Jesse Eisenberg Reveals How a ‘Batman v Superman’ Razzie Affected His Career

Few awards carry as much baggage as a Razzie. The Golden Raspberries are intended as a tongue-in-cheek roast of Hollywood’s worst, but for those who take home a trophy, the joke can linger long after the ceremony. Jesse Eisenberg recently shared how that lingering effect has impacted his career.

Eisenberg portrayed Lex Luthor in Zack Snyder’s 2016 blockbuster ‘Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice,’ alongside Ben Affleck’s Batman and Henry Cavill’s Superman. His twitchy, fast-talking interpretation of the villain divided audiences and earned him the Razzie for Worst Supporting Actor. The film itself opened to $424.1 million globally and collected four Razzies in total, including Worst Screenplay, Worst Sequel, and Worst Screen Combo for Cavill and Affleck.

During a BFI London Film Festival screen talk on Sunday, October 18, Eisenberg discussed the significance of that award for his career. According to Variety, the 43-year-old actor expressed that he “couldn’t get into movie studio parts anymore” after winning it, and he was already envisioning the trajectory of his career. His comments about the studio shutout have quickly become a hot topic at the festival.

Eisenberg’s remarks were not bitter. He framed his career pivot as driven by anxiety rather than resentment, stating that “a lot of it just came from fear.” He described acting as an industry with no safe middle ground.

“If you’re an actor, you’re constantly panicked about ‘Am I on an upslope or a downslope?’” he said, noting that there is no plateau. In his view, you are either running up the treadmill or you are yesterday’s news. As a self-described paranoid person, he claims he can spot a decline early.

His solution was to take control of his own work. “So I was like, I’ve got to direct movies,” he shared. “That’s why I started writing them, just to kind of keep my career afloat, really.”

The most pointed part of the conversation centered on the lesson he learned from the experience. “The industry tells you what they want from you,” Eisenberg remarked. “The industry did not want me to be in a superhero movie, and if you’re smart and self-aware, you learn that quickly.”

He interpreted the Razzie as a clear message rather than a mere joke. His takeaway was that he should avoid starring in any more superhero films. The reported remarks suggest he views the award as a signal from the industry rather than just a trophy for a single performance.

Eisenberg had previously stated that the film’s poor reception harmed his career. What’s new is how directly he connects that fallout to his decision to move behind the camera. For years, fans have debated whether his Lex Luthor was misunderstood or simply miscast, and he seems to have made peace with that discussion.

Eisenberg’s pivot has clearly paid off. His second film as writer and director, ‘A Real Pain,’ premiered in 2024 and became an awards-season favorite. Eisenberg received an Oscar nomination for Best Original Screenplay, while co-star Kieran Culkin won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor.

His latest directorial project, ‘The Debut,’ closed this year’s London Film Festival on the same Sunday as his talk. Eisenberg wrote, directed, and stars in the film, which also features Julianne Moore and Paul Giamatti. It marks a significant departure from the studio roles he claims have dried up.

Eisenberg has also been selective about revisiting past characters. He declined the opportunity to reprise Mark Zuckerberg in Aaron Sorkin’s ‘The Social Reckoning,’ the sequel to ‘The Social Network,’ for which he earned an Oscar nomination. Jeremy Strong now plays Zuckerberg in the new film, and Eisenberg has expressed confidence that Strong will excel in the role.

The DC universe has also moved on. Nicholas Hoult is now portraying Lex Luthor in James Gunn’s ‘Superman,’ leaving Eisenberg’s version as a polarizing chapter in the franchise’s history. He did return for a brief scene in ‘Justice League,’ but that was the extent of his involvement.

Reflecting on his journey, Eisenberg’s story serves as a reminder of how much a single piece of Hollywood noise can influence a career, even one as accomplished as his. While he may have lost the studio parts, he has gained a new creative identity.

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