Jesse Eisenberg is known for being a bit of an introvert. But when he does speak up, he has a flair for the dramatic. It was this tendency that caught him some flak after his San Diego Comic-Con appearance in support of Batman v Superman.

While at the event, Eisenberg was overwhelmed by the audience and noise. He later told the Associated Press how that felt.

“It is like being screamed at by thousands of people,” Eisenberg explained. “I don’t know what the experience is throughout history, probably some kind of genocide. I can’t think of anything that’s equivalent.”

Jesse Eisenberg’s use of the word “genocide” set some people on edge. It must have been a slow news day in some quarters. At another promotional event for another film he is promoting, The End of the Tour, Eisenberg was obliged to clarify what he had said about “genocide.”

Jesse Eisenberg, renowned introvert, can't express how insane SDCC is in interview. Misuses genocide. Internet outrage machine activates…

— Jesse Cox (@JesseCox) July 15, 2015

“Maybe on some cellular memory level, that’s the only thing that seems like an equivalent social experience,” Eisenberg mused. “Even if [fans are] saying nice things, just being shouted at by thousands of people, it’s horrifying.”

“That people are excited about it in that way is unheard of and thrilling,” he said. “I’ve been on the receiving end of movies that no one loves and no one anticipates. That’s worse, even though it’s a much quieter press tour.”

I'm so glad Jesse Eisenberg had to clarify a joke that most people who've gone to comic-con have made (or worse) and that it's a story.

— Mike Norton (@themikenorton) July 15, 2015

That still wasn’t enough to un-bunch panties. So Eisenberg finally doused the flames with another statement.

“I of course was using hyperbole to describe the sensory overload I experienced. I sometimes do employ that. I’m a normal person who has normal sensory experiences, so Comic-Con was very overwhelming for me. That said, it was really an honor to be on that end of such jubilation.”

It saddens me that Jesse Eisenberg has to explicitly explain that he was "using hyperbole" when he compared Comic-Con to genocide.

— Adam Feldman (@FeldmanAdam) July 15, 2015