Jeremy Strong emailed Mark Zuckerberg before portraying him in 'The Social Reckoning'
Los Angeles, August 12
Actor Jeremy Strong has revealed that he emailed Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg before portraying him in the upcoming film 'The Social Reckoning', saying he wanted to approach the role with respect and take the responsibility of depicting him seriously, according to People.
Strong, 47, discussed his preparation for the film and his collaboration with writer-director Aaron Sorkin in a cover story published on Wednesday.
'The Social Reckoning' is described as a companion piece to the 2010 film 'The Social Network', which starred Jesse Eisenberg as Zuckerberg. The new film follows Zuckerberg during the late 2010s and 2020, while then-Wall Street Journal reporter Jeff Horwitz, played by Jeremy Allen White, works with Facebook employee Frances Haugen, portrayed by Mikey Madison, to investigate the company's practices, according to People.
Speaking about his approach to portraying Zuckerberg, Strong said he wanted to find the humanity in the Meta CEO rather than simply condemn him.
"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, according to People.
He acknowledged the responsibility involved in portraying a real and highly controversial public figure.
"It feels incredibly fraught to talk about the movie, to talk about Mark and being the person who is playing Mark and representing Mark in a sense to the world and to posterity; I feel an enormous sense of weight and responsibility," he said, according to People.
"And listen, my job is to understand and defend his point of view and fight his fight," Strong added.
The actor revealed that he personally contacted Zuckerberg before filming began.
"I wrote to him, I'm probably going to give Sony an aneurysm, I sent him an email," Strong said. "Just to say that I take this responsibility very seriously, and the veracity of it seriously, and I'm approaching it with respect," according to People.
Strong confirmed that Zuckerberg replied to the email but declined to reveal what the Meta CEO told him.
The actor also said he probably would not have accepted an invitation to spend time with Zuckerberg at Meta's offices, explaining that he prefers to research his roles from a certain distance.
Strong's portrayal has already generated significant attention following the release of the film's trailer in June. A viral social media post suggested that his performance could earn him either an Academy Award or a Razzie Award.
Strong said he viewed the reaction as "the greatest endorsement" of his approach to the role.
"Because to me, it was like, listen, I'll be sad if I win a Razzie, but that's the place you want to be," he said. "That's the wager you have to make. To me, that means, 'Okay, I put it on the line enough.'"
The film is expected to focus on The Wall Street Journal's 2021 series of reports known collectively as "The Facebook Files". The reports alleged, among other things, that Facebook allowed some high-profile users to bypass its rules, downplayed research on the impact of Instagram on young teenagers, particularly girls, and made algorithmic changes that contributed to users becoming "angrier", according to People.
Zuckerberg defended Facebook following the reports and after former employee Haugen testified before a Senate Commerce subcommittee in October 2021. In an open letter published on Facebook at the time, he rejected the suggestion that the company would "deliberately push content that makes people angry for profit".
Strong, who is known for his Method acting approach, also remained in character as Zuckerberg throughout the production of the film.
Actor Bradley Cooper, a personal friend of Strong's, told GQ that he had several conversations with Strong while he was in character.
"I love it. I've talked to Mark Zuckerberg many times, I had a whole friendship with Mark Zuckerberg, and Mark Zuckerberg has no idea," Cooper said.
'The Social Reckoning' is scheduled to release in theatres on October 9, according to People.
— ANI
Reader Comments
I appreciate that he wants to find humanity in the character, rather than just villainizing him. We see so many one-dimensional portrayals of tech CEOs. As someone who works in IT here in Bengaluru, I know these people are complex. Can't wait to see how it turns out! 🎬
The Facebook Files reports were quite damning, especially the impact on teenage girls in India and elsewhere. While I appreciate the actor's respectful approach, I hope the film doesn't sugarcoat the harms caused. There's a fine line between understanding someone's perspective and excusing their actions.
It's refreshing to see an actor take such responsibility for a real person's portrayal. In Bollywood, we sometimes see very slapdash biopics. This method acting approach is a testament to the craft. And Bradley Cooper's story about having a "friendship" with Zuckerberg is hilarious! 😂
I understand the respect angle, but there's a bigger ethical question here. A film about Facebook's harmful effects shouldn't be too sympathetic to Zuckerberg. My concern is that this could become another "great man" narrative, which we see all too often in Hollywood. Let's wait for the actual release.
The comparison between The Social Network and this film is interesting. The first one was about the founding, this one is about the fallout. As an entrepreneur, I think Zuckerberg's story is a cautionary tale about scaling without considering consequences. Hope the film does justice to that narrative.
We welcome thoughtful discussions from our readers. Please keep comments respectful and on-topic.