All About Jesse Eisenberg's Son Banner (and the Surprise Cameo He Made in His Dad’s Latest Movie!)

Mar. 15, 2025

Jesse Eisenberg at the premiere of ‘Sasquatch Sunset’ on April 1, 2024 in New York City ; Jesse Eisenberg’s son Banner in the film ‘A Real Pain’ (2024).Photo:John Nacion/Variety via Getty ; Searchlight Pictures

John Nacion/Variety via Getty ; Searchlight Pictures

Jesse Eisenberg’s son, Banner, has had a profound impact on him.TheNow You See Mestar andhis wife, Anna Stroutinitially met on the movie set ofThe Emperor’s Clubin 2001, where she served as an assistant to the film producer, and Eisenberg starred as Louis Masoudi.Though the couple briefly split after about a decade together, they rekindled their romance in 2015 and wed two years later in 2017. Eisenberg and Strout welcomed their first child together that same year.While Eisenberg seldom speaks about his personal life, hereflected on how parenthood has changed himduring an interview with PEOPLE at the March 2024 premiere of his filmSasquatch Sunsetat SXSW. Notably, the actor-turned-director opened up about how Banner’s arrival helped him managehis anxietybetter.“My general feeling is I spent the first … 33 years of my life worrying about myself,” he said. “[Now I worry] about another person. And I know it sounds like a self-serving excuse, but it’s made me a lot happier.“From the different places he has lived and traveled to making his movie debut, here’s everything to know about Jesse Eisenberg’s son, Banner.He was born in 2017Jesse Eisenberg and Anna Strout pose at the Independent Spirit Awards After Party on March 4, 2005 in Santa Monica, California.Frazer Harrison/GettyFifteen years after Eisenberg and Strout began dating, theywelcomed their son, Banner, in 2017.The pair have not yet revealed Banner’s birthday, but the parents were spotted with him in March of that yearin Washington, D.C.and a few months later,in New York City.He has lived in New York and IndianaJesse Eisenberg attends a screening of “A Real Pain” at The Meryl Streep Center for Performing Artists on December 4, 2024 in Los Angeles, California.Michael Tullberg/GettyEisenberg was born in the Queens borough of N.Y.C. and raised in East Brunswick, N.J., while Strout grew up in Bloomington, Ind.Now, they split their time between New York and Bloomington. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the actor, along with his wife and son, moved to the Midwest.He toldIndianapolis Monthlyin August 2020 that he spent his time in Indiana with his son “talking about the different sounds that car horns make or trying to teach him how to trace squares.”Eisenberg and his family also have a home in N.Y.C. Speaking toVanity Fairin November 2024, he shared that his wife is a public school teacher in the Big Apple.He spent his early life travelingJesse Eisenberg attends the Telluride Film Festival on August 30, 2024 in Telluride, Colorado.Vivien Killilea/GettyBanner is no stranger to being on the road.During the COVID-19 pandemic, Eisenberg and Strout embarked on a 10-day journey in an RV from California to Indiana with their son, according to an April 2020 interview withThe Hollywood Reporter.At the time, theZombielandstar said that he and his family had “driven cross-country a lot,” but the RV was a new addition to avoid hotel stays.As for how it was traveling with his then-3-year-old son, Eisenberg explained, “Because of my job and my wife’s work — she works at different nonprofits and teaches in New York City at a nonprofit — he spent the first few years of his life traveling.”“Whether or not he is adapting to our crazy lives or we just happened to get a kid who is comfortable with it, he has never been happier,” the actor added. “He loves being on the road; it’s interesting to him. AndPeppa Pigdrives in a camper van, so he feels like he is in aPeppa Pigepisode.”He appeared in Eisenberg’s movieA Real PainJesse Eisenberg’s son Banner in the film ‘A Real Pain’ (2024).Searchlight PicturesWhile Banner may still be a child, he’s already made his silver screen debut.In January 2025, Eisenberg confirmed to theInternational Center for MultiGenerational Legacies of Traumathat Banner played his character David’s son Abe inA Real Pain,also starringKieran Culkin.He explained that casting his child for the part made the process easier for everyone but noted that it was also an opportunity for Banner to be involved in the special project.“I wanted my kid to be in it, because it’s such a personal story. … It’s not just a movie for me,” Eisenberg told the outlet. “It’s really more of a touchstone and a kind of memory piece. And so I just wanted my kid to be in there, and they did such a great job.”Despite Banner’s work in the film, his reaction toA Real Paingetting selected for the Sundance Film Festival was underwhelming. Eisenberg told theSundance Institutethat he was in Home Depot with his son looking for paint swatches for his room when he received a call from Kim Yutani — the festival’s director of programming — with the news.“After I cried and thanked her 4,000 times like a mad man, we hung up and I tried to explain to my child what it all meant,” he said in November 2024. “They listened briefly and then said, ‘Great, can we go back to the swatches?’ Equal parts climactic and anticlimactic.”He takes after his mom’s personalityJesse Eisenberg and Anna Strout during the “Sarah Silverman: Jesus is Magic” premiere in New York City.Rob Loud/WireImageEisenberg spoke about how his movieWhen You Finish Saving the Worldmade him think about his own relationship with his sonduring a January 2023 appearance on theTodayshow.TheAdventurelandstar shared that he was “both terrified for my child having any autonomy whatsoever, and I’m also so thankful when he exhibits different personality traits than me.“He continued, “I married an amazing woman, I’m praying just be like her, just be like her, please just be everything like her.”Things have worked out in Eisenberg’s favor so far, with the actor adding, “And for the most part, he’s heading in that direction, which is the superior choice.“He’s changed his dad’s perspective on his careerJesse Eisenberg attends the Palm Springs International Film Festival Film Awards on January 3, 2025 in Palm Springs, California.Kevin Winter/GettyShortly after welcoming his son, Eisenberg spoke about being a father at the 2018 Toronto International Film Festival and how it altered his view on his career.The Squid and the Whalealum shared that it helped him appreciate his work while making him feel more at ease.“I don’t think I care any less about my work, or like it any less — in some ways I like it more, because it’s my one opportunity to get away for a few minutes!” he explained, perThe Guardian.Eisenberg continued, “But I do think if humans have the unconscious desire at all to be immortal, maybe that feeling of immortality is being accounted for in another way through their children, rather than through their work, so maybe it takes the pressure off that.”

