Key Points
Jesse Eisenberg wins best screenplay for 'A Real Pain'
Emma Stone jointly produced the film
Eisenberg credits Stone's long-term support
Highlights Stone's commitment to independent cinema
The Social Network actor won the best screenplay award for his film The Real Pain, which starred him and Kieran Kulkin in the lead roles. Emma Stone jointly produced it.
At Santa Monica in California on Saturday, the actor paid his gratitude to producer and actor Emma Stone for encouraging him to write the screenplay. While recounting his first meeting with Emma Stone, he said,
"I met Emma when we were in Zombieland together in 2009 and since then -- I write little magazine articles and little things on McSweeney's, and she's the only person, I'm including my mom here, who would take little screenshots of it over the last 15 years and send me things like, 'This is such a funny line!'" Eisenberg said while accepting the award with Emma sitting in the audience as quoted by The Hollywood Reporter.
"She was, definitely still [is], the most famous person I know, and yet also the most dedicated to encouraging me as a writer. I think about her not as my producer, but like a fairy godmother, that I am riding the coattails of her goodwill. And I think it's so important that somebody like her, who is so unbelievably successful in all these mainstream movies, people like me and Julio [Torres], and Jane [Schoenbrun], to try to produce art movies with all the goodwill that she's amassed so brightly and observably over the last couple of years. Thanks, Emma."
Stone produced the film alongside Eisenberg, Jennifer Semler, Ali Herting, Dave McCary and Ewa Puszczynska. Eisenberg mentioned Torres and Schoenbrun because Stone produced their projects 'Fantasma' and 'Problemista', and 'I Saw The TV Glow', respectively, which were also nominated at the Spirit Awards.
'A Real Pain' was also nominated in the best supporting actor category for Kieran Culkin, who plays Eisenberg's cousin in the film. The film was nominated in the best screenplay category alongside Heretic, My Old Ass, A Different Man, and I Saw the TV Glow.
Eisenberg is also nominated for best original screenplay at the upcoming 97th Academy Awards.
