Podcast Summary: "Where Everybody Knows Your Name" – Jesse Eisenberg (Live in Austin, TX)

Podcast: Where Everybody Knows Your Name with Ted Danson and Woody Harrelson (sometimes)
Episode: Jesse Eisenberg (Live in Austin, TX)
Air Date: November 12, 2025

Episode Overview

In this lively, warm, and candid live episode, Ted Danson and Woody Harrelson reunite at the Alamo Drafthouse in Austin, Texas, for their first-ever live recording. Their guest: the multifaceted Jesse Eisenberg—actor, writer, director, and playwright, known for The Social Network, Zombieland, A Real Pain, and the new film Now You See Me, Now You Don't. The conversation ebbs between hilarious exchanges, reflections on creative processes, personal vulnerability, and moving discussions about activism and altruism. Alongside audience Q&A, the episode is a testament to the camaraderie, humility, and depth shared by these three, both on and off the screen.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Compliments, Deflection, and Handling Public Praise

• Jesse playfully dodges early compliments about his playwriting, leading to a discussion on why acknowledgment feels tricky for some.
• Jesse Eisenberg (@03:54):
  “Almost everybody in my life works so much harder than me. And no one knows who they are...So I don’t feel worthy of any acknowledgment...people just want to see somebody they've seen on television in the flesh, and so they say a nice thing to them.”

2. On Social Media Avoidance and Privacy

• None of the three are active on social media. Jesse jokes about the perils, saying he’d likely “say something stupid on the first day and I would be canceled from society.”
• Jesse Eisenberg (@05:42):
  “I’m terrified of what people already know about me in the world.”

3. First Meeting & Chemistry on ‘Zombieland’

• Jesse recounts his first screen test with Woody:
  “I remember thinking, whoa, he’s thin... But I also want to just make sure he’s thin...” (@07:01) and lauds Woody as a “genius improviser.”
• Their first time smoking weed together is described using a “cheerleader analogy,” emphasizing the genuine, friendly nature of their connection rather than a celebrity thrill.

4. Acting as Therapy & Embodying Confidence

• Jesse and Woody reflect on how playing certain characters allows them to access facets of themselves they otherwise don’t—confidence, activism, or boldness.
• Jesse Eisenberg on Daniel Atlas (@10:09):
  “It’s like the most mentally healthy thing I could do...acting allowed me...to kind of step outside yourself.”

5. Activism, Upbringing, and Giving Back

• Jesse describes his wife’s activism (“if you’re not doing something to help a cause during the day, your life doesn’t have real meaning”—@14:22), contrasts it with his academic parents (his mother was a children’s birthday clown), and discusses his volunteering at Bloomington’s Middle Way House.
• Woody reflects on how playing Larry Flynt changed him, making him more open to public activism.

6. Anonymous Kidney Donation

• One of the episode’s most moving revelations: Jesse is scheduled to donate a kidney anonymously.
  • Inspired by an episode of effective altruism, Jesse describes how easy it is and clarifies the “voucher program” that protects his family’s future medical needs.
• Jesse Eisenberg (@17:04):
  “I appreciate you complimenting me for it...but it’s such a minimal thing. You’re in the hospital for two days...and it like genuinely will save lives.”

7. Food, Health, and Woody’s Diet

• Jesse reveals that, despite his family’s vegetarian background, Woody is the “healthiest person I know,” joking about Woody’s unique dietary regimen on set.

8. ‘Now You See Me, Now You Don't’ – Cast, Tricks, & On-Set Stories

• The dynamic on set: New and returning cast make for a fun, laughter-filled shoot; Jesse’s fears are allayed by the quality of new actors.
• Discussion of the technical training involved: Jesse delved into sleight of hand, Woody trained with a mentalist.
• Jesse and Woody debate the ethics of revealing/masking magic tricks, drawing parallels to creative transparency in acting.

9. Stage Fright, Anxiety, and Coping Mechanisms

• Jesse and both hosts open up about pre-performance anxiety.
• Jesse Eisenberg (@33:04):
  (On his Zombieland audition)
  “I had, for the very first time, a true nervous breakdown...But I was able to get through it, and it’s become a staple of my psychological life—this scene.”
• Ted discusses psychosomatic symptoms before big events and Woody admits to sleepless, anxious nights before filming.

