Jesse Eisenberg says he "couldn't get into studio movie parts" because he won a Worst Supporting Actor Razzie for playing Lex Luthor in Batman v. Superman.
The Social Network star elaborated on what has become one of his most divisive roles when speaking at the BFI London Film Festival (via Variety). He recalled how his time as a long-haired Lex made landing acting roles more challenging, specifically calling attention to how his Golden Raspberry Award win played a part during a difficult time in his career.
"Listen, a lot of it just came from fear," he said when describing his shift away from studio roles. "I couldn’t get into movie studio parts anymore because I had won a Raspberry Award from [being in the] Batman movie … and I saw the trajectory."
Although the polarizing Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice does have its fair share of fans, Eisenberg's more eccentric performance as the Superman villain has remained one of its most controversial elements in the decade since its premiere. His acting was so…memorable that he walked away from the part with a Razzie for Worst Supporting Actor.
Winning at the Golden Raspberry Awards, which recognize the worst components in movies each year, isn't usually treated as an honor. No one wants to be told they are the "worst" at anything, and having that Razzie label attached to your name can sometimes even secure a person's place in the hall of filmmaking infamy.
Eisenberg said that's what his experience was after earning a Razzie for Batman v. Superman, and it's why movie fans didn't see him in as many big films in the years that followed. Instead, he learned to pivot to start writing and directing movies. Two projects to come out of that switch-up are 2024's A Real Pain and The Debut, which will premiere this December.
"If you’re an actor, you’re constantly panicked about 'Am I on an upslope or a downslope?'" he said. "Because there’s no plateau. Acting is just this unstable, awful industry where you are either on the treadmill and you’re doing okay and you’re running up or you are yesterday’s news and it’s awful. And if you’re a paranoid person like me, you see it way in advance."
Eisenberg continued: "The industry tells you what they want from you. The industry did not want me to be in a superhero movie, and if you’re smart and self-aware, you learn that quickly. And you know, it's the unsuccessful actor that goes 'No, I want to be in more of those.' It’s not going to happen and they don't want you there and they wouldn't have given you a Raspberry Award if they wanted you there. That's an award for bad acting. And so the industry tells you what it wants and if you want a career in the arts you have to follow the things that you’re being told are liked."
Although the ex-Lex Luthor actor, who went on to reprise his role in Justice League, has found his footing in the years since his time in the DCEU, Batman v. Superman still has watchers split all these years later. IGN gave the film 6.8/10 review, saying, "BvS is carried by a brutal Batfleck, but as a whole it offers more philosophical drama than superhero escapism."