Jesse Eisenberg turned down the chance to reprise his role as Mark Zuckerberg in The Social Reckoning as he is "moving in different directions in (his) life".
The 42-year-old actor played the Facebook founder in the 2010 movie The Social Network but has explained that a desire to move on from the character means he has not returned for Aaron Sorkin's upcoming sequel, with the role of Zuckerberg now being played by Jeremy Strong.
Speaking to Variety at the premiere of Minions and Monsters – in which he voices the character of Dort – Eisenberg said: "It's an honour to speak to Aaron in any capacity, because he's so articulate and charming and so bright.
"We talked about doing the movie for several days. The way Aaron speaks, he speaks so wonderfully, as he writes that, in a way, if you're not going to do something with him, it feels like you're letting down America."
The A Real Pain star added: "I just told him I'm moving in different directions in my life, and you know, what he said sums it up nicely. I don't want to be associated with that character, but all of my reasons for not wanting to do the movie have nothing to do with how wonderful the movie is, and will be, and I'm sure is already."
Sorkin revealed earlier this month that he spent three days trying to persuade Eisenberg to return as Zuckerberg before realising that his efforts were futile.
The West Wing creator told Vanity Fair: "I felt like it belonged to him, and he was certainly battle-tested.
"He simply did not want to be conflated with Mark Zuckerberg anymore, that he has his problems with the guy. He doesn't like kids coming up to him in airports with business cards that say, 'I'm CEO, b****', for him to sign."
The Social Reckoning - which is slated for release in October - tells the story of how whistleblower Frances Haugen (Mikey Madison) disclosed tens of thousands of documents revealing that Facebook was aware of its harmful societal effects, and the Oscar-winning actress relished exploring her alter ego's "soft corners".
The Anora star said: "There was just not an ounce of edge to her, all soft corners.
"I had a lot of fun crafting her inward idiosyncrasies, her mousiness, and nervous calculation of everything at all times with no rest."
Madison didn't get to meet Haugen before production on the film started but has written a letter to the whistleblower and is hopeful of meeting her in the future.
The 27-year-old actress said: "I have so many questions for Frances I hope to ask her one day.
"Mostly, I hope she feels that we captured the spirit of her bravery and that she knows how much Aaron and I care about her."
