Jeremy Strong Reached Out to Mark Zuckerberg After Playing Him in ‘Social Reckoning’ – Despite Calling Him “Reviled”

Jeremy Strong went much deeper than most actors would when preparing to play Mark Zuckerberg in Aaron Sorkin’s upcoming movie The Social Reckoning.

In a new cover story for GQ, Strong explained why he wanted the role and why he felt it was important to approach Zuckerberg without judging him before stepping into the character.

Strong takes over the role from Jesse Eisenberg, who played Zuckerberg in 2010’s The Social Network. Eisenberg was reportedly offered the chance to return but turned it down, saying he no longer wanted to be connected with the Facebook co-founder.

Strong, however, saw the role as a major acting challenge. He had already told Sorkin that he was interested if Eisenberg did not return.

“It’s the kind of role that fascinates me,” Strong told GQ. “It’s like Sebastian [Stan] playing Trump. You are wearing the cape. It’s like Jeremy [Allen White] playing Bruce [Springsteen].” He also admitted that playing someone as controversial as Zuckerberg comes with plenty of risks.

“Listen, I know that he is a reviled person and not a popular person in our culture, but I do not think you should have an actor playing him who wants to set out to condemn him,” Strong said.

Once he got the part, Strong decided to contact Zuckerberg himself. The actor sent him an email explaining that he wanted to treat the role seriously and accurately. Zuckerberg replied, although Strong did not reveal what the tech billionaire said.

“I wrote to him — I’m probably going to give Sony an aneurysm — I sent him an email,” Strong told GQ. “Just to say that I take this responsibility very seriously, and the veracity of it seriously, and I’m approaching it with respect.”

Strong also went through an intense research process. According to GQ, he watched interviews, podcasts, technology conferences and footage of Zuckerberg testifying before Congress. He even created a Facebook account despite not normally using social media so he could study Zuckerberg’s posts and follow how his public image changed over the years.

The actor also stayed in character throughout production, something that has become closely linked with his acting process. That commitment even carried into his current project, The Boys from Brazil. Strong spent seven months speaking with a Polish accent while filming the movie. He reportedly kept using the accent when talking to friends and colleagues away from the set.

Aaron Sorkin recalled one particularly strange phone call with Strong. “He called me six or eight weeks ago, and without any introduction, he was just speaking as an Eastern European Nazi hunter, talking to me about the movie we had just made,” Sorkin told GQ.

Strong’s performance in The Social Reckoning has already sparked debate. After the movie’s first trailer arrived in June, some viewers predicted an Oscar nomination, while others joked that he could end up with a Razzie.

Strong actually welcomed the uncertainty. “I thought that was the greatest endorsement,” he said. “I’ll be sad if I win a Razzie, but that’s the place you want to be. That’s the wager you have to make.”

The Social Reckoning opens in theaters on October 9.

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