Jesse Eisenberg Shares Star-Struck Moment He Met Claire Danes For The First Time

Jesse Eisenberg recently reflected on the first time he met his "Fleishman Is In Trouble" co-star Claire Danes.

The actor appeared on "The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon" and discussed the encounter, which he said was the "greatest day of his life." He also stated that Danes has no recollection of the meeting, which occurred 15 years ago.

In "Fleishman Is In Trouble," Eisenberg played the role of a divorcee whose wife abandoned their kids in his care. He is now set to direct an upcoming movie dubbed "A Real Pain," in which he will also star alongside actor Kieran Culkin.

Read on to learn more.

During his appearance on "The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon," Eisenberg discussed the time he met Danes at a benefit. The chance encounter happened 15 years ago before they starred in the Hulu miniseries "Fleishman Is In Trouble."

Eisenberg attended the benefit in the company of his current wife, Anna Strout, whom he was dating at the time. He recalled getting separated from her, and then, by chance, he bumped into Danes.

He said, per Insider, "I got separated from her[Strout] there, and I wound up talking to this woman[Danes]. We had gone to the same high school, and she said she was an actress and she went to Yale."

Although Eisenberg did not reveal how long they spent talking, he did share that their conversation left a heavy impression on him in a good way.

He added, "I was just thinking, 'My God. This is, like, the coolest person I've ever met in my life.' And I told her that."

Eisenberg said he went over to his wife to recount his awesome conversation with Danes and even joked about the actress being his "soulmate." At the time, he still had no idea about Danes' identity, but that quickly changed after he pointed her out to Strout

The 39-year-old actor recalled, "And then, I walked over to my wife, and I said, 'Honey, I think I just met my soulmate. I met this amazing woman.' And I pointed to the woman who I wanted to be my soulmate, and Anna, my wife, she said, 'That's Claire Danes, you idiot. Good luck.'"

While Eisenberg has fond memories of that day, he shared that Danes has no recollection of the encounter, which he dubbed the "greatest day" of his life.

He added, "She has no recollection of it, which is the impression I normally make on people but especially in this case."

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2jyBu4xGeH4

Still, the pair got along well all through the making of their first feature together, which debuted on Hulu on November 17. A new episode would drop weekly until its season finale on December 29, 2022.

Adapted from Brodesser-Akner's novel, "Fleishman Is in Trouble," was created by the author, who also co-produced the show. Apart from Eisenberg and Danes, it also stars Lizzy Caplan and Adam Brody in leading roles.

Eisenberg played the character Toby Fleishman, a quadragenarian who recently separated from his wife, Rachel, portrayed by Danes. Following their split, Rachel disappears while Fleishman is left to take care of the kids. He then struggles to balance his dating life with work and home while trying to unravel what happened to his wife.

"A Real Pain" is Eisenberg's next film as a writer-director, which will be filmed in Warsaw, Poland, from March 2023. He previously made his directorial debut in the coming-of-age comedy-drama "When You Finish Saving the World," which debuted online at Sundance and was also on display at Cannes.

In "A Real Pain," Eisenberg will lead the cast alongside Culkin from "Succession." The plot centers on two estranged cousins who, after their grandmother passes away, go to Poland to visit her family but wind up signing up for a Holocaust tour.

Dave McCary, Emma Stone, and Ali Herting will also reunite with Eisenberg for the upcoming film after collaborating with the actor to produce "When You Finish Saving The World."