Jesse Eisenberg is set to star in Woody Allen's new film.
Jesse Eisenberg and Woody Allen–a match made in Jewish acting and writing heaven?
Well, not always.
Apparently, Eisenberg, who is starring in the filmmaker’s new movie, Nero Fiddled (which was called The Decameron), wrote a play several years ago about Woody Allen’s name change. The famed actor-writer-director had been born with the infinitely more Jewish sounding name of Allen Stewart Konigsberg.
Eisenberg gave it to his acting agent, who then managed to get it to Allen’s lawyer. And that’s where it remained because Allen’s lawyer hit Eisenberg with a cease and desist letter, which means the world will never get to see the dramatization of Allen’s name change. But maybe Eisenberg can write one about Seth Green’s recent de-Jewification of his surname.
Anyway, the young Eisenberg wasn’t deterred by this setback. “I was so thrilled to have any kind of communication because up until that point I had nothing,” he told David Letterman about the incident. [Shalom Life]
You can watch Eisenberg’s interview with Letterman on The Late Show here.
