Oscar Isaac

At 45 years old, Oscar Isaac has this physical status:

Career

Isaac continued to write and appeared in small New York clubs and appeared in Two Gentlemen of Verona (2005) in the Public Theatre, after graduating from Juilliard. Federico Garca Lorca's appearance in Beauty of the Father in New York City Center's production of Beauty of the Father continued each year; David Rooney of Variety said, "injection of wry humor provides welcome levity." He appeared on the television series Law & Order: Criminal Intent for a short time, and he appeared in Joseph's biblical epic The Nativity Story opposite Keisha Castle-Hughes. It was the first film to have a world premiere in Vatican City. Isaac, who grew up in a religious family, felt it was crucial to portray his character "as human as possible" and approach him as they would in any other situation. Joseph's ancestor will be better understood, he read a book called The Life and Times of Jesus the Messiah. The film received mixed reviews and grossed $46 million against a budget of $35 million. Isaac played the role "a freshness and vulnerability it usually" does not have, according to a critic for The Abbotsford News. Isaac's "endearing" was discovered by Toddy Burton of The Austin Chronicle, but he still felt his character's selfless attitude made him appear unreal.

In the Public Theater's Romeo and Juliet (2007), Isaac performed Romeo with Lauren Ambrose. According to Michal Daniel of The Record, a "persuasively young and inexperienced" Isaac was overshadowed by Ambrose, but he had a vivacious speech and a vivacious demeanor. Isaac appeared in films for the bulk of the 2000s; the thriller The Life Before Her Eyes (2006), the spy drama Body of Lies (2008), and Spanish historical drama Agora (2009). Rick Warner wrote a book in which Rutgers University Press examines rising actors in the 2010s, saying that Isaac "momentarily steals the scene" as a United Nations interpreter in Che. Isaac received the AACTA Award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role for his role as José Ramos-Horta in Balibo (2009). PopMatters' Chris Barsanti said he portrayed his "improbable charm" in his role. Isaac became "a bona fide scene-stealer" after Balibo, according to R. Kurt Osenlund of Slant Magazine.

Isaac began in the role of the villain King John in the film Robin Hood in the 2010s. He learned about the character and shared suggestions with director Ridley Scott on how to portray him in preparation. He liked being a villain because one does not have to make them likable, allowing him to show more facets of his character. The film had mixed critical consensus and grossed $321 million against a budget of $200 million. Isaac ruled over Russell Crowe (who played Robin Hood), "bringing fresh, magnetic venom to the done-and-done role." "Iron Beck said, "Ima's early minor film roles make the most of the few lines he's given, adding emotional depth not just verbally but also through his charming face and piercing gaze."

Isaac's name has risen in 2011 as he gained attention for several supporting roles. In Zack Snyder's Sucker Punch, his first role in the year was as an asylum orderly. He had extensive make-up. Isaac praised Snyder for being generous with actors' participation on set. In Madonna's W.E., he served as a security guard. "One wrong decision" was a critical loss that British Vogue regarded as his "one misjudgment," but IndieWire's Drew Taylor said he was "one of the few redeeming aspects" of the film. In ten years, Isaac played a musician in "Never Had" and an ex-convict in Nicolas Winding Refn's critically acclaimed adventure drama Drive (2011). Initially skeptical of Drive, he accepted after putting together a "more nuanced" and less stereotypical version of the story with Refn and screenwriter Hossein Amini. Isaac's "unanticipated intelligence and sincerity," Todd McCarthy of The Hollywood Reporter praised the film as an early testament to Isaac's ability to create tension. Drive's production budget, which was $16 million, earned $81.3 million against a $15 million budget.

In 2012, Isaac had four films released. For his first film, For Greater Glory, he was nominated for an ALMA Award for Favorite Movie Actor – Supporting Role. Isaac appeared in the action thriller The Bourne Legacy after playing the central character's cousin in the comedy-drama Revenge for Jolly! Director Tony Gilroy had originally intended Isaac for the lead role in the latter, but the film's production company decided against casting an unknown actor. Isaac won the brief part of a brainwashed assassination. The film was released to mixed critical reception and box-office success. "Isaac took a character with very little screen time and made him into a living, breathing, hurting individual," Lizzie Logan of Vulture opined. Isaac's last film, Don't Back Down, a reflection on the American educational system, was released in 2012. It received poor feedback and was considered a box-office disaster.

