'Batman v Superman' Movie 2016: Why Jesse Eisenberg Is Channeling 'Anger' To Play Lex Luthor
Jesse Eisenberg is channeling his own anger to play the role of Lex Luthor Jr. in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice.
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Eisenberg recently spoke on The Diane Rehm Show about a variety of topics, including how he got into the character of Lex Luthor Jr., a young businessman who takes Superman (Henry Cavill) to task in the film.
While Lex Luthor has been portrayed a handful of times on the big screen, most notably by Gene Hackman in the '70s and '80s, he wanted to provide his own take using his own emotions.
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"I've always noticed the best thing to channel, as an actor, is yourself. To figure out what makes you angry, what makes you feel vengeful or righteous. Those are the feelings that Lex Luthor has," Eisenberg explained. "And use that as opposed to kind of watching Gene Hackman, who's a great actor obviously and played that part originally, and think, 'How can I kind of mirror that?'"
"Because the truth is, me mirroring him would just come off weird. We have different faces, different life experiences, different emotions, but what I do have - that I have more than anybody - is my own feelings, and so I use those, and then the character seems not only real, but emotional and just. He believes he's the hero of his own story - is the kind of the actor cliche - when you're playing the villain, you're the hero of your own story. That's the kind of most interesting way for me as an actor, and I think, for an audience to appreciate as well."
Eisenberg previously spoke about his take on the Superman villain as "not [some] silly, villainous character," noting that he has an "emotional core" that will be present in the film.
Batman v Superman also stars Ben Affleck as Batman, Gal Gadot as Wonder Woman/Diana Prince, Amy Adams as Lois Lane, Laurence Fishburne as Perry White, Diane Lane as Martha Kent and Jeremy Irons as Alfred Pennyworth.
Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice is scheduled for release in theaters on March 25, 2016.
