Jesse Eisenberg finally feels confident enough to release his own original music after years of secretly crafting songs, thanks to his new film, which is immersed in the world of musical theatre.
The 43-year-old actor has written, directed, and produced The Debut, a new musical-comedy which stars Julianne Moore as a timid housewife who transforms when she secures a part in a local community theatre production.
Its supporting cast includes Paul Giamatti (The Holdovers) as the musical's domineering director and Patrick Fabian (Better Call Saul) as Mona's distant husband.
He has written seven original songs for The Debut, which appear in the fictional stage production at the centre of the film, Nosy Neighbours.
It includes a track that could be his push for another Oscar nomination, according to The Hollywood Reporter. The magazine reports that “This City May Have Chewed Me Up (But It Hasn’t Spit Me Out)”, performed by Moore, could be submitted for Best Original Song.
Speaking to The Independent at The Debut's premiere at London Film Festival on Sunday (29 September), Eisenberg said that creating a world he "couldn't fail in" with his latest project finally gave him the confidence to let his original music see the light of day.
"The movie is about this kind of meek woman in central New Jersey who joins this local theatre, and they're not putting on Hamilton, they're putting on Nosy Neighbours.
"So I felt that I could write Nosy Neighbours, and I like writing musical music. If people don't like it, it doesn't matter because it's Nosy Neighbours. I was not writing Wicked, you know?
"I felt this was the first time I felt comfortable putting music I've written out."
Eisenberg previously secured nominations for Best Actor and Best Original Screenplay for The Social Network and A Real Pain respectively.
As first reported by THR in 2017, Eisenberg has been composing musicals, an art form he has described as "saving his life", in secret for years but has not shown them to anyone.
Eisenberg revealed that his love for musical theatre fuelled his latest directorial project, and the story about a shy woman finding her home in that world mirrored his own experiences.
“It’s the same thing that happened to me. For some people who are so in need of something, almost anything can fill that hole,” he told the Press Association.
The Debut is released in UK cinemas on 15 January 2027.