How Jesse Eisenberg 'embarrassed' himself while directing Kieran Culkin

Jesse Eisenberg is always open to some constructive criticism when it comes to filmmaking, even if it embarrasses him in the process.

While filming his comedy drama movie, A Real Pain — which he wrote, directed, produced, and starred in — Eisenberg was humbled by his co-star Keiran Culkin while directing him to stand at his mark.

Speaking to Page Six in an interview published on Sunday, November 3, the Social Network star recalled telling Culkin, “We have this gorgeous shot, these statues behind you and it’s beautiful,” but the Succession star “just wouldn’t stand on this mark.”

Culkin had a different idea in mind — shooting in a hand-held documentary-style.

Eisenberg conceded: “And I realised, OK, the way we’re going to be filming Kieran is going to be, you know, with the camera on our camerman’s shoulder and not getting the kind of gorgeous vistas that I had been planning for months.”

The Zombieland alum continued, “I felt immediately embarrassed. I always just kind of try to consider the behaviour that I can change, which is my own and I was thinking, year, I’m probably in the wrong here. Let’s make the movie that is going to make Keiran excel the most.”