‘I’m so excited’: Jesse Eisenberg donates his kidney to a stranger | film

Jesse Eisenberg has revealed that he will donate his kidney to a stranger next month. The actor and director told NBC Today that he would “donate my kidney in six weeks” but wasn’t entirely sure of his motives.

“I don’t know why,” he said. “I’ve been bitten by the blood donation bug. I donate altruistically [in] Mid-December. I’m so excited to do this.

Eisenberg (42 years old) added that he first came up with the idea of ​​donating organs when he was still alive about a decade ago, but he only started the process recently. “It’s basically risk-free and there’s no need for it,” he said. “I think people will realize that it’s a no-brainer, if you have the time and desire.”

He also explained the process of matching donors and recipients, saying: “Let’s say Person X needs a kidney in Kansas City [and] Their child or whoever was going to donate to them, for any set of reasons, is not a match, but in a way I am. That person can still get my kidney, and I hope that person’s child will still donate their kidney, right?

“But it goes to the bank where that person can find a suitable recipient, but it only works if there is an altruistic donor.”

Celebrities known to have donated their organs while alive are thin in reality, although Natasha Richardson, Jerry Orbach and Dr Rajkumar are believed to have become posthumous donors. In 2017, actress and singer Selena Gomez received a kidney from her friend Francia Raisa. Tracy Morgan, George Lopez, Neil Simon and Tina Turner also received kidneys from donors.

There are currently more than 100,000 people on the transplant list in the United States, and about 12 people die every day due to organ shortages. In the UK, there are currently 8,186 people – a record number – on the list, with nearly 4,000 more who have been paused but still need a transplant. On the other hand, donor numbers are declining in the UK, where living donors now account for about 40% of donations – primarily kidneys.

Eisenberg credited his wife, teacher and philanthropist Anna Strout, with much of his idealism and activism. Her late mother ran a domestic violence shelter, of which Eisenberg and Strout were active supporters.

Earlier this year, Eisenberg was nominated for an Academy Award for his screenplay for “A Real Pain,” which earned him a Best Supporting Actor nod for Kieran Culkin. He is currently promoting the third in the wizard heist series Now You See Me.

Eisenberg said last week that his lack of involvement in The Social Network sequel had “nothing to do” with the film’s screenplay, which was written by Aaron Sorkin, who also wrote the original script. Jeremy Strong will take on the role of Mark Zuckerberg.