Jesse Eisenberg Tests AI Writing 'to Make Sure It's Bad' as 'The Debut' Soars

Jesse Eisenberg wrote, directed, produced, scored and stars in "The Debut," the A24 musical comedy that A24 opens in theaters on Dec. 11 — and he says he took on five jobs out of fear, not ambition.

Speaking to Variety's Awards Circuit podcast, recorded at the Middleburg Film Festival, Eisenberg said: "Doing five jobs on this movie is how I protect myself for the future." He added: "We're in an unstable industry, and I don't do well with instability in general."

The film, his third feature as director, premiered at Telluride to rave reviews and has since played Toronto, New York and Middleburg. It stars Julianne Moore as Mona Friedman, a shy housewife who auditions for a community theater musical for the first time in her life. Eisenberg wrote the role specifically for the Oscar winner.

What happened at the Telluride premiere?

When the crowd broke into mid-film applause after a showdown between Moore and Paul Giamatti — the scene fans call "the rent is due" — Eisenberg's first thought was not relief.

"Oh no! Can they go on the ride?" he recalled, because the next scene is dramatic. "If you're a paranoid and worried person, all signs lead to panic."

He described the strange isolation of post-production: after two or three years working with allies, "you forget that it could be a disaster because you've spent three years with people who all love it."

Why does Eisenberg keep casting Moore?

Moore, nominated for five Academy Awards and a winner for "Still Alice" (2014), has long been Todd Haynes' muse. Asked whether he warned Haynes off, Eisenberg joked: "He gets it."

His argument for her is pointed. He gets "pissed off" reading reviews of "May December" that praise its depth and darkness while missing what he sees as "an unbelievably brilliant comic creation." She has, he said, "a funny bone within drama that is so unusual," because "you go to drama school and they don't encourage you to be funny."

Moore called the role "an extraordinary feat of writing," adding: "I'm so lucky to embody someone right on the brink of change." She pushed back on reading Giamatti's character as an antagonist: "He's not at all. He's her creative partner."

The film's heightened, sometimes fantastical tone is deliberate. "Whatever Julianne is feeling in a particular scene is heightened 20% in that direction," Eisenberg said, citing Halle Bailey's welcoming scenes and Giamatti's "overly terrifying" ones. "It's all about what she's feeling, not objective reality."

What does Eisenberg think about AI?

His answer is blunt. "I sometimes experiment with AI to see whether it's good at writing. And it's still not," he said. "I'm just testing it to make sure it's bad, and it's still bad. So I'm relieved."

The caveat follows immediately: "How far away is it from being good?" He imagines a child putting on goggles, supplying photos and prompting a personalized movie on demand.

His comfort is history. He performs Greek plays "written 2,500 years ago" the same way they were originally staged. "People want to be in the same room as other people, watching and listening to stories," he said. The worry he cannot shake: "whether we'll still be able to make a living from it. I'm not 100% sure about that."

Moore, preparing a master class at SCAD, takes the longer view: "People keep emerging, and we always act surprised... They keep being born."

Eisenberg's next wish is not auteur prestige but a franchise sequel: "The next movie I want to do more than anything is 'Now You See Me 4,' and I'm praying that they write it." Whether that prayer reaches a studio greenlight — and whether "The Debut" converts its festival momentum into awards on Dec. 11 — will define his balancing act between paranoia and productivity.