Shock swept through the comic book fandom last week as it was announced that the curly-haired star of The Social Network Jesse Eisenberg has been cast as Superman's nemesis in the upcoming Superman vs Batman movie.
Following the controversial casting of Ben Affleck as Batman, Eisenberg faced a similarly mixed reaction as it was revealed that he will be taking on the role of Lex Luthor - one of Superman's most notorious rivals.
Despite starring in a string of successful movies over the past five years, we realised that we knew very little about the Oscar-nominated actor. So for your pleasure we have gathered ten of the most fascinating facts about Jesse Eisenberg; from cats, clowns and, erm, Michael Cera, we have you covered!
1. Jesse Eisenberg isn't just some Hollywood hotshot, he actually uses his new-found fame and fortune to foster cats! Speaking on Conan, Eisenberg said that his life is "basically just feeding and cleaning cats" as he houses abandoned or unwanted kitties until they find their forever-families. Can we get a resounding awww?
2. Even though it was his portrayal of Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg that catapulted him into worldwide fame, when filming Zombieland back in 2009, Eisenberg's character had to reference his Facebook status - but he didn't know what Facebook was. In the end, a crew member had to explain the website to him. Awkward!
3. Eisenberg suffers from OCD and is very open about it. He said of his condition: "I touch the tips of my fingers in a weird way; I don't step on cracks; if I'm going onto a new surface - be it carpet to concrete, or concrete to wood, or wood to concrete, any new surface - I have to make sure all parts of my feet touch equally the ground before I touch that new thing. So I'll often hesitate before walking into a new room."
4. Despite his Oscar-nomination and acting awards galore, the humble star is apparently always shocked whenever he is cast in a movie. He says: "After the movie is done I think I've totally failed and ruined this interesting movie. The movie comes out and I'm just embarrassed about myself in it." We think he is being way too harsh on himself.
5. .... Although it did take 99 takes to perfect the infamous opening scene of The Social Network. Yep, Rooney Mara and Jesse Eisenberg broke up 99 times before director David Fincher was satisfied. They do say practice makes perfect!
6. Similarly to Mr Zuckerberg, Eisenberg runs his own website... But that's where the similarities end. Instead of a multi-billion-dollar social networking site, Jesse runs oneupme.com - a fun wordplay site where intelligent types can respond to a daily wordplay topic in an attempt to 'one-up' each other in the cleverness of their response.
7. Jesse Eisenberg's mum is a clown. No, really, she is a professional clown and performs at kids' birthday parties.
8. Pre-fame, the actor got in a spot of trouble with Woody Allen's lawyers. As a teenager he penned a play about how Woody Allen came to change his name and managed to get the script to Allen's 'people'... Unfortunately, instead of a seal of approval Eisenberg received a 'cease and desist' letter. In a strange twist of fate, Eisenberg starred in Woody Allen's 2012 film To Rome with Love.
9. Also pre-fame, Jesse Eisenberg had the pleasure of playing Butt-Naked Boy in a Dr Pepper television commercial. Estimated to have originally aired around 2001, the curly-haired actor can be seen getting trapped under a pile of groceries in a supermarket and needing to have his trousers cut off and be carried out by emergency services as part of the fizzy drink's 'What's the worst that can happen?' campaign.
10. It remains uncertain how the now-established actor would react to being called Butt-Naked Boy, but one thing is for certain - do not confuse him with Michael Cera. No, seriously, he doesn't like it and says: "It's annoying. I don't like getting recognized as other people." Which is fair enough, we suppose.
Jesse Eisenberg - career pictures:
Jesse Eisenberg: Career in Pictures