Isaac performed the titular role of a struggling folk singer in 1961 Greenwich Village in the Coen brothers' musical drama Inside Llewyn Davis. Isaac was given the opportunity due to his admiration for the Coen brothers, who in turn were captivated by his musical talent. Isaac studied Travis picking and performed with musicians Erik Frandsen and T Bone Burnett in preparation for the role. Isaac behaving and dressing like Davis to see people's reactions to him before production began. Isaac's role in what was to be his breakthrough role in the film earned accolades, as well as his success. Isaac "anchors this film with a stellar, soulful presence," according to critics from The Oregonian and St. Louis. "Isaac, a versatile character actor here rising to the highest levels of his art, rejects the simple road of charm," A. O. Scott of The New York Times wrote. He has trust in his own reputation and the authenticity of the content, as he does. The musical performances of "The Death of Queen Jane" and "The Shoals of Herring," Scott argued, made the film anominated. Isaac was nominated for the Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy for the film. In the erotic drama In Secret (2013), Laurent LeClaire, a man who seduces his friend's wife (Elizabeth Olsen), appeared again. Isaac was lauded as the film's best asset, according to Michael Phillips of the Chicago Tribune, who noted that his "serious delineation of the charismatic Laurent provides the through-line" in the film.

Isaac appeared in the film The Two Faces of January in 2014. In J. C. Chandor's A Most Violent Year (2014), he appeared alongside Jessica Chastain, replacing actor Javier Bardem. The film, which Isaac describes as "a gangster movie without the gangsters," follows Abel Morales, the young owner of a heating-oil business who is determined to protect his company in a world plagued by violent crime. Chandor first encountered Isaac at Chastain's request, and the actor, who later discovered him "precise, wild, and alive," cast him in the role. When Isaac discovered that Morales' history was missing in the script, Chandor allowed him to make it, for which he researched Latin Americans' history in the 1950s and 1960s. Morales' duality, "cold, calculating businessman," but also "highly emotional and passionate,"—Isaac read books on sociopaths and "corporate America" to prepare for the role. The film was unable to recover its funds, but it was a critical success. The Washington Post's Ann Hornaday praised Isaac for "deliver[ing] a master class in that art from the start of A Most Violent Year to the last" by the end, saying, "he's a commanding screen presence, even though he's saying nothing." Isaac's portrayal, according to Tad Friend of The New Yorker, was reminiscent of actor Treat Williams, Dustin Hoffman, and Al Pacino's work. Isaac received the National Board of Review Award for Best Actor for his role in the film.

In the science fiction film Ex Machina, Isaac portrayed Nathan Hamlet Bateman, the reclusive designer of a humanoid artificial intelligence. He based his character's appearance and accent on director Stanley Kubrick's appearance and speech patterns, based on his behavior. To get "in the game of always trying to be a few steps ahead," Isaac based Bateman's life on chess champion Bobby Fischer and played the role during filming. Ex Machina was a commercial and critical success, with praise for Isaac's results. Matt Zoller Seitz of RogerEbert.com lauded Isaac for possessing "an electrifying star quality, painfully sneering yet somehow charming, insinuating, and intellectually convincing." Isaac played politician Nick Wasicsko in the 6-episode HBO miniseries Show Me a Hero, his first leading role on television. Isaac was cast in Star Wars: The Force Awakens shortly after. Despite the fact that he found the tale "fascinating," he was initially reluctant to sign on because it was "a little impenetrable" for him. After seeing a video of Wasicsko interacting with the media, he agreed. Isaac found filming the miniseries a little more difficult and was skeptical about the show's six-hour format. Critics also lauded Isaac's success, which earned him the Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Miniseries or Television Film. "A film performance flexible enough to lift scenes that might veer into agitprop," Emily Nussbaum of The New Yorker praised it.

