Jesse Eisenberg: 'I'm better in Holy Rollers than The Social Network'
Published Jul 4 2011, 12:19 BST | By Simon Reynolds
The actor told Digital Spy that the involvement of director David Fincher and screenwriter Aaron Sorkin suggested to him that the drama would succeed, although he admitted that he was taken aback by the accolades his performance as Facebook co-founder Zuckerberg received.
Eisenberg said: "I've never been in a movie that's received that kind of attention. I know that David Fincher and Aaron Sorkin have been involved in movies like that. I thought by virtue of my involvement it wouldn't receive that kind of attention. I was very surprised that it has done as well as it has."
He continued: "I felt in many ways, just personally, that I had done a better job in Holy Rollers. It feels strange, I think actors have this experience all the time where you've put the same amount of effort into a project and then one receives so much more attention than the other."
Watch Jesse Eisenberg talk Holy Rollers and The Social Network below:
Discussing Social Network director Fincher's notorious working methods, which sometimes call for dozens of takes for the same shot, the actor said that he appreciated being given the time to get his performance right.
Eisenberg explained: "The most frustrating part of working on a movie is preparing for it for three months and then getting two shots to do it, whereas working with someone like David Fincher - who likes to do a lot of takes - it feels like you have time to thoughtfully try everything you've prepared for.
"You know, when you work on a movie people are flying in from all over the world, people have built sets, rented out rooms, there's equipment and then it seems kind of like a waste to only get two takes of something."
Eisenberg appeared alongside the real Zuckerberg when he hosted Saturday Night Live in January. The pair's exchanges off screen were limited, he explained, adding that the man he portrayed in The Social Network was "sweet" and "generous" to him.
The 27-year-old said: "For the most part [the interaction with him] was limited to what was on screen. Our only interactions off screen were what we would do on screen. Nothing juicy unfortunately. Or not unfortunately - fortunately!
"He was so sweet; the fact that he agreed to come on the show and do something ridiculous with me is so generous. I'm so thankful that he agreed to do it."
Holy Rollers opens in UK cinemas this Friday.
> Holy Rollers review
> The Social Network review
> Jesse Eisenberg Holy Rollers interview
Watch the trailer for Jesse Eisenberg's Holy Rollers below:
Kesha: Although the second half of Holy Rollers lags, there is nothing wrong with Jesse' raw, vulnerable performance. You talk about his lack of range, but you also forget that he is still very young. In face, if he had one the Oscar, he would have been the youngest male recipient ever! In a very short time, Jesse has made some excellent films. Let's allow him to thrive and grow. Negative Criticism is never productive. Keep up the good work, Jesse! You are very much loved out her.
July 6th 2011 at 10:51am
This chaps face gets on my nerves. Is it because he looks like a young Alan Davies and needs a good slap!
July 5th 2011 at 3:16pm
An open letter to Jesse Eisenberg,
Holy Rollers was terrible and the story lacked any sort of direction and climax. In other words the nothing really happens in that movie so your performance didn't get any attention. Whereas The Social Network received nearly universal critical acclaim.
If your movie is bad, your performance tends to get overlooked, the critics, your studio and your fellow actors will not push for your nomination. Of course there are some bad movies with great performances that get attention like Javier Bardem in Biutiful and Michael Douglas in Wall Street. But these guys are Bardem, Inarritu, Douglas and Stone. Big business people.
Just because you consider it your best, doesn't mean it will project onscreen. As I've seen both movies, your performance in The Social Network tops your peyas in Holy Rollers any day. The same goes for most Oscar winning and nominated actors out there. They don't win or get nominated for what they think is their best. You've worked with Al Pacino, right? The next time you bump into him, ask him which performance of his he thought was better, Scent of a Woman or Dog Day Afternoon?
I'm a big movie and Oscar buff so this isn't the first time I've heard you complaining about this "I don't get why I'm getting so much attention" and "I don't feel like Zuckerberg is my best performance" crap from December to March. It's July now and 2010 awards season has been long done with. Nobody's talking about The Social Network or The King's Speech anymore. Can you please move on now like the rest and stop being so self-deprecating?
Maybe time for a new act? I'm sure you haven't heard of it since you keep on doing it. Everyone is questioning your range, hence your comparison to Michael Cera. I'm sorry to say this but you are Jesse Eisenberg in all your movies. We'd like you to pull a Robin Williams while your career is still fresh and going directions unless you want to fall into the Peter Lorre trap.
Sincerely,
Kesha Lee
July 5th 2011 at 8:18am
They should make a movie about Twitter called..........The CHEAP Social Network.
July 4th 2011 at 10:38pm
The Social Network is completely overrated.
July 4th 2011 at 6:51pm