Jesse Eisenberg & Conan Share Their Experience With Anxiety | Conan O'Brien Needs A Friend

we probably have a few things in common. I grew up uh with my share of anxiety MH. and hated going to school um was over. only you know years later that I. realized I just I just really didn't. want to leave home I didn't want to. leave my house but I I I still to this. day can remember the the carpool ride. from my house on Canard road to the dris. Michael Driscoll school and every second.

thinking okay we're not there yet like. just filled with that kind of you like. your mouth tastes like aluminum you're. you have so much anxiety and um I've. later thought well I hate to say it but. it probably contributed some things to. me and I know that you've have this. struggle too yeah and I've had many. therapists and many people tell me well. you didn't need that you'd have. been you didn't and I I don't trust them.

it's like Dumbo's feather I think I. needed that I don't know where you come. down on all this uh the exact same kind. of um confusion as you do and the exact. same conversations with therapists um as. you've had uh I I always think um yeah. there was like maybe a parallel universe. version of me that was kind of happy um. and is an accountant and so um but you. know the painful thing is the thing that. person and told you is no you didn't.

need that and that's even worse you know. because then it was just for nothing it. was a waste of time I just feel like we. got into jobs that no one was asking us. ever to do like no one wanted you to. host a TV show no one asked me to be. they still retroactively trying to still. people are trying to like can we delete. that 30 years of no but but it is funny. you're right it. was uh more and more I think I'm here. out of a weird compulsion that I don't. have control over and I I I think about.

you and your anxiety and you are not the. typical hey put that light on me right. exactly because I'm ready to shine see. I've got a song for you but something. pushed this young anxious kid I mean I I. know that you were so anxious as a child. getting on the bus to go to school yeah. you would cry that's right and they had. to kind of come up will you tell me yeah. yeah yeah so no I would cry I cried.

every day in when I when I got to school. but the the there was like um they. didn't want me to cry on the bus the bus. driver did not want me to cry because I. guess it was probably dangerous um for. me to be weeping in the back of a huge. moving vehicle but basically I don't see. why that's a danger I'm trying to do the. math and I I don't see how it affects. the operation of the vehicle oh no it. could yeah I can see leak down into the. transmission gun I would use her sleeve. as a tissue. um but basically so no right so if uh so. so she set up the system where if I.

didn't cry uh every day um until Friday. um on Friday she would give out Tootsie. Roll pops to all the kids on the bus if. I didn't if I made it through the week. without crying on the bus and so you. would hear on Fridays from down the. street windows open on the bus don't cry. Jesse don't cry Jesse oh no oh my God. but wait a minute this is so sick you're. it's not like the treat's just for you. it's everyone else which is creating. this group thing that's evil it's the. equivalent of if you don't do all the. push-ups body in this room has to do 10.

more that's. insane and giving me. ideas on how to run a podcast company. but um oh my God that is wrong slash. kind of ingenious yeah yeah yeah it's. all that stuff listen that was her wound. and now she's an artist too that bus. driver. um and an amazing athlete yes exactly. and that was her will to power but um. yeah I was just I was a miserable. miserable kid with good parents I I feel. uncomfortable saying this in public cuz.

I don't want to like demonize my. well-meaning good par and good parents. yeah I don't know I was just like wired. to be absolutely miserable um and you. know performing for me was kind of like. an outlet but not like an outlet like I. feel myself here it was more just an. outlet to literally just get out of. school like if I got into a show it. meant I could leave early from school on. various days and rehearse and be with. adults which was the only place at the. time I felt like comfortable you have. this great quote that I read uh which is. when playing a role I would feel more.

comfortable as you're given a prescribed. way of Behaving yeah and I thought that. is I understand someone's telling you. all the anxiety you might have Jesse. about what am I supposed to say or do in. this one particular situation but if. you're in the seagull yeah uh you know. like no I'm supposed to enter and then. I'm supposed to leave and shoot myself. right exactly this is what I'm supposed. to do exactly and there's a calm that. might come with that yeah exactly and. not only a calm but like cathar. catharsis because the characters are.

emotional and it's like the thing I feel. all the time bubbling under my Surface. but is inappropriate to do in public you. know uh to have like an emotion or you. know and also it's a burden on other. people of course so I don't emote in. public but like to have that catharsis. you know is really helpful it's funny. because it you weren't just drawn to. acting specifically musical theater yeah. which also feels like you you went to. the other end of the spectrum for. someone who very nervous and shy and and.

inward looking and now i' I've been. around Show Business long enough to to. see it a million I've seen it a million. times yeah but you jumped to musical. theater well that was like the thing. that was like available like they. weren't doing the seagull in you know. Community Theater New Jersey you know um. they were doing the musical version of. it ex got to go and commit. suicide everybody had Jazz wings. um but uh so um you know so that's just. like what was happening in children. theater at the time where I lived you.

know now I see a wonderful Chasm between. me and musical theater um in terms of. like performance style that's not where. I would shine these days it's funny. because now I'm having this other like. flashback memory of I don't know if you. remember this Sona but uh when we were. doing the shows during covid yeah I. think you were one of the first people. you may have been you may have been the. first guest I talked to Co hit all the.

shows shut down then we all came back I. think on the same day and we were doing. um virtual virtual interviews Zoom. interviews and uh I think everyone else. really had their together and they. were talking to to guest who were in. their home but with state-ofthe-art. and um I was very excited that you were. going to be like the first guest back oh. great we got Jesse Eisenberg this is. going to be great and you and your. family had gotten into a van and you. were driving across America I think to.

try and Escape Co in a van In America. which doesn't work by the way but I. remembered you having possibly the worst. Zoom signal I've ever. seen and this was on television you. could probably look it up and see it but. it looks like I'm talking to it looks. like it's 1962 and I'm talking to a. Russian cosmina who's in space exactly. Yuri gorian how are you. and then it would go out and then you'd.

come back in again and occasionally I. could see you know like your family in. the background trying to swat away Co. and there was a coyote it was craziness. yes that wow yes exactly no I was like. at a KOA like a campsite you know where. we stayed overnight and the inter the. KOA is known for a lot of things but not. the. Wi-Fi so uh yeah it was it was pretty. bad yeah sorry about all that oh no no. it hey I'm remembering it yeah yeah what. I've remembered is I those are the. things I remember in Show Business there.

have been many you know Flawless. perfectly executed Technicolor. interviews that I'll never remember yeah. but I just remember you in a baseball. cap uh and your family trying to outrun. yeah a virus in a van yeah yeah yeah uh. yeah Lu story short it caught up with us. um yeah caught up with a lot of us yeah. ultimately yeah the only one who didn't. get it Sona who ate garlic right yes I. ate garlic lots of garlic lots of lemon.

but I did eventually get it right so. even garlic can't outrun Co wow not even. the root garlic not even the root I know. but you know um gorley who's not here. has never had it yet really yeah he's. never had it maybe he's out with Co. right now he could be he could be and. Eduardo never had it up until like a. month ago oh wow yeah I know isn't that. crazy are there people who are immune to. it like actually like I have no idea I. thought it was a mutant you yeah of. course you must have and you were around. people right who of course and he got. real cocky about it he was always. shouting Co can never get me yeah.

remember that's right and if someone had. Co he would he would grab them and. openmouth kiss them he got me toed a. couple of times for that and then. finally you ordered a hamburger and you. said put a little extra Co on it and you. finally caught it got it so it was. ultimately was your. fault in my stories it's always the. other person put a little extra Co on it. yeah hey hi I wanted Co I want two.

scoops make it real coy.