Jeremy Strong reached out to Mark Zuckerberg during the making of The Social Reckoning — and he did it by pretending to be him.
Speaking to The New Yorker’s David Remnick, Strong admitted he regularly impersonated the Facebook founder when emailing writer-director Aaron Sorkin. The tactic was meant to defend Zuckerberg’s position while the film was being made. “I was defending him a lot when we were making the film, to my director,” Strong said, explaining that he took “Jeremy out of this at that point, which I know sounds crazy, but it’s really not. It’s about sort of negative space.”
The film, out Oct. 9, dramatizes the 2021 Facebook leak by whistleblower Frances Haugen and Jeff Horwitz. Strong’s performance draws on that history, and his defense of Zuckerberg runs through the production itself.
Why Strong Reached Out to Zuckerberg
Strong’s motivation was simple: he wanted the film to be a conversation, not a one-sided attack. “I think my hope is that the film is a dialectic rather than a polemic,” he said, adding that “there’s a kind of trend generally of like, it’s all Facebook’s fault, like all of it, everything.” He argued that storytelling plays a role in the broader problem of “truth decay and the deterioration of civil discourse.”
His outreach to Zuckerberg came from that belief. “That’s why I reached out to Mark,” Strong said, describing his feelings during the process as defending Zuckerberg to his director.
The Tear Gas Incident, Explained
Remnick also asked Strong about a notorious moment from his past: the time he wanted Sorkin to spray him with actual tear gas during the making of The Trial of the Chicago 7. Strong played Jerry Rubin in the Netflix film, which Sorkin wrote and directed.
His request was not a stunt. Strong explained that it was rooted in the historical record. “What you’re alluding to is what happened in Grant Park between the Chicago police and the Yippies and everyone,” he said, referencing the protests against the Vietnam War and the Democratic Convention. He pointed to Haskell Wexler’s documentary as evidence of the violence protesters faced.
“I think what I want to do is capture what was at stake and what was happening and what those people were putting themselves through, what they were putting on the line.”
He was clear that no one else was involved. “Now … I want to be very clear, involved no one else and would have involved no one else,” he said. The goal was a close-up shot, capturing the physical toll of the experience.
The Cast Behind the Film
The Social Reckoning stars Strong alongside Mikey Madison, Jeremy Allen White, Bill Burr, Wunmi Mosaku, Billy Magnussen and Betty Gilpin. The ensemble brings the story of the Facebook leak to life.
What Strong Wants Zuckerberg to Know
Strong’s admission carries a note of theatrical honesty. He is not hiding his methods; he is explaining them. The impersonation was a tool, not a joke.
The question remains open: how will Zuckerberg respond? Strong has done his part. He defended him to Sorkin, impersonated him in emails, and now he has publicly shared the story behind the film.
The Verdict on Strong’s Method
The film’s release on Oct. 9 will test whether his dialectical approach holds water. The social reckoning, after all, is not over.
- The film dramatizes the 2021 Facebook leak by whistleblower Frances Haugen and Jeff Horwitz.
- Strong impersonated Zuckerberg in emails to defend him to director Aaron Sorkin.
- Strong reached out to Zuckerberg himself to support his position on the film.
- Strong argued for a dialectic rather than a polemic, citing a trend of blaming Facebook for everything.
- The film stars Strong alongside Mikey Madison, Jeremy Allen White, Bill Burr, Wunmi Mosaku, Billy Magnussen and Betty Gilpin.
Source material: “Jeremy Strong Says He Cares What Mark Zuckerberg Thinks About ‘The Social Reckoning’,” Deadline.
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