Jesse Eisenberg discusses his upcoming turn as the DC Comics supervillain
We’re now less than three months away from the big screen release of Zack Snyder’s Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice. In a conversation today with The LA Times, Snyder and star Jesse Eisenberg have dropped a few teases about the much-anticipated DC Comics superhero showdown, including the fact that Eisenberg, who plays Lex Luthor, was originally contacted for a completely different role in the film!
“Let’s call it a secret,” Snyder confirmed with the outlet, “but nevertheless, it was the exact opposite of Lex Luthor.”
With Luthor, however, Jesse Eisenberg found a way to approach the iconic character in a way that differs greatly from the big-screen performances of Gene Hackman and Kevin Spacey.
“[Lex Luthor] has a back story that’s tragic and an emotional inner life that’s authentic,” says Jesse Eisenberg, “That’s in the movie. It was my interest in playing the character with a real emotional core, and this writer, Chris Terrio’s interest in creating a character that seemed viable in reality… To call him self-aggrandizing is to say that the Titanic was a sailboat. He is a narcissist of the first order but complicated in that way as well in that he is terribly troubled and competitive and vengeful. He looks at Superman not as somebody to destroy but as genuine threat to humanity.”
Jesse Eisenberg also hints that we’re going to see some very different looks for Luthor, especially when it comes to his hair.
“It’s the greatest scene that I’ve ever gotten to take part in,” he teases. “It accounts for the change in hair.”
Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice also stars Henry Cavill in the role of Clark Kent/Superman, Ben Affleck as Bruce Wayne/Batman, Gal Gadot as Diana Prince/Wonder Woman, with Amy Adams, Laurence Fishburne and Diane Lane returning from Man of Steel, joined by Jeremy Irons as Alfred, and Holly Hunter in a role newly created for the film. Jason Momoa will also be making an appearance as Aquaman with, apparently, even more surprises to come!
Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice is set to open worldwide on March 25, 2016.
