Watch: Aaron Sorkin Compares Jeremy Strong, Jesse Eisenberg’s Mark Zuckerberg Portrayals
Aaron Sorkin believes there’s a new face of Facebook.
The director of The Social Reckoning shared how Jeremy Strong added to the character of Mark Zuckerberg after taking over for Jesse Eisenberg following The Social Network in 2010.
“It’s amazing,” Sorkin, who penned the Oscar-nominated movie, told E! News in an exclusive interview at the film’s New York premiere Oct. 4. “It’s a lesson how just difference nuances from an actor can change everything. You’re going to feel like this is the same guy, but as you said, it’s 20 years later, and the company is much, much different.”
Indeed, though Sorkin initially offered Eisenberg the opportunity to reprise his role, The West Wing creator believes Strong taking over the role highlighted just how much the Facebook founder has evolved.
As he put it, “This story puts him in a different position than he’s in The Social Network.”
Sorkin’s upcoming follow-up will detail the 2021 leak by Frances Haugen and Jeff Horwitz—played by Mikey Madison and Jeremy Allen White respectively—that revealed the harmful effects the website’s algorithm was having on its users.
And for the director, Strong brought Zuckerberg to life perfectly.
“In the midst of him being slightly robotic Mark, you see a lot of humanity,” Sorkin detailed. “When he says, ‘I know what people think of me, so does my wife, so will my kids,’ Jeremy’s great at letting moments like that land.”
Meanwhile, there are other real-life people getting portrayed on screen for the first time. Madison revealed how inspiring it felt to step into Haugen’s shoes as she became the Facebook whistleblower.
Sean Zanni/Getty Images for Sony Pictures Entertainment
“I certainly don’t know if I’ve ever been as strong and brave as she has been in her life,” the Oscar winner told E! “But I think that’s something really incredible to strive toward. The way that I see Frances is that she’s really striving to leave the world a better place than when she entered it and I think that’s something that I will hopefully do one day.”
The 27-year-old joked of her own world-changing impact, “It’s yet to come, but I’ll be trying.”
The Social Reckoning hits theaters Oct. 9. In the meantime, keep reading for more stars who have portrayed real people on screen…
—Reporting by Nikaline McCarley
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