How His Razzie for Batman V Superman Changed Jesse Eisenberg’s Career

“The industry didn’t want me to star in a superhero movie…”

What if playing Lex Luthor had been a blessing in disguise for Jesse Eisenberg?

During a screening organized last weekend as part of the London Film Festival, the actor and director returned to this bitter experience, and the consequences it had on the rest of his career (via Variety).

Asked what inspired him to become a director, Eisenberg explained that the Razzie Award he received for his performance in Batman V Superman had marked a turning point. Every year, these anti-Oscars “reward” the worst in cinema, and that can hurt.

“Look, a lot of it is fear. I couldn’t get any more roles in studio films because I won a Raspberry Award for the Batman movie…and I saw the path ahead of me.“

While he was nominated for an Oscar for best actor for The Social Network a few years earlier, he suddenly felt like an outcast.

“When you’re an actor, you’re constantly panicking, wondering if you’re going up or down. Because there is no plateau. Being an actor means evolving in this unstable and horrible industry where you’re either on the treadmill, everything’s going well, you’re moving forward, or you’re overwhelmed and it’s horrible. And if you’re a paranoid person like me, you feel like you’re really out of control..”

“So I said to myself, I have to make films. That’s why I started writing them, just to keep my career afloat, really..”

Jesse Eisenberg therefore turned to roles in small indie films while switching to directing with When You Finish Saving the World (2022) and A Real Pain (2024). His third feature film, The Debutsees Julianne Moore play a New Jersey housewife who discovers a burning passion for theater after landing a role in a play. It will be released in cinemas in France on January 13, 2027.

“The industry tells you what it expects of you. The industry didn’t want me to star in a superhero movie, and if you’re smart and clear-headed, you figure that out quickly.“, concluded Eisenberg on this subject before evading a question on The Social Reckoning and his refusal to play Mark Zuckerberg again.