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February 13, 2014: Clancy Brown's Thoughts on Jesse Eisenberg as Lex Luthor

When many Superman fans think of the voice of Lex Luthor in animated form, they can't go past the dulcet tones of Clancy Brown who voiced the character in "Superman: The Animated Series". ComicBookResources.com caught up with Brown to talk about his acting career, while also asking him about his time voicing Lex Luthor and his thoughts on Jesse Eisenberg being cast in the role for the upcoming Superman/Batman movie...

I want to touch on your time playing Lex Luthor. Interestingly, you have played Lex Luthor longer than any other actor to fill the role. It's a pretty impressive feat. What about that character keeps you coming back to him?

He just translates so well through the years. He fits really well in the '50s and he fits really well in the '60s - he's just an American icon, I think, in the same way that Superman is an American icon. But they're different sides of the same coin. As our society evolves, the characters evolve.

I'm dying to see the new one. I think Jesse Eisenberg is a great choice. I think he's a really sharp choice, and I know a lot of people don't agree with that, but I think he could be spectacular. I liked [Michael] Rosebaum's take on it, but that was kind of a WB show. But I just love the idea that the Facebook guy is Lex Luthor. That's just perfect. [Laughs]

What do you think it is about Eisenberg that you think makes him such a good fit for the role?

Well, he's a pretty specific actor. He's not a chameleon like [Gene] Hackman or [Kevin] Spacey. He has a similar smugness the way that Spacey does - that highly-intelligent, super-smug, almost effeminate kind of smugness about him - but he's way more current. I just watched "Now You See Me," which I thought he was terrific in. He has a really specific persona engrained that is super-smart. You don't necessarily like him, but you don't dislike him. You don't necessarily think he's a good, fun guy - you see him as a real quirky, weird dude. You don't completely trust him, although he's kind of adorable in his nerdy way.

I think Lex has that. Lex is attractive in all the things that shouldn't be attractive - or aren't traditionally attractive in comic books - his intelligence and his ambition and his ego and all the rest of that. Jesse carries that really well. Plus, I hear he's a really nice guy, which helps. It's why I think it shines through, why his attractiveness shines through, because deep down he's a good guy. But he also has this kind of intellectual persona that's unsettling. It's almost reptilian, which is something I think Lex carries with him.

Read the complete interview at ComicBookResources.com.