Jesse Eisenberg opens up about donating a kidney to a stranger, his Jewish identity and Holocaust-rooted family history, while reflecting on fame, Hollywood and his responsibility to help others: 'I feel like I've been given so much'Last December, Jewish Hollywood actor and director Jesse Eisenberg (“The Social Network,” “Now You See Me”) fulfilled an ambition he had nurtured for years: donating a kidney. One of his kidneys was removed and transplanted into a person who needed it.“Look, I hate being in the public eye. I find it so embarrassing, but I married a woman who really spends her life helping people, so I feel I have a certain responsibility. I thought, ‘Maybe I should talk about donating a kidney because maybe it could influence other people,’” Eisenberg said during an interview at the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival, held in the colorful Czech spa town. “Why did I donate? It was just a feeling of responsibility. I feel like I’ve been given so much in my life, including two kidneys, and I felt a need to give.”GalleryJesse Eisenberg (Photo: Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP)Who received your kidney?
“I don’t know. It was anonymous. The tragedy is that there are 90,000 people on the waiting list, and when you donate to one, there are still 89,999 people dying.”How do you feel now?
