- Jesse Eisenberg enjoys playing J. Daniel Atlas in the Now You See Me franchise, as it aligns with his profession as a performer.
- He does not actively pursue method acting, but the character allows him to feel more like a performer than any other role.
- Playing Atlas has positively impacted Eisenberg’s mental health, enabling him to lower his antidepressant dosage.
As the highly anticipated release of Now You See Me 3 approaches, Jesse Eisenberg recently discussed his acting philosophy and experiences in the popular franchise in an interview with Collider while promoting his latest film, Manodrome. Known for delivering deep, emotive performances, Eisenberg appreciates the change of pace that the Now You See Me movies offer and finds a sense of liberation in playing J. Daniel Atlas, a role which speaks to him as a performer.
When discussing his acting approach, Eisenberg mentioned that he tries to avoid method acting by not treating the circumstances as reality. However, the Now You See Me films enable him to feel more like the character than any other role, largely because the character is a performer, which is something Eisenberg can directly relate to. He said, “For me, doing those movies, Now You See Me more than anything is like the furthest I go in terms of feeling like the character, because I am an actual performer as my job and the character is a performer.”
Despite being a successful actor, Eisenberg is open about his ongoing struggle with self-doubt and anxiety. He admitted that playing Atlas, a confident performer, allowed him to feel more at ease and even arrogant on set. Beyond professional satisfaction, Eisenberg also shared that his role in the Now You See Me series has positively impacted his mental health, enabling him to lower his antidepressant dosage. This role has acted as a therapeutic counterbalance to the demands of his more serious roles, highlighting the often neglected aspect of how certain characters can have a significant influence on an actor’s well-being.
Pre-production for Now You See Me 3 has already begun, with fans eagerly anticipating its release. In the meantime, the previous installments can be streamed on Prime Video (Now You See Me) and Netflix (Now You See Me 2).