After much hoopla, ZOMBIELAND finally hits screens this week. If you don’t know what it’s about at this point, you’re probably on the wrong site. Today we have an exclusive interview with star Jesse Eisenberg, who plays Columbus in the movie. The role is certainly a departure for the young actor, who’s best known for his work in indie hits like RODGER DODGER, SQUID AND THE WHALE and this summer’s breakout hit, ADVENTURELAND (no connection to ZOMBIELAND). Bloody-Disgusting caught up with Eisenberg in Santa Monica last week to discuss his zombie departure.

BLOODY-DISGUSTING: Good to talk to you again. The last time we spoke, you seemed a little unsure about being in a zombie movie.

JESSE EISENBERG: I remember the last time I spoke to you I was down on it and the entire film industry.

BD: Well, now that you’ve seen the movie, how have your impressions changed?

JE: I thought the movie was great. Now that I’ve seen it three times, I think it really avoids [all the cliches] we were talking about.

BD: There seem to be some undeniable similarities between you and Columbus.

JE: We both probably have some kind of form of obsessive compulsive disorder, but that’s what helps him survive in this world. But zombies are not really attacking me, so my obsessive compulsive disorder is probably just a real inconvenience.

BD: So if you were faced with the zombie apocalypse, do you think might have a similar rule book?

JE: Yeah, exactly. The only people that have survived are Woody, who’s this maniacal character, and then the girls, who are con artists who survived through their own savvy cons. My characters doesn’t have any of those skills so the most likely way for him to survive is to stick to a very strict rule book.

BD: You really have the most important role in ZOMBIELAND since you introduce the audience to the world and go through all the rules to bring them up to speed on what’s happening.

JE: I think that’s one of the most satisfying parts of the movie, these rules that come up on screen. It kind of makes you feel like you’re in on the inside joke somehow.

BD: You and Woody have this great kind of odd couple of the post-apocalypse dynamic. Tell me about first meeting up with Woody and developing that off-the-cuff chemistry.

JE: I had to audition for the movie several times and then my final audition was with Woody. I think they were trying to cast it with someone who had chemistry with him. We did a lot of improvisation and some of that made it in the movie. When you’re doing a lot of improvisation, it forces you to step into your character in a really fun way.

BD: What were some of the doubts you had when you were first approached for ZOMBIELAND?

JE: Woody and I had the same experience. We probably didn’t open the script for two weeks or so. I know for him it was, like, at the bottom of his pile. He’d had it for a while because, you know, just based on the title you don’t think a zombie movie could have the kind of characters that an actor wants to play - authentic, rich, multi-dimensional characters. We had that same experience, and then, on the first page we opened it and realized this is really good. The characters are richer than most independent dramas I read.

The final product even heightens it that much more. The movie actually feels genuinely touching without being patronizing. The characters actually feel authentic without falling into the stereotypes you might have in other genre movies. I was mainly hesitant about being in something that was commercially so accessible, but after seeing the movie I think there’s no moment in the movie that feels forced or not real. I can be as proud of it as a movie that’s not trying to appeal to such a wide audience.

BD: How much of that came from Ruben Fleischer’s direction versus Paul Wernick and Rhett Reese’s script?

JE: Their script was fantastic. I was frankly shocked that the movie company was going to make it. In the script there were even more flashbacks and cutaways. I guess the script started out as a television series and I think there are several incarnations of it. It was one of the most thoughtfully written scripts just in terms of every little detail being accounted for.

BD: Did you guys shoot much material that got cut and might end up on the DVD?

JE: Yeah, I think there must be stuff. There was a major character that was cut out. Woody and I, in our car, used the OnStar system. That was totally cut out and I feel it works probably better with out it. It was a really clever device that the writers used to help us find the girls, but the girls also had OnStar.

BD: What was your favorite zombie kill?

JE: My personal [favorite] kill in the movie is when we’re at the amusement park and we use the rides as weapons. I run past this ride that’s swinging back and forth and I let the ride take care of the zombies so that I don’t have to get my hands dirty.

BD: Do you have a favorite horror movie?

JE: I don’t know, the only movie I really remember being frightened from is SCHINDLER’S LIST. I couldn’t watch it. That was the scariest movie I’d ever seen. I guess that’s not a horror movie.

BD: I suppose that depends on your perspective of horror. We’ll count it.

ZOMBIELAND arrives in theaters everywhere this Friday, October 2.