Summary
Jesse Eisenberg discusses his personal experience with performance anxiety and panic attacks, both as an actor and director. He highlights a counterintuitive pattern where success can amplify anxiety about future failures. Eisenberg shares advice received from directors and an acting coach: embracing and utilizing these anxious feelings as part of the performance or a sign of caring deeply about the work. He suggests that reframing anxiety as a motivator or an indicator of passion can transform a perceived weakness into a strength, applicable beyond the acting profession.
Key Insights
Anxiety escalates as success accumulates over a performance run.
Eisenberg describes how, after many successful performances (e.g., 100 out of 150), his anxiety increases, leading him to believe the consecutive successes make an upcoming failure inevitable. He uses the analogy of not being able to land on red 100 times without hitting black, illustrating his catastrophizing thought process.
Advice: Acknowledge and use your anxiety as part of the performance.
Eisenberg relayed the advice he received: understand that anxiety is normal in demanding professions, and instead of denying it, use it. He specifically told Wolfhard to let the character's anxiety come through in the scene, as the character himself was nervous.
Reframe anxiety as a sign of deep care and investment in the task.
Eisenberg learned from an acting coach that anxiety experienced on set can be interpreted as the character's anxiety, thus utilizing it. He now sees bad feelings, like panic, as motivators, reminding him he's invested. This applies to other industries, where panic might signal a genuine care for the work.
Sections
Personal Experience with Performance Anxiety
Actor Jesse Eisenberg shares his deep-seated performance anxiety and stage fright.
Jesse Eisenberg introduces himself as an actor, writer, and director, admitting to experiencing significant performance anxiety, which he refers to as stage fright, a feeling his therapist might label more medically. He notes a personal pattern of anxiety intensifying towards the end of a play's run.
Anxiety escalates as success accumulates over a performance run.
Eisenberg describes how, after many successful performances (e.g., 100 out of 150), his anxiety increases, leading him to believe the consecutive successes make an upcoming failure inevitable. He uses the analogy of not being able to land on red 100 times without hitting black, illustrating his catastrophizing thought process.
Colleagues offer support by normalizing his anxiety through humor and reassurance.
During his anxious moments backstage, Eisenberg's colleagues often laugh kindly, which helps him realize his feelings are not catastrophic. They provide reassurance, with friends like Michael Zegen repeatedly confirming that performances will go well, drawing on past successes as evidence.
Internal conflict between rational thought and powerful feelings of anxiety.
Eisenberg acknowledges that he can intellectually recognize his worrying thoughts as unhealthy or irrational, but finds it difficult to dismiss them because feelings often overpower rational thought.
Navigating Panic Attacks on Set
Experiencing both physical and 'shut down' types of panic attacks.
Eisenberg recounts experiencing physical panic attacks with racing heart and breath, but also 'shut down' panic attacks where his body becomes rigid and closed off, making it difficult to perform emotional scenes.
Director's validation diffused anxiety by acknowledging the job's difficulty.
While filming 'Adventureland', director Greg Mottola offered Eisenberg cathartic support when he froze during a scene. Mottola validated the emotional and demanding nature of acting, coupled with personal vanity worries, suggesting Eisenberg's struggle was understandable and common.
Accepting imperfections and embracing the challenging aspects of a profession is key.
Hearing Mottola's words, Eisenberg felt a weight lift, realizing he shouldn't strive for perfection but should understand and embrace the inherent difficulties of his job. This realization was crucial for his performance.
Shared anxieties exist across different professions, like journalism and acting.
Eisenberg draws parallels between his acting anxieties and those of his cousin, a sports journalist who panics before deadlines, suggesting these fears are common across professions with unique difficulties.
Giving and Receiving Advice on Anxiety
Helping others with anxiety can reinforce one's own ability to cope.
Eisenberg finds it rewarding to help people calm down and offer advice, as it mirrors his own fears and allows him to internalize the advice he gives.
High achievers, like Finn Wolfhard, often experience significant anxiety.
Eisenberg observed Finn Wolfhard, a renowned young actor, experiencing panic and worry about his performance, demonstrating that high levels of talent and success do not preclude anxiety.
Advice: Acknowledge and use your anxiety as part of the performance.
Eisenberg relayed the advice he received: understand that anxiety is normal in demanding professions, and instead of denying it, use it. He specifically told Wolfhard to let the character's anxiety come through in the scene, as the character himself was nervous.
Reframe anxiety as a sign of deep care and investment in the task.
Eisenberg learned from an acting coach that anxiety experienced on set can be interpreted as the character's anxiety, thus utilizing it. He now sees bad feelings, like panic, as motivators, reminding him he's invested. This applies to other industries, where panic might signal a genuine care for the work.
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