Jesse Eisenberg Says He’s Donating One of His Kidneys to a Stranger

Jesse Eisenberg revealed that he’s performing a pretty big act of selflessness in a matter of weeks: The actor says he’s donating one of his kidneys to a stranger.

The actor told NBC’s Today last week about his decision. “I’m actually donating my kidney in six weeks,” he said. “I really am.”

Asked why he decided to perform the charitable act, he replied: “I don’t know why. I got bitten by the blood donation bug. I’m doing an altruistic donation [in] mid-December. I’m so excited to do it.”

He later told Today.com: “It’s essentially risk-free and so needed. I think people will realize that it’s a no-brainer, if you have the time and the inclination.”

Eisenberg said he got the idea about 10 years ago but only recently was able to set the process in motion. He’s scheduled to go through the procedure in mid-December. 

Of the process for finding a match, he explained: “Let’s say person X needs a kidney in Kansas City [and] their child or whoever was going to donate to them is, for whatever set of reasons, not a match, but somehow I am. That person can still get my kidney and hopefully that child of that person still donates their kidney, right? But it goes to a bank where that person can find a match recipient, but it only works if there is basically an altruistic donor.”

Eisenberg also said he’s been a regular blood donor for several months.

The actor, who was nominated for best original screenplay at this year’s Oscars for A Real Pain, next appears in Now You See Me: Now You Don’t, the third film in the Now You See Me franchise, which opens Nov. 14.