The Academy award nominated actor Jesse Eisenberg who has recently returned from Tel Aviv said the situation in “Gaza is horrible”.

Eisenberg who was raised in a secular Jewish family was in Israel for a Hebrew staging of his play The Revisionist.

Going against U.S. State Department advice not to travel to the region, Eisenberg said he felt he was in “the safe parts of Israel.”

Speaking to The Green Room, the star of The Social Network and Now You See Me said he saw the rocket defence system used by Israeli authorities in action.

“It’s pretty incredible to see that in action, which I did.”

Asked if he visited Palestine, Eisenberg said he couldn’t because of the conflict.

“I didn’t go into any of the Palestinian areas because it’s not calm there now. I would very much like to visit during a quieter period which I hope occurs soon.”

Eisenberg plays a radical environmentalist in his new film Night Moves also starring Dakota Fanning and Peter Sarsgaard.

To prepare for the film, the New York born actor lived and worked on a farm which he said initially feels like “the most frustrating experience..but then feels increasingly like this is exactly how people should live.”

The actor who is a vegetarian and fosters cats said New York was the perfect place for a cat owner.

“Cats and New York are parallel personalities... Cats don’t care if you live or die ..and New York doesn’t seem to mind either.”

The actor is currently shooting the new Batman Versus Superman film starring Ben Affleck and Henry Cavill, with Eisenberg playing the role of Lex Luther.

Listen here for the full interview with Jesse Eisenberg on The Green Room with Orla Barry

Night Moves opens in Irish cinemas on August 29th 2014