Jesse Eisenberg isn’t a newcomer to the whole fame thing by any means, but even by the standards set over the years for the star of “The Social Network,” who has been acting in movies since 2002, the past month-plus has been a particularly crazy period.
That’s because the 32-year-old has become one of the faces of the most polarizing megahit in ages, “Batman v. Superman.” Everyone, it seems, has an opinion about his take on Lex Luthor.
amNY spoke with Eisenberg about his newest movie, “Louder Than Bombs,” an NYC-set drama opening Friday in which he plays a son coping with the facts of his mother’s death, “Batman v Superman” and more.
“Louder Than Bombs” looks at the city from the perspective of a Norwegian director, Joachim Trier. What was unique about his approach?
When I’ve worked here before, it’s been exclusively with people who grew up here, dreamed of making a movie here, doing a play here, and the locations they select are locations they’ve dreamed of using. … I remember my friend set a scene once in Joe’s Pizzeria near Bleecker. And for months, struggled to get the location. With this movie, this phenomenal Norwegian director had access to all this stuff and was probably totally unaware of the luck we have.
How else does working in a European-funded and crafted production change things for you?
Because it was produced by European resources and governments, we had a longer schedule than is typical for American productions. This shoot felt different by virtue of just having more time. … As actors, that allowed us to explore not just the first thing that comes to you mind when you think about grief, for example, but exploring a scene about grief from so many perspectives that the scene becomes about how we laugh in the face of a tragic moment.
That seems very different than how one would approach playing Lex Luthor.
If a movie like “Batman v Superman” is written well … then there is a level of theatricality that would be inappropriate in an intimate, kitchen sink drama. There is a level of theatricality that frankly reminds of doing plays, which is my background.
How much attention have you paid to the “Batman v Superman” reaction?
It’s very popular, so people are discussing it, obviously. I’m generally cocooned from all that stuff. My background is in theater, where it’s a total taboo to read anything about the play. … I’m obviously peripherally aware of discussions about the movie, but not directly aware.
