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Look at the first the first bite I took from the the weakest one, nothing. Look at this now. That's called stupidity.
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>> [music] >> Hey, what's going on everybody?
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For First We Feast, I'm Sean Evans and you're watching Hot Ones.
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It's the show with hot questions and even hotter wings.
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And today we're joined by Jesse Eisenberg. Hey.
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He's an Academy Award nominated actor, director, screenwriter, and playwright you know from acclaimed performances in films like The Social Network, Zombieland, the Now You See Me franchise, and many more.
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Later this year, he's releasing his third feature as a director for an untitled musical comedy from A24.
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And this summer, you can also catch him as Dot in the upcoming animated film Minions and Monsters, which is set to release in theaters on July 1st.
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Jesse Eisenberg, welcome to the show. >> Thank you so much.
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Thanks for you know for having me.
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>> I've heard you mention a milk phobia when you were a kid.
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What's going through your head as you prepare to take on the Hot Ones Gauntlet?
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I'd imagine there are a lot of thoughts swirling.
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>> First of all, thank you for bringing that up.
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I finally overcame it and have successfully forgotten it.
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Thanks for bringing that up right before something even scarier.
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Yeah, for some reason, okay, when I was like 12 years old, I for some reason just had this block of like I can't drink milk, it's so gross, it's so gross, I can't drink milk.
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And I'm convinced that's why I'm not 5'10, you know? >> What could have been. >> Yeah, yeah, yeah.
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I actually do I think if I was 5'10, I was like I do think about it.
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I think maybe I'd be the president.
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>> [laughter] >> You know, I honestly think that's what it is.
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I think maybe I I think I'm an artist because I'm not Do you know what I mean? >> Right, right, right.
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Like you need those limitations, those obstacles to overcome.
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That's what pushed the potential right out of you. >> Exactly.
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To kind of understand you know great suffering.
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>> [music] >> I'm not ready to get started. Let's go. >> [music] >> Mhm. It's good and I like it. Like I [music] enjoy it.
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The thing that you were saying like like I'll enjoy some of it. Like I can see nuance.
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Like I can I feel like I can see the nuance there. You know what I mean?
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>> we do take a lot of time and care in putting together the hot sauce lineup, curating it.
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And I think the front half is nice and tasty.
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Now, you can go for a ride a little bit. >> Okay, cool. Yeah.
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>> So, Minions and Monsters is set during Hollywood's transition from silent to sound films.
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How deep did [music] you dig into the history?
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You know, like from Keaton to Chaplin.
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And if so, did it shape your performance [music] at all?
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>> Yeah, I mean, it's this adorable kind of like mashup of this very modern thing, these Minions characters [music] who we all love and is a very like of kind of you know, now creation.
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And then um setting them in the past and kind of like it's a really cute and clever way to kind of like reference old movies and old Hollywood.
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And [music] the characters are adorable and two of them want to be filmmakers and they are like auteurs, but they're stuck [music] as Minions.
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You know, I watched it with my kid.
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My kid is like laughing and finding it adorable.
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I'm looking at all these old Hollywood [music] references.
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You brought up Buster Keaton.
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There's like this amazing very clever just passing moment that's a reference to a Buster Keaton movie.
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And um yeah, it's like it's an adorable love letter to movies. >> [music] >> Mhm. Mhm. You like that one. Mhm. No, not now.
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I liked it for the first second.
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The first second was like really sweet.
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I was like, mhm, this version is good.
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And then as soon as you asked me that, [music] it has little >> Yeah.
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>> Is it true I should be feeling the spice in like different parts of my body or mouth or something?
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To me, this one's kind of lighting my tongue [music] on fire, you >> Mhm. Lovely.
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>> And then same with the throat a little bit, but other ones maybe they'll make you sweat.
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>> Yeah, no, I was wondering.
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I'm like cuz I like traveling around the world and I'm so curious [music] like why like why this hot sauce is exists in certain places that I've been, you know, you know, my family comes from like northern, you know, [music] Eastern Europe and we don't have anything spicy, you know? >> Mhm. >> We pickle things. But we to preserve.
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>> But spices were doing a similar thing in, you know, hotter regions.
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>> Well, that's actually a rather poetic segue, all right, because I just visited my alma mater, so maybe I'm just in like a higher education frame of mind.
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But I do wonder like how did studying anthropology shape your approach to acting and playwriting? >> Oh, wow.
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Um, anthropology like the study of like the other and what you learn like in the first class is like whatever you think like your culture is is just as valid and equal to somebody else's culture.
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And you know, we tend to think of ourselves, um, like as the right way to live.
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I'm living in the logical way.
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I do this, this, and this and that's how everybody on Earth thinks of their lives.
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And [music] so that's like exactly what, you know, actors and writers of fiction [music] and characters should be thinking of that this character's perspective on the world is just as valid as my perspective even though it's different.
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And, um, yeah, so that's what anthropology is and that's why I guess I really loved [music] studying. >> Well said. >> Oh, thanks.
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I'm really just trying to avoid uh, the Hot Ones original pickled garlic sriracha.
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>> Well, it doesn't matter, you know, because you can try to avoid it.
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You can swerve the pothole, but we're tethered to a format over here. >> Okay. >> If you're ready. [music] >> I'm ready. >> Cheers. >> Cheers. Mhm. I I like that. I like [music] that.
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>> And I think even maybe a little less intense than wing number two. >> Mhm.
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>> seeing you're telling me a story here. >> Exactly. [music] >> Yeah.
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>> Non-linear storytelling.
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>> You know what I had this week? >> What did you have?
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>> For the very first time in my life, sriracha. >> [music] >> Ooh.
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>> Because this week I used as a kind of homework week, as a gearing up week, you know?
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>> [laughter] >> Preparing. >> Yeah.
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But Chachi BT told me, [music] "Prepare and then the day before you shoot the show, don't do [music] anything."
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It said, "You take that as your day." And I was like, "Woah."
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>> [laughter] >> I was like, "Oh my GOD."
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IT'S LIKE, IT'S TOO PERSONAL, YOU KNOW?
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But it did tell me like the week before he's as I I I asked it on on like Saturday.
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I was like, "I'm doing this on Thursday, you know?"
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And it's like "Sunday is a toe [music] dip.
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And then, you know, Monday we're going to take it a little more seriously, and then Tuesday you can go wild.
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But take Wednesday for you."
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I was like, [laughter] "Nothing scarier than an AI like over being more human than my wife."
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Who's like, "I don't give a what you do.
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Just do the thing and go on the thing.
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You're supposed to talk about the movie."
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>> [laughter] >> That's really good.
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Am I doing a great job on this show? >> You're crushing. >> Okay. >> You're crushing.
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>> No, I guess what I'm asking is like, should I be crying yet or no?
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This is all normal to kind of enjoying [music] this. >> Yeah.
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You know, it's step-by-step.
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We're boiling the frog one degree at a time.
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>> And if you had a like >> Do you think I'm doing a good job?
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[music] >> I think you're doing a great job.
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And I'll say this, you came prepared.
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You know, he got notes from Woody. He got the lime here.
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You brought in a milkshake, which I always love when somebody does that.
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>> Oh, cuz you get to have it, too. >> Mhm.
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Sometimes I'll talk to actors, right?
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Who are in love with the project, but they'll dread a particular scene that they read in the script.
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>> Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. Exactly.
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>> What comes to mind when you think about a scene that you dreaded on the call sheet from the moment of film went into production?
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>> [music] >> In the movie The Social Network, there's one scene.
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It's not even an important scene in the movie.
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It's like a It's like a It's like a passing scene in the movie that I had tons of computer language.
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And despite my appearance, posture, and tone of voice, I don't know anything about computers.
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And so, [laughter] I had to like memorize this technical paragraph.
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And so, just every day in the shower, I'm like going over this paragraph, this paragraph.
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It ruined a month of showers for [music] me.
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You know, normally I like the heat and the steam and you could open your pores and all that.
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But this one, I'm just standing there shampooing my head. That's what this is.
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I'm shampooing my head going, you know, I can't even I can't even say the thing now.
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That's how little I know about computers.
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Isn't it a shame to look like me and not know about computers?
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>> [laughter] >> It's like the equivalent of being like 7'2" and not being good at basketball.
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>> I think it makes you interesting, actually.
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You know, you're bucking any sort of trend or preconception that one could have about you. >> That's true.
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>> And there's been a lot of lore written about that film in particular, you know, the 99 takes required for the opening breakup scene.
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And I'm just wondering internally for an actor, what does that feel like on say take 65?
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Like, [music] at that point, are you kind of breaking?
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Is there like a hopelessness feeling?
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Or are you so committed to the process that it kind of just feels normal?
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>> So, with movies, movies are the tough thing where you have like two or three takes normally to do it.
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That's like an unnatural thing.
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[music] You know, you go to drama school, you're working on your scenes all week before you then present it to the class.
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The really difficult thing is going onto a movie [music] set, suddenly they're like, "Lights."
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You pictured the room different way.
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This actor is different than who you thought it was going to be.
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And you have two takes to get this thing that's now like a permanent, you know, [music] expression of whatever the character is.
