Jesse Eisenberg Drawn to ‘Batman v Superman’ by the “Physiological Underpinning” of His Role

Jesse Eisenberg was drawn in by the “physiological underpinning” of Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice.

The 32-year-old star plays comic book villain Lex Luthor in the upcoming DC movie, a sequel to Zack Snyder’s Man of Steel. Eisenberg admits he was initially confused when approached about the role as he didn’t think it suited him, but he understood the logic once he read the script.

“It was written in a way I would say dovetails with my skills, it was written with a real physiological underpinning, it was written with a kind of humor that I knew I could do,” he told Empire magazine. “And with a dramatic intensity that I enjoy… He uses wordplay and clever allusions to other stories and other myths, but it never compromises what is scary about him. He is the guy who won’t sleep to get something done.”

Snyder was impressed with Eisenberg’s portrayal of Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg in The Social Network, and it was this part that made the director realize the actor’s potential in his upcoming project.

“Just from a pop-cultural view you can’t pretend the movie doesn’t exist,” Snyder pointed out. “Because he has played Mark Zuckerberg, Jesse represents a very contemporary sort of business model. In the sort of post-dotcom world where fortunes can be made from your basement, it is not hard to imagine Jesse-as-Lex being as powerful as he is.”

News of Eisenberg’s role broke in 2014, with the internet full of excitement over his casting. Despite the attention surrounding him, Eisenberg previously admitted he didn’t pay attention to the online comments.

“I was told there would be a reaction, but the great thing about the internet is you have to go looking,” he told Britain’s Shortlist magazine.

“Of course I don’t look for anything like that, because people are there to say mean things. If somebody wants to say something nice they’ll do it in person or forget about it. You learn very early on to not look. Unless you’re some kind of masochist.”