During Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice's 150+ day shoot, Lex Luthor actor Jesse Eisenberg actually had a large chunk of downtime in the middle of the shoot, allowing him to film a small, independent film with director Joachim Trier. In describing the two films to Entertainment Weekly, Eisenberg stated that the nuances and sensibilities of acting in a small-family drama were quite similar to his turn in Zack Snyder's epic blockbuster. Said Eisenberg---
"I had a month and a half off for Batman. I mean, the Batman shoot was something like 150 days, maybe more, I don’t know. So all of the actors had chunks of time off. … The movies couldn’t be any more different, in terms of how they’re presented to an audience, in terms of how many people will probably see them, in terms of the visual style. And yet my job doesn’t really change that much. Especially with my part in the Superman movie, my character has a lot of longer dialogue scenes and emotional transitions, and so that kind of stuff is very similar, even in a very different-looking movie like Louder Than Bombs. … And I think that usually, an actor on an independent movie is playing a really interesting character that wouldn’t necessarily exist in the kind of bigger budget movie world. But that just wasn’t the case for me because the character in the Superman movie is just so interesting and full of all the contradictions that you look for when you do an independent movie. So it kind of seemed similar to me."
Eisenberg further dished on his take on Lex, adding that the tech conglomerate CEO is as real as a film character can get, despite existing in a film where an alien savior protects the globe.
"When I read the script, I thought, this character is rendered so incredibly well that I just have to do what I know I do well, and it will be a great character because the character is full of interesting, contradictory, realistic elements that make a character wonderful. And as an actor, those are the most comfortable and convenient characters to play. The difficult characters to play are the ones where it doesn’t seem like the character has been rendered realistically or with human feelings behind them. That wasn’t the case with this character. He has a kind of charming public persona, and then a deeply private rage. And this is not only interesting as an actor to play, but I would say more realistic to how extroverted people like this, who are kind of leaders of big organizations, probably feel. You have to kind of put on a public front that appears genial and appears accessible, but you’re likely — if you’re very ambitious — harboring feelings of competitiveness, envy, and all these other things we try to avoid in public. So stuff like that was very interesting as an actor to explore. And then kind of coloring in that framework is somebody who’s also very clever and funny and emotional and vengeful."
Eisenberg's description of Lex as someone with a "charming public persona, and then a deeply private rage" almost sounds as if he's playing Batman. What do you think are the odds that like Ben Affleck's Bruce Wayne, Eisenberg's Lex Luthor actually has his own exo-skeleton suit that he uses to battle Superman. Lex's power suit is something that's never been depicted in a live-action film and would certainly allow Eisenberg to take the character in a different direction from previous iterations.
"Following his titanic struggle against General Zod, Metropolis has been razed to the ground and Superman is the most controversial figure in the world. While for many he is still an emblem of hope, a growing number of people consider him a threat to humanity, seeking justice for the chaos he has brought to Earth.
As far as Bruce Wayne is concerned, Superman is clearly a danger to society. He fears for the future of the world with such a reckless power left ungoverned, and so he dons his mask and cape to right Superman’s wrongs. The rivalry between them is furious, fueled by bitterness and vengeance, and nothing can dissuade them from waging this war. However, a dark new threat arises in the form of a third man: one who has a power greater than either of them to endanger the world and cause total destruction.
The superhero stand-off that the world has been waiting for is finally arriving in cinemas, with an all-star cast bringing to life the characters we all love. Zack Snyder (300) returns as director following the huge success of 2013’s Man of Steel, along with Henry Cavill (The Man from U.N.C.L.E.) in the role of Superman. Also starring Ben Affleck (Gone Girl) as Batman, Amy Adams (American Hustle) as Lois Lane, and Gal Gadot (Fast & Furious 7) as Wonder Woman, Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice is an explosive, action-packed blockbuster that is sure to thrill DC fans everywhere.”