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And so, no, to do like a movie where they have a budget to do like a lot of takes, if you have like an interesting character that you could play in like [music] different ways and find nuances, oh my god, it's like the most fun thing in the world. Mhm. Mhm. Mhm. Really like that.
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>> And I think it's a lot like the second one, you know, where it has a nice warm taste.
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Yeah, sweetness then behind it some of that smoke. >> Yes, now I feel it.
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Do you have any is this really happening moments reflecting back on your years of doing live theater? >> Oh my god, yeah.
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And the moments are so weird.
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They're not like I don't know my line.
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It's not like a typical actor thing.
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I don't know my line or what if I slip or something.
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No, [music] it's it's just this out-of-body sensation where I know I could like turn to the audience and say, "Hello."
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You know, just stop the show [music] and just say like, "Hi, we're all here."
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You know, this weird feeling of like >> Intrusive thoughts? >> Mhm, the worst.
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>> [music] >> Do you have this ever?
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I mean, you're interviewing people all the time, you're doing this.
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Don't you ever have a feeling of like this is surreal?
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Or does the pain of this thing bring [music] you back into your body in a helpful way? >> Ooh. That's a good question.
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I I think that there's always this anxiety because and you understand this as somebody who does interviews because it's a strange thing that we're doing, right?
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We're meeting for the very first time.
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We have to create this rhythm, this energy, this rapport, this sense of trust.
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You know, it's like a performative version of a conversation. [music] >> Right.
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>> Then it's in this ridiculous context of it being a TV show. >> Mhm.
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>> And then even more ridiculous context of the fact that we're eating increasingly spicy wings through the whole thing.
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So, I always let the worst-case scenario play in my head and like dominate my thoughts before I ever sit down with someone, which is strange because nine times out of 10 it's a very positive shoot experience despite the format.
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So, but I do have a problem with like always thinking the worst-case scenario is how it's going to play out and all these years in I can never shake that.
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>> Yeah, but I think that's a survival mechanism.
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You know, if you think about it, you're what you're essentially doing is like running through dry runs of problems, you know?
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And so, that sounds like a survival mechanism.
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[music] I always thought, you know, the paranoid people are the ones who survive.
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At least that's my family's history.
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>> [laughter] >> And you're doing great. >> Thanks, Sean.
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>> This feels like one that you would like cuz I feel like you're someone who likes the sweetness up front. >> do. I do, you're right.
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>> [laughter] >> You're right. I do.
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I mean, I I didn't know that about myself, but yeah, I learned that.
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>> yeah, it story checks out to the first six.
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What's funny about [music] community theater?
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You know, because here you are, you're writing this movie and it's like a shy woman that gets lost in her role, right?
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And I feel like that has to come from somewhere and that's how you started. >> Exactly, yeah.
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>> Exactly, yeah. It's that funny juxtaposition that I think [music] audiences are aware of, you know, but um don't think about on the community theater level, you know, where normally, I mean, you more than anybody else delve into the actor's process and you
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probably need [music] a lot of pretentious actors and they tell you about their process and they go like this with their forehead and, you know, but we think it's okay because they're also in, you know, uh Academy Award-winning movie and so you're like, "Oh, I guess that's what you have to do." But imagine that same kind of
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But imagine that same kind of process and the pretentious and the forehead rub and the I don't know and the jacket's on and um imagine that for they're in Seussical in, you know, >> [laughter] >> Matawan, New Jersey's high school, you know, and so that's funny. That's inherently funny. >> Inherently funny.
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>> But you should also take them seriously.
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Like why should they not also think about their As long as they're not annoying to their other cast members or whatever, you know, then we should also take that seriously as well, right? I I'm shocked. I feel great. >> This is Eight Dragon. >> Uh-huh.
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>> So, you're a New Yorker who grew up an Indiana Pacers fan, you know, which is a strange psychological loop since so much of Reggie Miller's legacy is built on absolutely destroying the Knicks.
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Was there something contrarian about you even as a kid where rooting for the villain felt more honest than the hometown team?
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>> Well, they were not the villain to me.
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I I the villains were this mega [music] city that has 75 other sports teams.
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That's the richest city on the planet.
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Indiana, Indianapolis, you know, you have the Colts, but otherwise like you know, there's not that much going on in Indiana. Forgive me, my wife.
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Um I love Indiana more than anything.
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And so, the way I think about it is like they need it way more than we do.
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>> Do you have a lasting memory from the time that you played one-on-one basketball against Tyra Buss, a four-time All-Big Ten guard for the University of Indiana?
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>> Wow, you do a very good research. Yeah. Right.
