Jesse Eisenberg Revealed Which Movie "Hurt His Career," And I Honestly Get It

Jesse Eisenberg is having a bit of an awards season moment this year with his acclaimed movie A Real Pain, which he stars in alongside Kieran Culkin and also directed and wrote.

Jesse Eisenberg on red carpet wearing a dark jacket over a black shirt, standing in front of a graphic background
Joe Maher / Getty Images for BFI

Jesse's had an impressive career that's stretched across multiple decades at this point — but every impressive career has its lows as well as highs.

Jesse Eisenberg in a dark sweater stands in front of a backdrop with "Searchlight Pictures" text
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In a recent appearance on the Armchair Expert podcast, Jesse revealed the one flick in his filmography that he thinks did some actual damage to his career — and, I gotta say, his answer is not especially surprising.

The culprit? 2016's Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, a critically maligned DC Universe film that, at this point, you honestly might have forgotten even exists.

Ben Afflick and Henry Cavill, one dressed as a bat in armored suit, the other in a cape with an "S" logo, face off in the rain
Warner Bros / Clay Enos / Everett Collection

In case you forgot: Jesse played Superman's perpetual nemesis Lex Luthor in the film — and with a luscious head of hair to match, no less.

Two people in formal attire stand in a hallway. Jesse Eisenberg wears a blue suit, and the other wears a black dress with a white shirt
Warner Bros / / courtesy Everett Collection / Everett Collection

“I was in this Batman movie and the Batman movie was so poorly received, and I was so poorly received,” he told Dax Shepard in the interview.

Jesse Eisenberg in a patterned shirt and jacket leans against a decorative table with books and bottles, in a room with a large painting in the background
Clay Enos / ©Warner Bros/courtesy Everett Collection / Everett Collection

“I’ve never said this before, and it’s kind of embarrassing to admit, but I genuinely think it actually hurt my career in a real way, because I was poorly received in something so public.”

Jesse Eisenberg and Amy Adams stand close, looking serious and contemplative, in a dramatic scene
Warner Bros / Everett Collection

“In the industry, if you’re in a huge, huge movie and not seen as good, the people who are choosing who to put next in their movie are just not gonna select you," Jesse explained, going on to claim that he's also starred in “poorly received things that just don’t see the light of day, and for the most part, no one knows.”

Three people engage in conversation at a formal event with a crowd in the background. Jesse Eisenberg has shoulder-length hair, and Henry Cavill and Ben Affleck wear suits
Warner Bros / courtesy Everett Collection

“But this was so public, and I don’t read notices or reviews or movie press or anything, so I was unaware of how poorly it was received."

Jesse Eisenberg standing in front of a large neon LexCorp sign in an industrial-style interior, wearing casual jeans and a jacket
Clay Enos / ©Warner Bros/ Everett Collection

Despite all this, Jesse also insisted that he "loved" the movie. "So I feel just myself to blame," he added. "I’m not like, 'They did me wrong.' No. I’m like, ‘Oh, I guess I did something wrong there.’ And so it did feel like I had to climb out again.”

Jesse Eisenberg in a dark sweater at a SAG-AFTRA Foundation event, standing in front of a red backdrop with white text
Michael Tullberg / Getty Images for SAG-AFTRA Foundation

“It was depressing, but I’m depressed all the time in some ways. Just like, ‘Oh, yeah, of course, I had this great opportunity. Of course, it didn’t go well.’ Just pessimism.”

Jesse Eisenberg in a black suit standing in front of a leafy green background
Taylor Hill / WireImage

You can watch (or listen to) the entire interview here.