Jesse Eisenberg Was Warned Not to Meet Mark Zuckerberg: “Do Not Go There”

by

As a gamer, if I were Jesse Eisenberg, I’d have loved to have a chat with Mark Zuckerberg before I stepped into his shoes for the 2010 movie “The Social Network”. To fill that gap, I came up with a strategy.

Eisenberg reflected on the David Fincher film that marks its 15th anniversary, as part of a comprehensive conversation in the recent episode of The Hollywood Reporter’s Awards Chatter podcast, which was moderated by Scott Feinberg.

Prior to portraying Eisenberg as the tech magnate, he yearned for a chance to interact with Zuckerberg face-to-face before the shooting commenced, but the production team had not arranged anything. Therefore, the young actor of 25 decided to spontaneously drive to Menlo Park, California, and boldly march into Facebook headquarters to request a private meeting with Zuckerberg.

Eisenberg remembered he was on his way to meet someone since he had been informed by the producers that they wouldn’t be arranging a meeting for him. As he was driving, he intended to visit their office and thought they might let him in, given the film announcement that he was cast. He simply wanted to be near him, just to grasp the atmosphere. It felt like the least one could do for preparation before acting in a movie with a real person present.

Then The Social Network’s power producer called Eisenberg’s cell phone.

Scott Rudin phoned me and advised, ‘Stay away from that place,'” Eisenberg explained. “He was speaking as a representative of Sony’s legal team. He warned me, ‘It’s not possible due to numerous legal issues.’

During the podcast discussion, Feinberg brought up the topic of Zuckerberg’s recent contentious actions, such as replacing professional fact-checkers on Facebook with a community notes system similar to X, following a noticeable shift towards the right after Donald Trump’s reelection in 2020. It’s worth mentioning that Zuckerberg was one of the tech moguls who attended Trump’s second inauguration last week.

He stated, “I’m married to an exceptionally intelligent woman. My spouse is actively engaged in society and has established Disability Justice, a program dedicated to raising awareness, and she educates students in public schools within New York City. She dedicates her efforts towards assisting people. It baffles me when I encounter individuals with immense power who don’t utilize it for the betterment of others. I can’t fathom why someone wouldn’t simply donate half their wealth to a worthy cause? And what’s more puzzling is why they remove protections for marginalized groups from their platforms? To me, that’s incomprehensible. However, I would be the same person who, during a different era, might question the actions of the Rockefellers, asking myself, ‘What on earth are you doing?’

I’ve just been showered with praise from critics for my latest project, “A Real Pain”, a movie that follows the journey of two cousins as they visit Holocaust sites in Poland. Interestingly, this isn’t my first brush with Oscar glory – 14 years ago, I was nominated for an Academy Award for my portrayal of Zuckerberg in “The Social Network”. Now, my original screenplay for “A Real Pain” has earned an Oscar nomination this month.

Read More

2025-01-29 05:24