A simple Facebook post allowed me to attend one of the most interesting events in Jersey City. I was so excited to be able to see Jesse Eisenberg at my alma mater, New Jersey City University. The best part about it was it was absolutely free and open to the public!

Jesse Eisenberg is just one of the three celebrities speaking at NJCU as part of The National Society of Leadership and Success lecture series, along with Al Roker and John Leguizamo. Eisenberg spoke on the release of his new book, Bream Gives Me Hiccups, a humorous collection of short stories and life lessons. In the Margaret Williams Theater, an audience full of students listened to a Q&A session with “The Social Network” actor about his success as an actor and a writer.

Eisenberg grew up in East Brunswick and studied anthropology in New York City before stepping his foot into motion pictures. Eisenberg expressed his fear of public speaking, or stage fright, as evident with his rapid hand movements. However, he has learned that being nervous is actually helpful to his career. An important lesson Eisenberg hoped to resonate with students at NJCU is to never stop worrying about your work. If one becomes too comfortable with their efforts, they will not produce their best work. For Eisenberg, being nervous before going on stage means that he is worrying about doing a good job, no matter how many times he’s stood in front of an audience. If one is nervous about producing their best work, it will push them to work that much harder to do the best they can.

During the Q&A session, a student asked Eisenberg for advice for prospective actors who have a “backup plan” in fear that being an actor won’t prove to be financially viable. Eisenberg focused on the opportunities that having a backup plan can bring to your front plan. For example, Eisenberg studied anthropology, the study of different cultures, as a backup plan to his acting career. What he found is that his backup plan proved to actually improve his acting career, as one of the most important aspects of acting is to interact with people from different countries. This has helped him understand the characters he plays and the people he works with.

When interacting with other people, Eisenberg also wanted to let his audience know how important is it to be nice than to be right. There is no sense to judge other people because everyone has gone through the struggle, and for that reason we should all try to help each other.

In his writing, Eisenberg uses honesty as a way to relate to his audience. “I’d rather read an honest piece of writing that to read a description of a sunset.” He uses this concept in relation to the characters he portrays, including Lex Luther in the upcoming movie, “Batman vs. Superman: Dawn of Justice.”

At the end of the Q&A session via live streaming, Twitter, and the audience, fans were able to purchase Bream Gives Me Hiccups signed by Eisenberg and take a photo. The line was out the door of the theater as people anxiously waited, included myself, to interact with the actor. As my boyfriend and I went on stage, the two of them spoke football with each other as Eisenberg noticed the Giants shirt my boyfriend was wearing. Typical men talk! We took a quick selfie before we got yelled at and looked over his book.

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John Leguizamo was the last leader who spoke at New Jersey City University to speak of the release of his graphic novel, Ghetto Klown, an autobiography in the setting of Queens, NY.