Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg received an email from actor Jeremy Strong before filming began for The Social Reckoning, the upcoming movie in which Strong plays the Meta CEO. In a GQ cover story published on August 12, Jeremy Strong said he wanted Mark Zuckerberg to know that he was taking the role seriously and would portray him with respect. He said that Zuckerberg replied to the email, but Strong declined to reveal what the Meta chief wrote back. The film, written by Aaron Sorkin, follows the events surrounding the ‘Facebook Files’ investigation and is scheduled to release on October 9.
Jeremy Strong says he wrote to Mark Zuckerberg
Speaking to GQ, Strong said he personally reached out to Zuckerberg before production started. “I wrote to him—I’m probably going to give Sony an aneurysm—I sent him an email,” Strong said. He added that the message was meant to reassure Zuckerberg about his approach to the role.“Just to say that I take this responsibility very seriously, and the veracity of it seriously, and I’m approaching it with respect.”Strong confirmed that Zuckerberg replied to the email but chose not to share the contents of his response.
Jeremy Strong says he did not want to ‘condemn’ Mark Zuckerberg
Jeremy Strong said his goal was to understand Mark Zuckerberg’s point of view instead of judging him. “Listen, 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,” he said.He also described portraying the Meta CEO as a major responsibility. “It feels incredibly fraught to talk about the movie, to talk about Mark and being the person who is playing Mark and representing Mark in a sense to the world and to posterity; I feel an enormous sense of weight and responsibility.”Jeremy Strong added: “My job is to understand and defend his point of view and fight his fight.”
Jeremy Strong stayed away from Mark Zuckerberg while preparing
Although Mark Zuckerberg responded to his email, Jeremy Strong said he likely would not have accepted an invitation to spend time with him at Meta’s offices. According to the interview, he prefers researching his characters from a distance instead of closely observing the real people they portray.The actor, who is known for his method acting style, also stayed in character as Zuckerberg throughout filming. Bradley Cooper told GQ that he spoke with Strong several times while he remained in character.“I’ve talked to Mark Zuckerberg many times — I had a whole friendship with Mark Zuckerberg, and Mark Zuckerberg has no idea,” Cooper joked.
The Social Reckoning revisits the Facebook Files
The Social Reckoning is described as a companion piece to the 2010 film The Social Network. While Jesse Eisenberg played Mark Zuckerberg in the earlier movie, Strong portrays him during the late 2010s and 2020.The film focuses on The Wall Street Journal’s Facebook Files investigation and whistleblower Frances Haugen’s allegations about Facebook’s internal practices. Zuckerberg defended the company in 2021, saying claims that Facebook deliberately promoted content that made people angry for profit were “deeply illogical.” The Social Reckoning is scheduled to arrive in theatres on October 9.
