Jesse Eisenberg Thought Claire Danes Was His Soul Mate. Then He Found Out Who She Was
Jesse Eisenberg and Claire Danes had similarly auspicious beginnings. Both starred in single-season teen-centric series in the 1990s — "Get Real" for Eisenberg and "My So-Called Life" for Danes — and have spent the subsequent decades padding their resumes with award-winning performances. Danes received critical acclaim for her roles in "Temple Grandin" and Showtime's "Homeland," and Eisenberg has appeared in high-grossing blockbusters and renowned indies alike.
Now, Eisenberg and Danes are joining forces for the first time in "Fleishman Is In Trouble," a limited series from FX that premiered on November 17. Based on Taffy Brodesser-Akner's novel of the same name, "Fleishman Is In Trouble" follows Dr. Toby Fleishman (Eisenberg), a recently divorced forty-something who is, for the first time in his life, exploring the wild world of dating apps. When his ex-wife, Rachel (Danes), suddenly disappears, Toby must re-evaluate their failed marriage to search for clues.
"Fleishman Is In Trouble" may mark the first creative collaboration between the two esteemed actors, but Eisenberg recalls a time when Danes was an important presence in his life.
Jesse Eisenberg fawned over Claire Danes while he was high at a benefit
In an appearance on "The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon," Jesse Eisenberg remarked upon his first time meeting Claire Danes long before the two shared the screen in "Fleishman Is In Trouble." "I met her probably, like, 15 years ago. She has no recollection of it, which is the impression I normally make on people, but especially in this case," Eisenberg said in a nebbishy delivery.
The actor joined his then-girlfriend, now wife, at a benefit. "I just got really high because I knew it was going to be boring," he admitted. "I got separated from her there, and I wound up talking to this woman. We had gone to the same high school, and she said she was an actress, and she went to Yale. And I was just thinking, 'My God, this is, like, the coolest person I've ever met in my life.' I told her that." Eisenberg shared the interaction with his partner, not bothering to hide how wowed he was. "I walked over to my wife, and I said, 'Honey, I think I just met my soul mate. I met this amazing woman.' And I pointed to the woman who I wanted to be my soul mate, and Anna, my wife, she said, 'That's Claire Danes, you idiot. Good luck.'"
Danes' star power may have been apparent that night, but the feeling wasn't mutual. "[Claire] had no recollection of the greatest day of my life," Eisenberg told Fallon. Luckily, Danes seems to hold her co-star in higher esteem now. "I love working with Jesse," she told The New York Times. "He's very gifted and very present and profoundly, almost pathologically generous — truly, really."