Jeremy Strong Speaks Publicly About Playing Mark Zuckerberg in The Social Reckoning
Jeremy Strong has spoken publicly for the first time about taking on the role of Mark Zuckerberg in Aaron Sorkin's forthcoming film The Social Reckoning, a follow-up to 2010's The Social Network, in a cover interview for the latest issue of GQ — the first published under the magazine's new global editorial director, Adam Baidawi (Variety).
The path to the part runs through Jesse Eisenberg, who played Zuckerberg in The Social Network and earned an Oscar nomination for it. Eisenberg declined Sorkin's offer to reprise the role, telling the writer-director he no longer "wants to be associated" with the Facebook co-founder, according to Variety. Strong, seizing an opportunity at an Oscars-season party, told Sorkin to call him if Eisenberg did not return.
Sorkin called. Strong accepted, and then did something most actors would not: he emailed Zuckerberg directly. The message told the Meta CEO that Strong takes the responsibility and its veracity seriously and is approaching it with respect. Zuckerberg wrote back. Strong did not disclose what he said (Variety).
The preparation was exhaustive. Strong absorbed podcasts, magazine interviews, tech-summit talks and ideas-festival conversations. He watched footage of Zuckerberg testifying before Congress. He signed up for a Facebook account and read Zuckerberg's posts from the beginning (Variety).
Once filming began, Strong stayed in character — speaking only as Mark Zuckerberg for the entirety of production, in keeping with his well-documented Method approach, the practice of living as the character rather than switching on between takes (Variety). Bradley Cooper, a friend of Strong's, told GQ that he had "a whole friendship with Mark Zuckerberg" and that the real Zuckerberg "has no idea" — referring to Strong's Method portrayal (Variety).
The commitment runs deep enough to shape the interview itself. Strong spoke throughout his GQ session in a Polish accent, because he is mid-production on another film: an adaptation of Ira Levin's 1976 novel The Boys from Brazil, in which he headlines as a globe-trotting Nazi hunter. He spent seven months speaking in that accent, on set and on the phone with friends alike (Variety).
Sony released the first trailer for The Social Reckoning in June, drawing polarising responses (Variety). A separate GQ story published last October had already signalled that Strong and co-star Jeremy Allen White were gearing up for an adversarial on-screen rapport in the film (GQ). GQ's cover story, written by Alex Pappademas with photography by David Luraschi, credits Strong's "now infamous artistic commitment" with making audiences love Succession's Kendall Roy and placing him in the prestige-TV firmament, and describes the Zuckerberg role as offering an "even bigger challenge" (GQ).
Strong did not give away what Zuckerberg wrote back. He did, at least, confirm that the conversation happened — which is more than most actors managing a living subject would dare.
