Home · Entertainment · Sep 20 archive
Aaron Sorkin Reveals Jeremy Strong's Intense Method Acting in 'The Social Reckoning
Confirmed
In Short: Writer-director Aaron Sorkin has revealed the intense method acting approach Jeremy Strong took for his role as Mark Zuckerberg in 'The Social Reckoning.
Writer-director Aaron Sorkin has revealed the intense method acting approach Jeremy Strong took for his role as Mark Zuckerberg in 'The Social Reckoning.
In an interview with The New York Times, Sorkin noted that Strong stayed in character as Zuckerberg throughout filming, even between takes.
Sorkin explained, 'Jeremy does a lot of his own work. He does a tremendous amount of work before he shows up on your set,' confirming that Strong's preparation was extensive.
According to Sorkin, Strong treated his co-stars the way he imagined Zuckerberg would treat people, maintaining a distance and not socializing with them.
You cannot argue with the results,' Sorkin said, praising Strong's performance as transformative.
The film, set to hit theaters on October 9, follows whistleblower Frances Haugen (played by Mikey Madison) and Wall Street Journal reporter Jeff Horwitz (Jeremy Allen White) as they expose Facebook's inner workings.
Sorkin told Deadline that Strong's portrayal was so convincing that it felt like 'replacing Joe DiMaggio with Mickey Mantle.
Bill Burr, Betty Gilpin, and Billy Magnussen also star in 'The Social Reckoning,' which is a follow-up to Sorkin's 2010 film 'The Social Network.
Sorkin noted that Strong's method acting approach was not surprising, as he had warned the cast in advance that Strong would likely not socialize or speak with them between takes.
Background
The Social Reckoning is an upcoming American legal thriller film written, co-produced, and directed by Aaron Sorkin. The sequel to The Social Network (2010), it dramatizes the 2021 Facebook leak by the whistleblower Frances Haugen and Jeff Horwitz.
What's confirmed
- “Jeremy does a lot of his own work. He does a tremendous amount of work before he shows up on your set,” he explained to NYT’s The Interview.
- “You cannot argue with the results.” Strong plays the Meta CEO in the follow-up to “The Social Network.” Jeremy Allen White, Mikey Madison, Bill Burr, Betty Gilpin and Billy Magnussen also star.
- Director Aaron Sorkin told The New York Times in the latest edition of The Interview that his “Social Reckoning” star Jeremy Strong, a known method actor, was treating his co-stars “the way he imagines” Mark Zuckerberg would treat them during filming.
- He is going to treat you the way he imagines Mark treats the people around him.’ And that’s what happened.
What's still developing
- The Social Reckoning writer/director was “not shocked” that Strong didn’t tell him about writing an email to Zuckerberg, confirming that the Oscar-nominated actor stayed in character as the Meta founder and CEO between takes.
- Aaron Sorkin 's new film The Social Reckoning hits theaters next month (Oct. 9), and since it skipped festivals, we're only just started to get a peek into what actually happens onscreen beyond what we've glimpsed in the trailers.
- In an interview released Saturday by the New York Times, the writer/director shared some tidbits about the much anticipated followup to the award-winning The Social Network, which was released in 2010.
- "Jeremy Strong, who blows the doors off the place playing this part, was constantly defending Mark to me," says Sorkin.
- Sorkin said Sony received letters from Meta, prompting the studio to hire an outside law firm to review every factual claim in the film.
- Method acting has produced some memorable behind-the-scenes stories, and Jeremy Strong just added another.
- “It’s my understanding that Sony did get letters from Meta, and I do not think those letters said: ‘We’re wishing you all the luck in the world. Send us some tickets for opening night,’” Sorkin said.
- Despite turbulence with the rollout of other tech dramas like the OpenAI expose “Artificial,” Sorkin explained there has been no such trouble with “The Social Reckoning.” He said that reps for Meta reached out asking for tickets to see the film.
- Strong, of course, plays the Meta CEO in the film.