Jeremy Strong reveals the email he sent Mark Zuckerberg before playing him in Social Network sequel

Inga ParkelThu, August 13, 2026 at 4:26 PM UTC

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Jeremy Strong has detailed the intense preparation he underwent to play Meta CEO and Facebook co-founder Mark Zuckerberg in Aaron Sorkin’s The Social Reckoning.

The follow-up to the Oscar-nominated drama The Social Network, premiering October 9, sees Strong take over the role of the tech billionaire from Jesse Eisenberg.

Before filming, the Succession star, 47, said he “wrote to [Zuckerberg].”

“I’m probably going to give Sony an aneurysm — I sent him an email,” Strong revealed to GQ in a new profile interview. “Just to say that I take this responsibility very seriously, and the veracity of it seriously, and I’m approaching it with respect.”

He noted that Zuckerberg replied, but avoided sharing his response. The award-winning actor shared that part of his deep dive into Zuckerberg included reading and listening to all of his interviews and summit presentations.

Jeremy Strong leads ‘The Social Reckoning’ as Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg (YouTube/Sony/Columbia)

Strong (left) said he emailed Zuckerberg (right) to assure him that he took the part ‘very seriously’ (Getty)

Strong even watched footage of the businessman’s testimony in front of Congress “until my eyes fell out of my head.” Zuckerberg has testified before Congress on multiple occasions, addressing concerns about data privacy breaches, the spread of misinformation, antitrust laws and child safety protection on social media platforms.

The Oscar-nominated Apprentice star emphasized, “I wanted to play Mark Zuckerberg.”

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The Social Reckoning is considered a companion piece to The Social Network (2010), directed by David Fincher and written by Sorkin. The critically acclaimed film chronicled the early years of Zuckerberg’s success and creation of Facebook.

Sorkin, who steps into the director’s seat on the new movie, initially spent days trying to convince Eisenberg to reprise his role in The Social Reckoning. Eisenberg ultimately declined, because he “simply did not want to be conflated with Mark Zuckerberg anymore” and “has his problems with the guy,” the West Wing creator said to Vanity Fair in June.

“He doesn’t like kids coming up to him in airports with business cards that say ‘I’m CEO, b****’ for him to sign,” Sorkin said.

Jesse Eisenberg (right) starred as Zuckerberg in 2010’s ‘The Social Network’ (Columbia)

Strong previously revealed that he has not spoken to Eisenberg about taking the role, explaining, “I think that has nothing to do with what I’m going to do.”

The Social Reckoningwill follow the legal consequences Facebook faced after former employee Frances Haugen leaked important documents and research showing that the company knew its platforms, like Instagram, harmed mental health and worsened body image issues in teens.

Alongside Strong, the movie features Oscar-winning Anora star Mikey Madison as Haugen, The Bear’s Jeremy Allen White as Wall Street Journal reporter Jeff Horowitz, who broke the bombshell investigation, as well as Billy Magnussen, Bill Burr and Betty Gilpin.

Teasing the film last year, Strong told The Hollywood Reporter, “It’s one of the great scripts I’ve ever read. It speaks to our time, it touches the third rail of everything happening in our world. It’s a great character — fascinating, complex — and I’m approaching it with great care and empathy and objectivity.”

The Social Reckoning is out in theaters October 9.

Original Article on Source

Source: “AOL Entertainment”