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So, I wanted to write a story about my favorite player of that era, which was which is 10 years ago. Not like an old era.
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Um Tyra Buss, this phenom at on the IU women's team, you know, brilliant player. I could have won.
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I'm not joking, I could have won.
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In fact, I only lost by like two points, I don't know, something. I was really close.
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The massive difference with us was that she just was not out of breath, and I was on the bathroom [music] floor like puking up nothing. I was just gagging. I was [music] so spent. And it was a short game.
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>> All right, this next one's the bomb beyond insanity. >> Okay. >> If you're ready. >> Yeah, yeah, yeah. Cheers. >> Cheers.
14:38
>> Look at how confident I am.
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Look at the first the first bite I took from the the weakest one, nothing. Look at this now. That's called stupidity.
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>> [laughter] >> I'm a mistake. I was mistaken. I'm stupid. Holy I was stupid.
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>> Can I have to say something? >> Mhm.
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>> I didn't enjoy that at all.
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There was no like redeeming culinary quality. >> Nothing, zero. >> You and me both.
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>> Are there people who do like that? Like I don't like it. No one does.
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>> It's never been complimented on the show not one time. >> Holy >> Yeah. >> Yeah.
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>> But we're built for it. We're battle tested.
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>> Can I confess something? >> Yeah. go ahead.
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>> I spent Tuesday at Mount Sinai because I suddenly had this ringing in my ear like I couldn't believe.
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I was like, "What the hell is this?"
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And so they were like, "Can we just give you a a hearing test, you know?"
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>> [snorts] >> So I go in for a hearing test.
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I have severe hearing loss in my left ear, unrelated to the tinnitus.
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They're like, "You must have had this for years.
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I don't know why, right?"
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And so I tell them, "Listen, I'm doing Hot Ones on Friday.
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>> [laughter] >> Is there anything you could do for me?"
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And so I have now two doctors got already worried about me, you know? Mhm.
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And because I'm in movies.
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>> Did you have to explain Hot Ones or did they understand?
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>> Everybody knew Hot Ones. >> That's why.
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[laughter] >> Were you fishing? Were you fishing? >> No, no. >> Oh, they knew? That's so weird. Oh my god. It's so embarrassing. [laughter] That's cool.
16:04
What was their like favorite app?
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>> So I have all these people in there.
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Uh there's two doctors but then there's a a gaggle of nursing people and as well.
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And they're like, "Listen, okay, you're on Friday. What time?"
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I said it's at 1:00, you know.
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They say, "Okay, listen, we can give you a shot in your ear drum of a steroid, but I think it might hurt your stomach."
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And I'm like, "Okay, we can't do that. I can't get a steroid." >> Yeah.
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>> And they're like, "Okay, well listen, maybe you do the Hot Ones, immediately come back to the hospital, and then we'll give you that steroid so you can get through Hot Ones, you know what I mean?"
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So I just want to let you know I'm injured, okay?
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I'm suffering, and I'm not following the advice of surgeons to be here right now.
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>> [laughter] >> Well, it means the world to us here and to the audience that's watching this video right now.
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>> They know I sacrificed my body.
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>> will not be in vain, I promise you.
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>> So over a decade ago you would publish these restaurant reviews from the perspective of a 9-year-old precocious child called Brin Gives Me Hiccups.
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You published them in McSweeney's. >> That's right.
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>> If you had that 9-year-old narrator at Hot Ones, what do you think their review of The Bomb would be?
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>> I'll tell you exactly what it would be.
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This kid was like a very thoughtful kid who noticed like who would see that I am trying to prove something because I'm lacking in some kind of masculine thing from my childhood by eating the bomb, you know? >> Mhm.
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>> And so this kid was more of like he was eating stuff that was really more social science.
17:30
Like he was kind of reading into people's needs and he would see that I'm this incredibly weak flawed person uh that is constantly trying to achieve in an attempt to live forever and prove that I'm not, you know, weak and to make my dad like me, you know, kind of thing.
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And that's what he would see with the bomb.
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>> [laughter] >> He'd see straight right through it.
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>> Yeah, he would see me through it. He'd see through me.
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I'm not doing as big a bite, okay?
18:01
And just so you don't think I'm weak, this is my debomb.
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>> No one thinks you are.
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Not with this performance.
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Great milkshake, by the >> You think I cheated by not having as much of the the XXX sauce?
18:12
I mean, look at that difference.
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This was the >> If you want to go back, we can go back. There you go. >> All right.
18:19
>> That's what I'm talking about. Mhm.
18:25
>> How come there's like three hot ones here?
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Like branded, you know what I mean? >> Oh, cuz we make them.
