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Poland’s Prime Minister Donald Tusk has extended a playful invitation to newly minted Polish citizen and Jesse Eisenberg, offering military training that could, he said, land him “the new James Bond role”.
The lighthearted exchange stemmed from Eisenberg’s recent appearance on NBC’s The Tonight Show, where he recounted his experience of gaining Polish citizenship.
The Hollywood actor joked that the day after receiving his citizenship, the top news story was Poland requiring mandatory military training for all men.
Tusk responded to Eisenberg’s quip with a video posted on X, reassuring the actor, “Dear Jesse, there’s really nothing to be afraid of!”
He clarified that military training in Poland was voluntary, not mandatory.
The Prime Minister’s video included a clip of Eisenberg’s The Tonight Show appearance.
“So come over to Poland!” Tusk said.
“And we’ll give you such a training that, the new James Bond role? It’s yours!”
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Jesse Eisenberg, right, and Kieran Culkin in ‘A Real Pain’, which was set in Poland (AP)
Eisenberg’s Polish citizenship was officially conferred earlier in March by Poland’s President Andrzej Duda, recognising the actor’s Polish heritage.
It came shortly after his film set in the country, A Real Pain, won an Oscar.
The drama-comedy follows two mismatched cousins, played by Eisenberg and Kieran Culkin, who travel to Poland following the death of their beloved grandmother, who was a Holocaust survivor.
Eisenberg said it was “the honour of a lifetime” to become a Polish citizen.
Tusk said on March 7 that his government was working on a plan to prepare large-scale military training for every adult male in response to the changing security situation in Europe.
He said that there was a need for an army of 500,000 soldiers, more than double the current number, which would include reservists.
On Tuesday, he said the government intended to put 100,000 volunteers through military training each year starting in 2027 as it sought to build an army of reservists.
He said he was “convinced that there will be no shortage of volunteers”.