Jesse Eisenberg joined Bill Maher to discuss “A Real Pain”

“It’s a bit like, if Bernie Madoff sold Pokemon card.” That’s how Bill Maher described the concept of MEM coins, something that has been In the news much lately. More generally, it was a statement that combined culture, technology and politics – a convergence that was a particularly pronounced theme for this week’s Real time.

Following the opening monologue of the episode, Maher got company on stage by Jesse Eisenberg. The two apparently have a long story, and Maher asked why they hadn’t seen each other for a while. Eisenberg brought his move up to Bloomington, IndianaWhich led to a general conversation of both the city and state in question.

The two men moved from there to discuss the movie A real painAs Eisenberg was nominated for a Best original manuscript Academy Award. Eisenberg described the process of writing it and the people in his life who had inspired the story of the film. He also explained why he had chosen to play the character in the one he did, and not the more chaotic role for which Kieran Culkin was Oscar-nominated.

According to Eisenberg, the council came from Emma Stone, one of the film’s producers. “She said, ‘Don’t try to direct a movie where you lead a group of people while also playing this character who … is this incorporated spontaneous live-wire,” Eisenberg explained.

From there, the two also discussed the challenge of finding the right tone to tell this particular story. “You don’t want to make Harold and Kumar take to Auschwitz“Said Maher. Eisenberg replied that he” was very conscious of trying not to make a movie that was inviolable. “

Eisenberg’s very dry sense of humor appeared a few times in the conversation, but he beat a more serious tone later in the interview when Maher asked him about the number of former Woody Allen partners who have said they now regret working with Allen.

“To say I regret something seems a bit like sending the money,” replied Eisenberg. “The other thing I think of all the time if I can use my platform to say something like that, I’d rather say,” please donate money to Middle Way House in Bloomington, Indiana. It is a crisis center for domestic violence. And if you are really worried about problems around domestic violence, don’t ask an actor to have an opinion on something they don’t really know about. Please give money to this amazing crisis center. ”

When their conversation ended, Maher Eisenberg asked about his experience playing both Lex Luthor and Mark Zuckerberg – and what he thought about the series of tech CEOs at the recent inauguration. Eisenberg’s frustration was clear in his answer: “If you are so rich and powerful, why don’t you just spend your days doing good things for the world?”

Some of these themes continued in this week’s panel discussion with rep. Ro Khanna and ESPN host Stephen A. Smith. Maher asked Khanna, representing Silicon Valley, about several CEOs moving right in recent years. Khanna wasn’t sure the alliance would last.

“We want to see how long they last with the Trump administration and what he’s doing,” he replied. It is another thing to be aware of in the coming months and years.

Other notable moments from the episode:

• Maher’s first mention of Meme coins aroused a number of clapping elves that he was a little worried about. “Do you have MEM coins? Do you?… It’s not good,” he said.
• Khanna about the early days of the Trump administration: “How does the freezing of Alzheimer’s research do something to help people’s lives?”
• Maher about health insurance: “What the hell is a pharmacy manager? I’m not sure, but I think I was one back in 1980 when I sold Pot.”
• Also Maher about health insurance: “It’s just as incredibly complicated as an election college that makes prostate exams.”