Jesse Eisenberg’s son, Banner, has had a profound impact on him.

TheNow You See Mestar andhis wife, Anna Stroutinitially met on the movie set ofThe Emperor’s Clubin 2001, where she served as an assistant to the film producer, and Eisenberg starred as Louis Masoudi.

Though the couple briefly split after about a decade together, they rekindled their romance in 2015 and wed two years later in 2017. Eisenberg and Strout welcomed their first child together that same year.

While Eisenberg seldom speaks about his personal life, hereflected on how parenthood has changed himduring an interview with PEOPLE at the March 2024 premiere of his filmSasquatch Sunsetat SXSW. Notably, the actor-turned-director opened up about how Banner’s arrival helped him managehis anxietybetter.

“My general feeling is I spent the first … 33 years of my life worrying about myself,” he said. “[Now I worry] about another person. And I know it sounds like a self-serving excuse, but it’s made me a lot happier.”

From the different places he has lived and traveled to making his movie debut, here’s everything to know about Jesse Eisenberg’s son, Banner.

He was born in 2017

Jesse Eisenberg and Anna Strout pose at the Independent Spirit Awards After Party on March 4, 2005 in Santa Monica, California.Frazer Harrison/Getty

Fifteen years after Eisenberg and Strout began dating, theywelcomed their son, Banner, in 2017.

The pair have not yet revealed Banner’s birthday, but the parents were spotted with him in March of that yearin Washington, D.C.and a few months later,in New York City.

He has lived in New York and Indiana

Jesse Eisenberg attends a screening of “A Real Pain” at The Meryl Streep Center for Performing Artists on December 4, 2024 in Los Angeles, California.Michael Tullberg/Getty

Michael Tullberg/Getty

Eisenberg was born in the Queens borough of N.Y.C. and raised in East Brunswick, N.J., while Strout grew up in Bloomington, Ind.

Now, they split their time between New York and Bloomington. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the actor, along with his wife and son, moved to the Midwest.