10. Creative Process & Writing

• Audience asks about writing routines:
  • Jesse: Focuses on momentum, carves out time while family’s on vacation; likes to write in focused bursts.
  • Woody: Would like to do another live film, conceptually set in Denmark, inspired by his “Lost in London” experiment.
• Jesse Eisenberg (@52:34):
  “Having a kid has kind of helped me focus...I stay active and try to focus my time because I’m trying to write from a place of...momentum.”

11. ‘A Real Pain’ – Film Location & Personal History

• Jesse was originally working on a script set in Mongolia but, after seeing an ad for “Auschwitz tours with lunch,” pivoted the story to Poland, finding deeper personal and historical resonance.
• Filming took place in his family’s actual pre-war home; Jesse and his child gained Polish citizenship as a result.
• Jesse Eisenberg (@43:06):
  “My family lived in this small town in this small house...history is so horrible, but it was a really kind of warm, almost reconciliatory feeling.”

12. Audience Q&A Highlights

• On Zombieland 3: Both doubt a sequel’s likelihood, not due to lack of fan interest but studio economics.
• On Champions: Woody recalls his heartfelt experience working with a diverse, nontraditional cast, improvising and building genuine relationships.
• On anxiety and performance: Jesse advises channeling nervousness into the character for actors, and for everyone else, recognizes authenticity over polish as an asset.

13. Favorite Magic Scene

• Audience asks about the favorite trick from Now You See Me. Jesse and Woody recall the chip-passing scene with awe, praising the "quick change" routine as especially impressive.

Notable Quotes & Moments

• On Compliments:
  "He won’t take in a single compliment. We’re going to compliment him; he won’t take it." – Woody Harrelson (@03:39)
• On Woody’s Reputation:
  “I should have, like, a frat boy feeling about Woody Harrelson is smoking [with me]... and I didn’t. I was just like, what a nice guy dropping me off at my hotel.” – Jesse Eisenberg (@07:07)
• On Altruism:
  “You can donate half your liver [or a kidney]... like, genuinely will save lives. And your health is totally fine.” – Jesse Eisenberg (@18:32)
• On Stage Fright:
  “I shut down...just sitting there real...Realizing whatever I do with my face right now is going to be in a movie.” – Jesse Eisenberg (@33:13)
• Woody on Jesse’s Role in Zombieland:
  "When he auditioned for Zombieland, it was very clear that he was the guy...but you know how studios are." – Woody Harrelson (@31:24)
• On Authenticity:
  “What you have is so much more important and special than...putting on something that wouldn’t feel natural to you.” – Jesse Eisenberg, to an anxious audience member (@57:00)
• On Creative Focus:
  “Having a kid has kind of helped me focus. Normally I would just like, if you have all the time in the world...my brain turns to mush, you know.” – Jesse Eisenberg (@52:34)

Key Timestamps

• 00:32 – Jesse thanks the hosts; comedic banter about research and preparation.
• 01:39 – Jesse: “I'm so honored to be on your show...”
• 03:54 – Jesse discusses his discomfort with praise.
• 05:42 – Social media avoidance.
• 07:01 – First meeting and early impressions during Zombieland.
• 10:09 – Acting and self-confidence.
• 13:03–14:22 – Activism, the Middle Way House, and family influences.
• 16:57 – Jesse confirms upcoming kidney donation.
• 21:19 – Woody’s health and diet on set.
• 27:50 – Magic training; mentalism and hypnotism on set.
• 33:04 – Jesse’s panic attack anecdote.
• 39:24 – Woody lauds A Real Pain as a “masterwork.”
• 43:06 – Filming in Jesse’s ancestral home in Poland.
• 47:59 – Audience Q&A: Zombieland 3, Champions, creative process, anxiety tips.
• 57:00 – Jesse supports an anxious audience member.
• 58:44 – On favorite Now You See Me tricks.
• 61:10 – Episode wraps as they prepare for the screening.

Overall Tone

The tone is intimate, self-deprecating, and a playful, affectionate camaraderie underpins the whole episode. Vulnerability and humor intertwine seamlessly. Jesse’s earnest, introspective style is juxtaposed with Woody’s breezy, earthy warmth and Ted’s gently teasing, thoughtful guidance.

Conclusion

This unguarded, laughter-filled episode provides a behind-the-scenes look at artistic partnership, navigating fame, the complexities of praise, and the meaning of giving back. Listeners are treated to unique industry insight, moving personal stories, and the infectious, easygoing chemistry among three friends who, despite their divergent paths, always seem glad to be in each other’s company.