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>> No, I know that, but like how come you like Why do you do >> Why don't we do more? >> Yeah, kind of.
18:37
>> Well, we we want to be pure. >> Mhm.
18:40
>> You know what I'm saying?
18:40
Like Like I think it's a good thing to get all these different craft sauce makers from all over the country and all over the world.
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>> So people must pitch you every day. Can you have my thing? >> Oh my gosh, yeah.
18:51
>> To get like your hot virgin on here, that's a big thing. >> It is a big deal.
18:56
>> I really did like that.
18:57
>> Is that your favorite one? >> I really did like it. >> Yeah. >> Oh, it's eggplant.
19:01
Why does it say plant-based eggplant like would these ever not be plant-based? >> It's a good question. Yeah.
19:11
>> Like when where would they have room for them?
19:14
>> grow out of the >> Yeah.
19:15
>> Grow out of the ground. Like plants.
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>> [laughter] >> I think that you know, you just you got to have an angle, you know? >> I see.
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And the message >> You know what plant-based signals do?
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Vegans, [laughter] vegetarians, this is good for you. >> Exactly. Exactly. >> You're right. Should I be shaking it?
19:32
>> Go ahead and give it a shake.
19:34
>> [laughter] >> This is just theatrical? >> This is the last dab.
19:38
We call it the last dab cuz it's tradition to put a little extra on the last one. You don't have to. If you don't want to.
19:45
>> And then I put it on the board a little bit so that I can just dip it rather than risking it avalanching on you.
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>> Have you ever had somebody on here or like >> [music] >> thought they were bad at spice and then it turns out oh actually I'm not bothered at all.
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>> I actually think that that is most commonly how it plays out.
20:01
>> Much people much more anticipation and nervousness.
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>> the more humility people walk into the studio with >> Yeah.
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>> I think that they bet >> I think they do in the actual execution of >> Yeah. >> eating the food.
20:14
>> That sounds [music] like a life advice.
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>> It There's yeah, there's a metaphor in there. >> All right. I'm going to dip.
20:21
>> I'm going to dip, too. Cheers. >> Cheers. Look how brave I am. This was the first one. And now look at this. Look how brave I am.
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>> [laughter] >> Are you fishing?
20:36
>> No, fishing would be like am I brave?
20:38
Like >> [laughter] >> And with that the wings of death are behind you. >> Yeah.
20:46
>> You're someone who's been very open about your anxieties, your fixations, yet here you are >> Mhm.
20:51
>> taking on the world's spiciest wings and doing it without breaking a sweat. >> Mhm.
20:57
>> Now that you're on the other side of the experience, I think it's a good time to ask what are you most worried about currently? >> I loved it. I loved my meal. I loved my day.
21:08
>> [laughter] >> Not a care in the world and look at you, Jesse Eisenberg, taking on the wings of death, living to tell the tale, and now there's nothing left to do but roll out the red carpet for you.
21:18
This camera, this camera, this camera, let the people know what you have going on in your life.
21:24
>> You mean like I where this is where I say the name of the movie and the date, that kind of thing?
21:27
Oh, okay, okay, okay, okay.
21:29
>> [laughter] >> You got to be more specific cuz I have other stuff happening, too. You know what I mean?
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Like I'm going on vacation. Um Mhm. Oh, hi. I'm Jesse.
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I did this really wonderful job here today and you could look forward to another wonderful job that I did in the Minions movie. OKAY. >> [applause] >> THANKS. >> GREAT JOB.
21:55
YOU CRUSHED THAT >> YOU KNOW what I brought just in case?
21:59
I I I so stupid, but I mean it's like I brought one extra contact lens cuz I thought [laughter] if I'm crying or something and one of my contacts falls out, but I'm too stupid to bring both.
22:10
I was just like I can't have two in my pocket.
22:14
It's going to be too big. So, I brought one.
22:16
>> do a clean one eye swipe.
22:19
>> I guess I was thinking I could at least get home somehow if I have one contact [laughter] in. >> Yeah, of course. >> Mhm. It's good and I like it.
22:29
>> Hey, what's going on, Hot Ones fans?
22:29
You know, you can catch me every Thursday interviewing [music] celebrities over the wings of death, but if you're looking for a little more Scoville laced action, tune in Tuesdays for Hot Ones versus.
22:40
[music] It's the show where celebrities go head-to-head.
22:42
They either tell the truth or suffer the wrath of the Last Dab.
22:46
[music] So, tune in Tuesdays for a front row seat to the fiery fights and celebrity clashes.
22:52
That's Hot Ones versus Tuesdays on [music] First We Feast. Don't miss it.