Jesse Eisenberg is cagey about why he won't reprise his role as Mark Zuckerberg in continuation of “The Social Network”.
Eisenberg rocketed to stardom playing the founder of Facebook in the 2010 Academy Award-winning film, but will not return for the sequel, losing his role to the upcoming film Social Calculus. Jeremy Strong.
When asked about reports that he declined to appear in the sequel during an appearance on TODAY on October 30, Eisenberg, who received an Oscar nomination for his role in The Social Network, referred to Craig Melvin's earlier comment that recent Louvre robbery was part of the promotion for Eisenberg's upcoming film Now You See Me: Now You Don't.
“You know, I was in Paris, I had some tools, and I decided there was a way to make a statement at the Louvre,” he joked.
“I see what you did there,” Craig chuckled.
“We both play chess,” Eisenberg continued with a grin.
“Your turn,” Craig said.
“Your turn? My turn? What do you get?” Eisenberg replied, causing Craig to laugh.
“Why did you refuse to continue?” asked Craig.
“For reasons that have nothing to do with how amazing this movie is going to be. Really, honestly. When you play a character, at some point you feel like maybe you've become something,” he said.
“You’ve outgrown it,” Craig interjected.
“Yeah, something. But it's a really great movie,” Eisenberg continued. “I'm friends with Aaron Sorkin, who wrote and directed this movie, and all the reasons I'm not in it have nothing to do with how brilliant it will be.”
Strong isn't counting on Eisenberg to help him prepare for the role of Zuckerberg. Earlier this month, The Hollywood Reporter asked him if he wanted spoke with Eisenberg about the part.
“No, I don’t think it has anything to do with what I’m going to do,” Strong said.
Strong, who previously directed Molly's Game and The Trial of the Chicago 7 with Aaron Sorkin, says he's excited to begin work on A Social Reckoning.
“This is one of the greatest scripts I've ever read. It speaks to our time, it touches on the third facet of everything that's happening in our world,” he said. “He's a great character – fascinating, complex – and I approach him with great care, empathy and objectivity. I've done two films with Aaron, and the third time is a charm.”