He toldIndianapolis Monthlyin August 2020 that he spent his time in Indiana with his son “talking about the different sounds that car horns make or trying to teach him how to trace squares.”

Eisenberg and his family also have a home in N.Y.C. Speaking toVanity Fairin November 2024, he shared that his wife is a public school teacher in the Big Apple.

He spent his early life traveling

Jesse Eisenberg attends the Telluride Film Festival on August 30, 2024 in Telluride, Colorado.Vivien Killilea/Getty

Vivien Killilea/Getty

Banner is no stranger to being on the road.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, Eisenberg and Strout embarked on a 10-day journey in an RV from California to Indiana with their son, according to an April 2020 interview withThe Hollywood Reporter.

At the time, theZombielandstar said that he and his family had “driven cross-country a lot,” but the RV was a new addition to avoid hotel stays.

As for how it was traveling with his then-3-year-old son, Eisenberg explained, “Because of my job and my wife’s work — she works at different nonprofits and teaches in New York City at a nonprofit — he spent the first few years of his life traveling.”

“Whether or not he is adapting to our crazy lives or we just happened to get a kid who is comfortable with it, he has never been happier,” the actor added. “He loves being on the road; it’s interesting to him. AndPeppa Pigdrives in a camper van, so he feels like he is in aPeppa Pigepisode.”

He appeared in Eisenberg’s movieA Real Pain

Jesse Eisenberg’s son Banner in the film ‘A Real Pain’ (2024).Searchlight Pictures

Searchlight Pictures

While Banner may still be a child, he’s already made his silver screen debut.

In January 2025, Eisenberg confirmed to theInternational Center for MultiGenerational Legacies of Traumathat Banner played his character David’s son Abe inA Real Pain,also starringKieran Culkin.

He explained that casting his child for the part made the process easier for everyone but noted that it was also an opportunity for Banner to be involved in the special project.

“I wanted my kid to be in it, because it’s such a personal story. … It’s not just a movie for me,” Eisenberg told the outlet. “It’s really more of a touchstone and a kind of memory piece. And so I just wanted my kid to be in there, and they did such a great job.”

Despite Banner’s work in the film, his reaction toA Real Paingetting selected for the Sundance Film Festival was underwhelming. Eisenberg told theSundance Institutethat he was in Home Depot with his son looking for paint swatches for his room when he received a call from Kim Yutani — the festival’s director of programming — with the news.

“After I cried and thanked her 4,000 times like a mad man, we hung up and I tried to explain to my child what it all meant,” he said in November 2024. “They listened briefly and then said, ‘Great, can we go back to the swatches?’ Equal parts climactic and anticlimactic.”

He takes after his mom’s personality

Jesse Eisenberg and Anna Strout during the “Sarah Silverman: Jesus is Magic” premiere in New York City.Rob Loud/WireImage

Rob Loud/WireImage

Eisenberg spoke about how his movieWhen You Finish Saving the Worldmade him think about his own relationship with his sonduring a January 2023 appearance on theTodayshow.

TheAdventurelandstar shared that he was “both terrified for my child having any autonomy whatsoever, and I’m also so thankful when he exhibits different personality traits than me.”

He continued, “I married an amazing woman, I’m praying just be like her, just be like her, please just be everything like her.”

Things have worked out in Eisenberg’s favor so far, with the actor adding, “And for the most part, he’s heading in that direction, which is the superior choice.”

He’s changed his dad’s perspective on his career

Jesse Eisenberg attends the Palm Springs International Film Festival Film Awards on January 3, 2025 in Palm Springs, California.Kevin Winter/Getty

Kevin Winter/Getty

Shortly after welcoming his son, Eisenberg spoke about being a father at the 2018 Toronto International Film Festival and how it altered his view on his career.

The Squid and the Whalealum shared that it helped him appreciate his work while making him feel more at ease.

“I don’t think I care any less about my work, or like it any less — in some ways I like it more, because it’s my one opportunity to get away for a few minutes!” he explained, perThe Guardian.

Eisenberg continued, “But I do think if humans have the unconscious desire at all to be immortal, maybe that feeling of immortality is being accounted for in another way through their children, rather than through their work, so maybe it takes the pressure off that.”

source: people.com