Batman v Superman: Jesse Eisenberg is Himself as Lex Luthor

After various interviews, including the now infamous Comic-Con debacle in which he describes fan culture as like ‘some sort of genocide’, Jesse Eisenberg is probably the least liked cast member of Batman v Superman.

The new cinematic Lex Luthor has admitted on several occasions that he doesn’t read comics and has implied that he doesn’t really respect the genre. So why was he cast in the most iconic DC villain role outside of the Joker? Well, it’s pretty obvious it’s due to his stoic and aloof portrayal of Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg.

In David Fincher’s The Social Network Zuckerberg is shown to be a sort of sociopath who has no problem stepping on the backs of others to achieve his goals. Much like Luthor. Eisnenberg was well suited for the part due to his real life aloofness, so DC and WB put 2 and 2 together.

In a recent interview on NPR’s The Diane Rehm Show Eisenberg talked about what he had to do to prepare for playing DC’s white collar megalomaniac.

"I’ve always noticed the best thing to channel, as an actor, is yourself. To figure out what makes you angry, what makes you feel vengeful or righteous. Those are the feelings that Lex Luthor has. And use that as opposed to kind of watching Gene Hackman, who’s a great actor obviously and played that part originally, and think, ‘How can I kind of mirror that?’Because the truth is, me mirroring him would just come off weird. We have different faces, different life experiences, different emotions, but what I do have – that I have more than anybody – is my own feelings, and so I use those, and then the character seems not only real, but emotional and just. He believes he’s the hero of his own story – is the kind of the actor cliche – when you’re playing the villain, you’re the hero of your own story. That’s the kind of most interesting way for me as an actor, and I think, for an audience to appreciate as well."

Well, that all seems to make sense and I can’t necessarily fault the logic behind the casting. Sadly, things don’t always come across the same way in practice as they do on paper.

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Now, with the reveal of the new BvS synopsis, we get an even stranger peek into what makes Eisenberg tick.

"At long last, see Batman and Superman square off against each other in ‘Batman V Superman: Dawn Of Justice’, an epic superhero showdown which will change both their lives forever. Clark Kent doesn’t trust Gotham’s mysterious masked vigilante. Bruce Wayne doesn’t trust the alien who nearly destroyed Metropolis. And Lex Luthor, who hates Superman more than anyone, is manipulating both of them for his own twisted ends. Choose your side: the Man of Steel or the Dark Knight? Learn the answer to the age-old question – who would win? – in ‘Batman V Superman: Dawn Of Justice’."

Via ComicBookMovie

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