Oscar Watch: Social Network’s Eisenberg Talks Zuckerberg, Guilt, Perfectionism and Fincher

The Social Network star Jesse Eisenberg and I met for a bite at Hollywood’s fabled Musso & Frank’s Grill to dig into his lauded role as Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg. The youthful New Yorker has been juggling school, theater, TV and film since he was a kid; at 27 he’s got quite a few juicy film roles under his belt, from The Squid and the Whale to Adventureland and Zombieland. 2011 could well mark his debut as an Oscar contender.

Part One: Eisenberg talks acting background, career beginnings, perfectionism and landing the role of Mark Zuckerberg.

Part Two: Woody Allen, feeling guilty about playing Zuckerberg, reining in his desire to make him more sympathetic, defending his character.

Part Three: Zuckerberg as a creative and defensive person, addressing the misogyny issue, “this movie is respectful to its characters,” Facebook as a living thing.

Part Four: Feedback, actors as a cog in a wheel, Fincher’s meticulous directing style, multiple takes shooting on video, the awards circuit.