Jesse Eisenberg's take on Lex Luthor in Batman V Superman: Dawn Of Justice was certainly a unique flavour. It came as a shock to many fans when the actor was cast as the iconic Superman villain, as he was a choice that was younger and more unorthodox than expected (rumours pointed to Bryan Cranston being approached for the role at the time). According to the actor in a new interview with Time Out London, he was just as surprised as fans were. "I'm kind of shocked any time somebody hires me and even more shocked any time somebody hires me to play a character like Lex Luthor, which I only knew from the public consciousness of him being a bald, brooding villain who is older than me."
Eisenberg isn't known for playing an overwhelming amount of villains onscreen, with Luthor being one of his biggest, but the actor said that he prefers villainous roles for the depth he's able to explore. "I play bad guys in movies if possible because I feel more sympathy for the guy who's tortured than the guy who is confident. That's why I'm probably going to do a third Now You See Me. I get to play this brash, arrogant magician, while in my life I'm a shy, quiet person and I grew up with no social life. It's a great outlet to play these characters."
Batman V Superman was eviscerated by critics upon its release, but Eisenberg maintains that he doesn't allow critical reception or criticism to bother him, and will often avoid reviews or watching his films in order to not burst the "bubble" he works in. "I view myself in the narrowest possible terms, but I don't watch anything I've been in and I don't read reviews or analysis of movies I've been in, or my plays. I have a very specific feeling about what I do. I really like thinking that you're working in this bubble and I can experience these personal emotions without thinking that it's going to be scrutinised by, in some cases, a lot of people, in some cases, a small group of people. To take that burden off yourself of thinking about how it's going to be perceived by other people or myself has kind of made me feel that much more comfortable."
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About The Author:
Matt is a graduate of the Ryerson University School of Journalism, and has been a fan of superheroes since he picked up his first comic book issue as a child. While he works as a professional musician, Matt has a massive passion for comic books, films and heroes, along with participating in discussion and debate with the CBM community.