Jesse Eisenberg (A Real Pain, When You Finish Saving the World, The Social Network) told the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival (KVIFF) about social media and his thoughts on Facebook parent Meta Platforms chairman and CEO Mark Zuckerberg on Saturday.
Asked about playing Zuckerberg in The Social Network, Eisenberg recalled: “He wasn’t very well-known at the time, so the movie seemed like such a strange thing to make because no one really knew who he was. … He wasn’t in the public [eye] a lot, so it was more just an interesting character.”
Things have changed since then. “I thought of it like an interesting character, and then he’s become famous, and now I don’t want to do the movie because they’re doing a new movie,” Eisenberg said. “But I don’t want to be associated with him anymore, because I don’t really like the comparison.”
Concluded the creative: “I see that the person who created this website is not a person who cares about people. If this guy is the creator of this world, I don’t want to live in that world.”
The actor, writer and director made the comments during a KVIFF Talk, a popular feature of the festival that allows fans and others to listen to big names discuss their work and careers.
Eisenberg is not a social media user. “I talk about myself so much, it’s not healthy,” he explained. “I’m not on any of that stuff. All that stuff scares me so much – Facebook or social media, Twitter, whatever. Already, I feel humiliated to be in public talking about myself. It’s disgusting, so I’m not going to say, ‘Hey, I drank this water.’ All that stuff terrifies me.”
One of the final questions of his appearance saw a fan ask if Eisenberg has ever experienced anything that felt magical or that he couldn’t logically explain. “I took acid once,” he replied. “And I remember thinking, ‘I’m on the floor, and I can’t move.’ And I said to my friend, who was a more regular user of it: ‘Is this normal?’ And he said, ‘No, you should be able to move.’ And then also having a child,” Concluded Eisenberg: “I guess between taking the Acid and bringing life into this world and nurturing it through happiness and hard times are the two most special experiences of my life.”
Eisenberg’s KVIFF Talk capped off a busy day for him. In the late morning, he had received the fest’s President’s Award before a screening of The Double, directed by Richard Ayoade, in which Eisenberg plays the lead role.
The star is one of many big names in the spotlight during the double anniversary 60th edition in the 80th year of the Czech fest, which runs July 3-11.
During Friday’s opening night ceremony of KVIFF 2026, Dustin Hoffman (The Graduate, Kramer vs. Kramer, Rain Man) was honored with the fest’s Crystal Globe for Outstanding Artistic Contributions to World Cinema, while Maggie Gyllenhaal (The Bride!, The Lost Daughter, Secretary, The Honourable Woman) received its President’s Award. Harvey Keitel (Mean Streets, Taxi Driver, Reservoir Dogs) was also among the famous names walking the expanded red carpet of the festival in the Czech spa town.
Eisenberg’s upcoming film as a writer and director, The Debut, stars Julianne Moore and Paul Giamatti. Eisenberg also co-stars in and wrote the music and lyrics for the film’s musical-within-the-movie. The film will be released in the fall by A24.