Jeremy Strong Says He Reached Out to Mark Zuckerberg After Being Cast as Him in ‘The Social Reckoning’ — and He Responded

Jeremy Strong is speaking out on portraying Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg in Aaron Sorkin‘s forthcoming film, The Social Reckoning.

In a new GQ cover story, Strong revealed that he reached out to Zuckerberg after he landed the role. Sorkin’s follow-up to the 2010 Oscar-winning The Social Network, in which Jesse Eisenberg played Zuckerberg, sees Strong take over the part. Strong recalled telling Sorkin, “If Jesse Eisenberg doesn’t do it, call me.”

“It’s the kind of role that fascinates me,” Strong said of succeeding the part. “It’s like Sebastian [Stan] playing Trump. You are wearing the cape. It’s like Jeremy [Allen White] playing Bruce [Springsteen]. It’s like, the perils of that could not be greater. To commit to it, and to be free within it, is a great challenge.”

The Succession star added, “I know that he is a reviled person and not a popular person in our culture, but I do not think you should have an actor playing him who wants to set out to condemn him.”

When Strong joined the project, he contacted Zuckerberg. “I wrote to him — I’m probably going to give Sony an aneurysm — I sent him an email. Just to say that I take this responsibility very seriously, and the veracity of it seriously, and I’m approaching it with respect,” he said.