Jeremy Strong said he contacted Mark Zuckerberg after being cast to play him in Aaron Sorkin’s forthcoming film, The Social Reckoning, and received a reply. Strong did not disclose Zuckerberg’s response, but said he approached him respectfully because portraying such a prominent and divisive public figure carries significant responsibility.

The film follows Sorkin’s 2010 Oscar-winning The Social Network, with Strong replacing Jesse Eisenberg as Zuckerberg. Strong said he does not intend to condemn Zuckerberg, instead seeing his role as understanding and defending the character’s perspective; he would also be willing to meet Zuckerberg if invited. The trailer, released in June, drew attention for Strong’s close vocal resemblance to the Meta chief executive.