Now you see him

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He’s had a very successful career indeed, playing the socially awkward hero — think The Social Network, Adventureland and Zombieland — but in his latest film, Now You See Me (NYSM), Jesse Eisenberg plays a charismatic magician.

The thrilling exploits of four talented magicians (led by Jesse’s character, Atlas) who carry off bold heists that have the FBI and Interpol on their trail, Now You See Me promises to continue the 29-year-old actor’s charmed run at the box office. For Jesse, however, taking up NYSM wasn’t simply about breaking a pattern or wanting to star in a potential summer blockbuster. “For me, as an actor, the role of one of the world’s greatest magicians was a really interesting one,” Jesse said, responding to an email from this publication. “As a magician, you’re in control of everything, you’ve pre-planned every aspect of your behaviour. In his (Atlas’) personal life though, off stage, he’s struggling to maintain that same kind of control. So it’s an interesting character.”
With his character having to perform some extremely sophisticated tricks in the film, Jesse had to practise for several hours each day. “That’s because it was important that it should look authentic. A magician might practise a trick for over eight hours a day for an extended period of time, so we had to do the same,” he explained.
Several consultants were called in to help the cast perform the tricks in the most authentic way possible. Among them was illusionist David Kwong, who taught Jesse about “sleight of hand, the performing of it”.
“He was on set every day. We ended up trying out different tricks on each other,” he says.
What did his newfound insider’s view of magic make Jesse think about Atlas’ real-life counterparts — David Blaine, Criss Angel and their ilk? “I think magicians are the coolest people in the world! We (the cast) really felt good about ourselves for a while, because we got to play them,” he replied.
While promoting NYSM, Jesse’s talked about having his mom (who worked as a clown at birthday parties) get a colleague (who worked as a magician) to perform tricks at his birthday parties. Was he ever inspired by those childhood experiences with magic to don the black top hat and wand — tools of the magician’s trade himself? “I was always interested in magic but more because I found it frustrating to not know how things are done,” he said.
Jesse says his choice of roles is determined by a host of factors. “First, I see if the character could exist outside the movie, that he’s not just a pawn in a plotline. Also if I can bring something to the character and enjoy playing him for a long time,” Jesse concludes.