Jesse Eisenberg first played Lex Luthor in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice and, from the very start, it was apparent we were getting a very different take on the iconic DC Comics villain. More Mark Zuckerberg than Doctor Doom, Eisenberg's nebbish portrayal of the character was extremely interesting, but not necessarily what comic book fans were looking for.
While not physically intimidating (there was no green armour, for starters), this Luthor was every bit the dastardly villain as his comic book counterpart, even forcing the Man of Steel to kneel before him at one point.
Eisenberg later reprised the role in Justice League, setting up the Injustice League in the theatrical cut and sending Deathstroke after Batman in the Snyder Cut. Had the originally planned sequels to that movie become a reality, Luthor would have played a key role in Darkseid's invasion of Earth.
Talking at the 28th Sarajevo Film Festival, the actor reflected on his DCEU experience. "I felt very personal about it. The writer, Chris Terrio, is a very serious writer, and he’s a very emotional person. He thought a lot about my character, and I thought a lot about my character too."
"I talked with my acting coach about the character a lot, about his backstory with his father and his emotional life - and then people hate me."
Later, Eisenberg would say that, "I’d be shocked if I wound up in a DC movie, but it would be a pleasant shock. Listen, I’m not a comic book fan. To me, it was not playing a role that I’d envisioned since childhood. To me, it was a chance to play this great character that this great writer wrote, and I loved doing that."
"So, to play it is a joy, and to not play it isn’t something that I’m going to be ashamed to tell my kids about, because that is not an important genre in my life, even though I loved doing that movie," he continued, adding that he hasn't shut the door on starring in another superhero movie should the right script come his way.
These comments are similar to what Eisenberg said to us last year, and you can check out that interview below: