Batman v. Superman did no good to Jesse Eisenberg.
The actor is opening up about his portrayal of Lex Luthor in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice and how the film’s reception affected him both personally and professionally.
During the December 16 episode of the Armchair Expert podcast, the 41-year-old actor candidly shared his experience with the 2016 superhero film, which received mixed reviews despite grossing $874 million globally.
“I was in this Batman movie and the Batman movie was so poorly received, and I was so poorly received,” Eisenberg admitted.
The A Real Pain filmmaker revealed that the criticism surrounding his role had lasting consequences on his career.
“I’ve never said this before, and it’s kind of embarrassing to admit, but I genuinely think it actually hurt my career in a real way because I was poorly received in something so public,” he explained.
“In the industry, if you’re in a huge, huge movie and not seen as good, the people who are choosing who to put next in their movie are just not gonna select you.”
Eisenberg noted that while he had been part of other poorly received projects, they didn’t carry the same weight because they were less visible.
“I’ve been in poorly received things that just don’t see the light of day. For the most part, no one knows,” he said. “But this was so public.”
Reflecting on the role, Eisenberg also shared how the film’s reception personally affected him.
“I loved my role and I loved the movie, doing it and everything. So I feel just myself to blame,” he admitted.
“I’m not like they did me wrong. No. I’m like, ‘Oh, I guess I did something wrong there.’”
Describing the situation as “depressing,” Eisenberg remained reflective and acknowledged the challenges of handling criticism in such a widely viewed project.
