scene from different perspectives and we would have to make small modifications to create that effect.

How did you and Claire Danes prepare for the shared scenes?

These characters have any number of arguments, but it's really only one. Probably like any other strained relationship, you come back to the same argument in different ways and using different words under different circumstances. One of the cool things we did in rehearsals was journal from our character's perspective, and then the directors would ask us what we loved about the other person, or what we hated the most. And all of a sudden we would start to see strange superimpositions. In my case, I wrote that I loved his ambition and the way he never needed to apologize, or that he wasn't neurotic like Toby is, and that I found that very attractive. And at the same time, that was the downfall of her, because what was initially so attractive to me was what ended up turning her into the monster of the relationship because it was like she couldn't escape her own ambition. It was very interesting writing those things down and codifying what we loved and hated about that other person, because when we had the same discussion over and over again in different circumstances, we realized that it was the same three things that always came to the surface. . I thought it was very clever of the directors and also of Taffy to write it like that. When you read the script as an actor, you think they're fighting over something different, but deep down it's the same fight they have over the children, over work and because he doesn't want to work as a plastic surgeon. It seems to me something that is not only intelligent, but is quite faithful to how things usually occur in reality.

Was it difficult for you to speak convincingly as a medical specialist?

I could tell you what all the actors who play doctors say, that it was very difficult to memorize all the medical terminology. But the truth is that it was very easy for me, because also the language that Taffy Brodesser-Akner uses is fascinating and deceptively simple, because it sounds so natural, and it is. It is what characterizes him, and his mind works in such an unusual way that at some point the actors consoled each other and told each other that it was difficult to memorize those words. It's just that it's written from her being, which is wonderful, because once you say it it takes on a kind of musicality, and you realize that that was the right way to say it because it makes the scene look so good. Looking back, I think the stronger scenes helped make medical terminology easier for me. I still remember many lines from this series, and the most memorable are the ones that were unusual and difficult to understand, and none of them had to do with Toby's work as a doctor.

What was it like shooting all those sex scenes?

It was really weird, just from a technical point of view. I would prefer to say that it was euphoric moments, but in reality they are technical situations that occur with other people who also feel that it is something very strange and very technical. Action scenes and sex scenes are exactly the opposite when filming them to how one perceives them on screen. Filming the action scenes takes a long time. There are a thousand small shots that you have to capture close-up and it's a very monotonous thing that seems to go on forever. And the same goes for the sex scenes. At least in my experience, they're incredibly awkward and technical, and the result is something that seems fun and liberating.