The Social Network star Jesse Eisenberg reveals why he does NOT want to be associated with Mark Zuckerberg

Jesse Eisenberg has revealed why he has zero interest in being associated with Facebook and Meta cofounder Mark Zuckerberg.

The Hollywood star, 41, famously played the tech mogul in the celebrated 2010 movie, The Social Network - landing his first Oscar nomination for the impressive performance.

However, Zuckerberg's recent actions have left the actor determined to distance himself from the billionaire's narrative going forward.

During an interview with BBC Radio 4 released on Tuesday, the filmmaker spoke out against the mogul while he promoting his Oscar-nominated movie A Real Pain.

'I haven't been following his life trajectory, partly because I don't want to think of myself as associated with somebody like that,' he explained in a clip shared online by the BBC. 

He continued: 'It's not like I played a great golfer or something and now I want people to think I'm a great golfer — it's like this guy that is doing things that are problematic, taking away fact-checking and safety concerns. 

'Making people who are already threatened in this world more threatened.'

'I'm concerned just as a person who reads a newspaper,' he added, after he was asked whether Meta's recent editorial decisions 'concerned' him. 'I don't think like about, "Oh I played the guy in the movie."'

He continued: 'It's just I'm a human being and you read these things and these people have billions upon billions of dollars, more money than any human person has ever amassed.

'What are they doing with it? Oh, they're doing it to curry favor with people who's preaching hateful [things]?'

Last month, Meta announced that Facebook and Instagram would be ditching their independent fact-checking programs.

Instead, the company will be following the likes of Elon Musk's X, formerly Twitter, and relying on users to supply their own community notes to clarify misinformation.

In the video announcing the changes, Zuckerberg declared that it was 'time to get back to our roots around free expression.'  

Zuckerberg notably also attended Donald Trump's inauguration as US President on January 20, shortly before his company agreed to pay $25 million to settle Trump's 2021 lawsuit over his previous suspension from its platforms.

His suspension came into effect after the January 6, 2021 Capitol riots in Washington, D.C.

The Social Network was written by Aaron Sorkin and directed by David Fincher. 

It told the origin story of Facebook set against the backdrop of multiple contentious legal battles between Zuckerberg (Eisenberg), Eduardo Saverin (Andrew Garfield), and twins Cameron and Tyler Winklevoss (Armie Hammer). 

Justin Timberlake, Rashida Jones, Rooney Mara, and Dakota Johnson also starred in the flick.

The film received eight Oscars nominations, including Best Picture, and took home three for Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Film Editing, and Best Original Score.

The Social Network earned over $220 million and in the years that followed, many wondered if they might be a sequel about the continued growth of Zuckerberg's company.  

Fincher and Sorkin have shared over the years that they've discussed options for a potential sequel, but in an 2023 interview Fincher described the notion as 'a can of worms.'

Meanwhile, A Real Pain marks Eisenberg's second feature writing and directing effort, following his debut with 2022's When You Finish Saving The World.

Eisenberg and Kieran Culkin play two vastly different cousins who embark on a strange journey. 

A Real Pain also stars Will Sharpe, Jennifer Grey and Kurt Egyiawan, with Eisenberg producing alongside Emma Stone and her husband Dave McCarry.