Actor and filmmaker Jesse Eisenberg said he wrote the lead role in his musical comedy The Debut specifically for Julianne Moore, describing the Oscar-winning actress as “the greatest actress in the world” as the film closed the London Film Festival on Sunday.
Eisenberg, who wrote and directed the film, told Reuters on the red carpet that he shaped the screenplay around Moore’s strengths and the kinds of performances she enjoys.
“I just thought, this is Julianne Moore, and I will write every scene with her in mind and what she likes to do and what she’s great at,” he said.
Moore plays Mona, a shy New Jersey housewife who finds excitement and a renewed sense of purpose after landing a role in a community theatre musical. As she becomes involved in the production, she discovers a sense of belonging that had been missing from her life.
Julianne Moore Finds Purpose Through Theatre
Moore said Mona’s journey is driven by the feeling that something is missing from her life and the desire to find it.
“She’s moving towards something, knowing that there’s something that she needs in her life,” Moore said. “Then that thing leads you towards yourself and towards community, which is really the most valuable thing of all.”
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The film explores how participation in community theatre can help people rediscover themselves and build meaningful connections.
Eisenberg said Moore’s interpretation of Mona allowed him to make an unconventional film while keeping its characters emotionally grounded.
“She is so unusual, she’s so strange,” he said. “It allowed me to make a movie that wasn’t realistic.”
Original Songs and a Fictional Musical
The Debut features seven original songs written by Eisenberg. The numbers appear in a fictional stage production titled Nosy Neighbours, a light-hearted musical inspired by the 1990s.
The production features a cast that includes Halle Bailey, known for her role in The Little Mermaid.
“I love songwriting, I love musical theatre music and I wrote these songs in earnest,” Eisenberg said.
The film also stars Paul Giamatti as Jerry, the director of the community theatre production. Mona’s early difficulties on stage test Jerry’s patience, leading her to adopt an increasingly intense approach to method acting.
Eisenberg on Method Acting
Eisenberg, who also appears in a smaller role, said actors often draw on their characters’ emotions, sometimes without fully recognising the effect on their own lives.
“I always wind up feeling whatever the character feels,” he said. “So if my character is miserable, I spend the shoot just miserable. But I don’t realise it’s for the character. I just think, ‘Oh God, I must be doing terribly in the movie’.”
The filmmaker said the story was partly inspired by his childhood experiences in community theatre, where he found a sense of belonging.
He recalled discovering “a family and a home and a life” that he enjoyed.
Patrick Fabian, who plays Mona’s husband, said theatre provides an opportunity for people to connect in person at a time when much of daily life is spent looking at screens.
“It brings people together, and these days, it gets them out of their screens and into the dark together to watch whatever is going on,” Fabian said. “I think that’s a real bonding thing.”
‘The Debut’ Closes the London Film Festival
The film brought the curtain down on the 70th London Film Festival, which concluded on Sunday.
Ukrainian filmmaker Sergei Loznitsa’s Imperium won Best Film in the festival’s Official Competition.
For Eisenberg, The Debut combines his interest in songwriting and musical theatre with personal memories of finding community through performance.
