Clancy Brown Shares His Thoughts On Jesse Eisenberg As Lex Luthor

Clancy Brown is perhaps best known for voicing Lex Luthor in various DC projects. He began playing the Man of Steel’s arch nemesis in Superman: The Animated Series, and reprised the role for fellow DCAU shows Justice League and Justice League Unlimited. He also portrayed Luthor in The Batman, as well as the animated movie Superman/Batman: Public Enemies and the video game LEGO Batman 2: DC Superheroes. As a result, Brown’s take on the character is commonly considered the definitive version of Luthor. So, what does he think of the next big screen incarnation of the villain?

Speaking with Comic Book Resources, Brown talks about his interest in the Lex Luthor and Superman characters, and says he’s “dying” to see 2016’s Batman vs. Superman. While on the subject, he commented on the controversial casting of Jesse Eisenberg as Luthor. “I think Jesse Eisenberg is a great choice. I think he’s a really sharp choice, and I know a lot of people don’t agree with that, but I think he could be spectacular. I liked [Michael] Rosebaum’s take on it, but that was kind of a WB show. But I just love the idea that the Facebook guy is Lex Luthor. That’s just perfect.” He then goes into more detail on why he thinks The Social Network star is right for the role. “Well, he’s a pretty specific actor. He’s not a chameleon like [Gene] Hackman or [Kevin] Spacey. He has a similar smugness the way that Spacey does — that highly-intelligent, super-smug, almost effeminate kind of smugness about him — but he’s way more current. I just watched “Now You See Me,” which I thought he was terrific in. He has a really specific persona engrained that is super-smart. You don’t necessarily like him, but you don’t dislike him. You don’t necessarily think he’s a good, fun guy — you see him as a real quirky, weird dude. You don’t completely trust him, although he’s kind of adorable in his nerdy way.

“I think Lex has that. Lex is attractive in all the things that shouldn’t be attractive — or aren’t traditionally attractive in comic books — his intelligence and his ambition and his ego and all the rest of that. Jesse carries that really well. Plus, I hear he’s a really nice guy, which helps. It’s why I think it shines through, why his attractiveness shines through, because deep down he’s a good guy. But he also has this kind of intellectual persona that’s unsettling. It’s almost reptilian, which is something I think Lex carries with him.”

For much more from Brown, visit CBR’s interview by clicking the link above. What do you think of Jesse Eisenberg as Lex Luthor?

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