Jesse Eisenberg: 'I'm better in Holy Rollers than The Social Network'

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Jesse Eisenberg tells Digital Spy he was surprised by the positive reaction to his performance as Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg in The Social Network.

Jesse Eisenberg has confessed that he thinks his performance in new movie Holy Rollers was better than his Oscar-nominated turn as Mark Zuckerberg in The Social Network.

The actor told Digital Spy that the involvement of director David Fincher and screenwriter Aaron Sorkin suggested to him that the drama would succeed, although he admitted that he was taken aback by the accolades his performance as Facebook co-founder Zuckerberg received.

Eisenberg said: "I've never been in a movie that's received that kind of attention. I know that David Fincher and Aaron Sorkin have been involved in movies like that. I thought by virtue of my involvement it wouldn't receive that kind of attention. I was very surprised that it has done as well as it has."

He continued: "I felt in many ways, just personally, that I had done a better job in Holy Rollers. It feels strange, I think actors have this experience all the time where you've put the same amount of effort into a project and then one receives so much more attention than the other."

Discussing Social Network director Fincher's notorious working methods, which sometimes call for dozens of takes for the same shot, the actor said that he appreciated being given the time to get his performance right.

Eisenberg explained: "The most frustrating part of working on a movie is preparing for it for three months and then getting two shots to do it, whereas working with someone like David Fincher - who likes to do a lot of takes - it feels like you have time to thoughtfully try everything you've prepared for.

"You know, when you work on a movie people are flying in from all over the world, people have built sets, rented out rooms, there's equipment and then it seems kind of like a waste to only get two takes of something."

Eisenberg appeared alongside the real Zuckerberg when he hosted Saturday Night Live in January. The pair's exchanges off screen were limited, he explained, adding that the man he portrayed in The Social Network was "sweet" and "generous" to him.

The 27-year-old said: "For the most part [the interaction with him] was limited to what was on screen. Our only interactions off screen were what we would do on screen. Nothing juicy unfortunately. Or not unfortunately - fortunately!

"He was so sweet; the fact that he agreed to come on the show and do something ridiculous with me is so generous. I'm so thankful that he agreed to do it."