Jesse Eisenberg was on The Diane Rehm Show promoting his book of short stories, “Bream Gives Me Hiccups.” The last caller on the show asked Eisenberg what his inspiration was for his portrayal of Lex Luthor in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice.
Eisenberg in all his awkwardness gave a real and honest answer and depending on his performance could prove creepy.
“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. 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,” said Eisenberg.
The interview is worth a listen as Eisenberg is relaxed during the show and gives un-guarded answers (The Diane Rehm Show).
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