Who doesn’t love a guy who can express his feelings? Take Jesse Eisenberg, who has no taboo topics, happily chatting about everything and anything, long sentences tumbling from his mouth. His body pulsates with nervous energy, his fingers constantly touching, which he explains is a product of his OCD. In comparison, his idol Woody Allen, who he worked with on To Rome With Love and the upcoming Café Society, seems positively laid-back.

His rapid speech, he says, is a result of growing up in a family of talkers. “It’s hard to get a word in edgeways, so if you don’t speak quickly, you won’t speak,” says the actor, who has two sisters, Hallie and Kerri. “It’s a survival thing; it’s not a talent. I didn’t talk until I was three and manthen I immediately started at this pace. I’m still making up for the first three years of silence.”

Eisenberg’s relationship with Australian actress Mia Wasikowska, who he met when they co-starred in The Double three years ago, seemed ideal. She, shy and quiet, and him, filling in the silence. He even accompanied her to our shores in 2014, concluding, “It’s the most beautiful place in the world. The only downside is that it’s so far away, so that’s why it hasn’t been overrun by people wanting to live there.”

The long-distance relationship has since cooled, and Eisenberg admits he’s uncomfortable about commitment. “When you’re with somebody in a relationship, in a way it’s your responsibility to make them happy all the time,” says the 32-year-old. “Luckily I have no real responsibilities inmy life, like children or a family that expects me to help them with anything. I’m a selfish person when it comes to that stuff.”