How Jeremy Strong, Jesse Eisenberg’s Mark Zuckerberg Portrayals Differ

Oct 05, 2026 - 22:11

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How Jeremy Strong, Jesse Eisenberg’s Mark Zuckerberg Portrayals Differ

Aaron Sorkin Compares Jeremy Strong, Jesse Eisenberg’s Mark Zuckerberg Portrayals

Aaron Sorkin believes there’s a new face of Facebook.

The director of The Social Reckoning shared how Jeremy Strong added to the character of Mark Zuckerberg after taking over for Jesse Eisenberg following The Social Network in 2010.

“It’s amazing,” Sorkin, who penned the Oscar-nominated movie, told E! News in an exclusive interview at the film’s New York premiere Oct. 4. “It’s a lesson how just difference nuances from an actor can change everything. You’re going to feel like this is the same guy, but as you said, it’s 20 years later, and the company is much, much different.”

Indeed, though Sorkin initially offered Eisenberg the opportunity to reprise his role, The West Wing creator believes Strong taking over the role highlighted just how much the Facebook founder has evolved.

As he put it, “This story puts him in a different position than he’s in The Social Network.”

Sorkin’s upcoming follow-up will detail the 2021 leak by Frances Haugen and Jeff Horwitz—played by Mikey Madison and Jeremy Allen White respectively—that revealed the harmful effects the website’s algorithm was having on its users.

And for the director, Strong brought Zuckerberg to life perfectly.

“In the midst of him being slightly robotic Mark, you see a lot of humanity,” Sorkin detailed. “When he says, ‘I know what people think of me, so does my wife, so will my kids,’ Jeremy’s great at letting moments like that land.”

Meanwhile, there are other real-life people getting portrayed on screen for the first time. Madison revealed how inspiring it felt to step into Haugen’s shoes as she became the Facebook whistleblower.

Sean Zanni/Getty Images for Sony Pictures Entertainment

“I certainly don’t know if I’ve ever been as strong and brave as she has been in her life,” the Oscar winner told E! “But I think that’s something really incredible to strive toward. The way that I see Frances is that she’s really striving to leave the world a better place than when she entered it and I think that’s something that I will hopefully do one day.”

The 27-year-old joked of her own world-changing impact, “It’s yet to come, but I’ll be trying.”

The Social Reckoning hits theaters Oct. 9. In the meantime, keep reading for more stars who have portrayed real people on screen…

—Reporting by Nikaline McCarley

Beth Dubber/Hulu; Michael Kovac/Getty Images for Vanity Fair

Amanda Seyfried as Elizabeth Holmes

The Mean Girls alum took on the role of the controversial Theranos founder in Hulu's The Dropout. Seyfried's performance won her an Emmy and a Golden Globe in 2022.

Gotham/GC Images / Fiona Adams/Redferns

Timothée Chalamet as Bob Dylan

The Wonka star was nominated for a Best Actor Oscar in 2015 for his performance as the legendary folk singer-songwriter in the biopic A Complete Unknown.

Hulu; Patrick Riviere/Getty Images

Lily James as Pamela Anderson

The English actress transformed into the Baywatch icon in the Hulu series Pam & Tommy.

Hulu; Robert Knight Archive/Redferns

Sebastian Stan as Tommy Lee

The actor dropped jaws after showing off his epic makeover as the Mötley Crüe rocker for the Hulu series Pam & Tommy.

Netflix; Philip Barr via ZUMA Wire

Christian Serratos as Selena Quintanilla

The actress portrayed the late Tejano star for the Netflix show Selena: The Series.

LIONSGATE/Getty Images

Charlize Theron as Megyn Kelly

The Oscar winner had fans doing a double-take in Bombshell, in which she played the Fox News alum who helped take down Roger Ailes' career after he was accused of sexual misconduct.

Hulu/Moviestore/Shutterstock; Everett/Shutterstock

Andra Day as Billie Holiday

The actress earned her first Golden Globe win in 2021 for her role as the iconic singer in the biopic The United States Vs. Billie Holiday.

Clubhouse Pictures/Kobal/Shutterstock; David Madison/Getty Images

Margot Robbie as Tonya Harding

The Australia native produced and starred in I, Tonya, a 2017 movie based on the disgraced figure skater's life.

Paramount Pictures/Shutterstock, Michael Putland/Getty Images

Taron Egerton as Elton John

In 2019's Rocketman, the British actor played one of the most iconic musicians in the history of rock 'n' roll.

Shutterstock

Jessica Lange as Joan Crawford

The Oscar winner stepped into the shoes of the late movie legend in Feud, Ryan Murphy's FX series about the making of What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?.

Shutterstock

Susan Sarandon as Bette Davis

The Thelma & Louise alum played the acting legend in Feud.

Jeff Kravitz/FilmMagic, Fred A. Sabine/NBC/NBCU Photo Bank via Getty Images

Jennifer Hudson as Aretha Franklin

The singer took on the Queen of Soul in 2021's Respect.

Focus Features/Kobal/Shutterstock; Michael Kovac/Getty Images

Felicity Jones as Ruth Bader Ginsburg

After Natalie Portman dropped out, the English actress stepped in to play the late Supreme Court Justice in On the Basis of Sex, a biopic directed by Mimi Leder.

HBO Films; Keystone Press Agency/ZUMA Wire

Anthony Mackie as Martin Luther King Jr.

The actor played the civil rights leader opposite Bryan Cranston as President Lyndon B. Johnson in HBO's All the Way.

Chelsea Lauren/Getty Images; Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images

Benedict Cumberbatch as Thomas Edison

The Oscar-nominated actor portrayed the famed inventor of the light bulb in Current War.

Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images; Sony Pictures Classics/Shutterstock

Tom Hiddleston as Hank Williams

The British actor starred as the late country singer in the 2015 film I Saw the Light.

Christian Simonpietri/Sygma/VCG via Getty Images; Jim Spellman/Getty Images

Johnny Flynn as David Bowie

The Lovesick star played the late rock legend in the 2020 biopic Stardust.

Miramax/Entertainment Pictures; /Tim Boyl/Getty Images

Parker Sawyers as Barack Obama

The actor played the former president in Southside With You, a romantic dramedy loosely based on Barack's first date with Michelle Obama back in 1989.

Olivier Douliery-Pool/Getty Images, © Get Lifted Film Company/Entertainment Pictures via ZUMA Press

Tika Sumpter as Michelle Obama

The actress starred as the former First Lady in Southside With You.

Getty Images, Shutterstock

Odette Annable as Trudy Cooper

"She was a groundbreaking woman, so ahead of her time," Annable told E! News of her Astronaut Wives Club character, who was an extremely skilled pilot in her own right. "It's such an honor to play her."

Shutterstock, ABC/VIVIAN ZINK

Kerry Washington as Anita Hill

The Scandal star took on the role of the aide who accused U.S. Supreme Court nominee Clarence Thomas of sexual assault in 1991 in HBO's biopic Confirmation.

Bachrach/Jason Merritt/Getty Images

Michael Keaton as Ray Kroc

The Oscar nominee starred in The Founder, a biopic about the founder of the McDonald's empire.

Jack Zeman/Lifetime 2014; Arista Records