In the epic space opera film Star Wars: The Force Awakens (2015), Isaac co-starred Poe Dameron, an X-wing pilot. He had been loving Star Wars films since childhood, but director J. J. Abrams convinced him in a meeting. Isaac is described as "a much more mature actor than one would get for a role" by a fan of Inside Llewyn Davis, Abrams. Isaac suggested that his character be from the moon Yavin 4, which first appeared in Star Wars (1977) in scenes shot in his homeland Guatemala; this theory was incorporated. While shooting The Force Awakens, Isaac initially felt uncomfortable, but soon felt connected with co-star Daisy Ridley and John Boyega, who were also newcomers to the film series. Isaac read about war and even wrote a book called What It's Like to Go to War in preparation for the role. Force Awakens received critical feedback and earned $2 billion worldwide, making it the most profitable film of 2015. The cast members, including Isaac, received accolades from Forbes and TheWrap, who "make strong impressions quickly" and "engaging actors" who "make us care about their characters."

Isaac decided to play the titular villain in the film X-Men: Apocalypse (2016) because he was a fan of X-Men comic books since childhood. He underwent extensive makeup and prosthetics, as well as a 40-pound suit; the entire costume was uncomfortable, causing Isaac to sit in a cooling tent between takes. Critics Angelica Jade Bastién and Glenn Kenny said Isaac, who is described as a "charismatic and versatile" actor, "feels] so torpid here" and "fares poorly through no fault of his own." Isaac said he wished the film and his characters had been handled better years after Apocalypse's underwhelming critical performance. He appeared in The Promise, a historical drama about a love triangle set during the Armenian genocide, as well as in 2016. Critics dismissed the film, saying that the trio's talents were wasted. The film's derivative of better war romances," according to Richard Roeper of the Chicago Sun-Times, but it was "bolstered by strong performances from Isaac and Bale, two of the finest actors of their generation." The film's designers had intended to donate the funds to charity, but the film's producers decided against it, resulting in a $102 million loss. Outside of film in 2016, Isaac narrated the Nike ad Unlimited You and voiced a soldier struggling to re-enter civilian life in the podcast series Homecoming.

Isaac spent the majority of his time caring for his dying mother in late 2016. He began reading her Hamlet by Shakespeare, whose work he had been admiring since childhood, as his illness worsened. In honor of his mother, who died later in February 2017, Isaac appeared in Prince Hamlet's production "The Public Theater" production. Sam Gold's production ran from July to September 2017. David Rooney of The Hollywood Reporter praised Isaac as the production's best actor, and Deadline Hollywood's Jeremy Gerard described him as "the rare actor as comfortable onstage as before the camera," quoting his "committed, completely formed performance." Isaac played an insurance investigator in the black comedy Suburbicon, written by the Coen brothers who wrote Inside Llewyn Davis and directed Isaac. Isaac's role was the film's best, according to Peter Travers of Rolling Stone, "The film's only truly exciting scenes are created by Oscar Isaac [...] it's in his scenes that the Coens' writing flickers' empathetic spark comes to life." Isaac was selected for the Best Supporting Actor award by the San Diego Film Critics Society. Isaac's last work in 2017 was in the film Star Wars: The Last Jedi, in which he reprised the role of Poe Dameron. J. Abrams had intended to kill Dameron off the force Awakens, but Isaac convinced him otherwise. The Last Jedi, which is the 2017 flagship film, grossed $1.3 billion.

In 2018, Isaac filmed Annihilation (2018) alongside Star Wars: The Last Jedi at the same location. As a result, he didn't have enough time to rehearsing for his part in the former and praised co-star Natalie Portman (who played his wife) for assisting him in filming their intimate scenes with ease. The film received rave reviews. Tasha Robinson of The Verge complimented Isaac's chemistry with Portman, and Caryn James of the BBC took note of his ability to do well with a simple glance. Isaac debuted as a producer filming Operation Finale (2018), in which he played Peter Malkin, the Israeli intelligence agent who captured Nazi fugitive Adolf Eichmann in 1960. When asked about his first time producing, he said he wanted to contribute to the stories in which he is involved. In recent times, where extreme viewpoints are still relevant, he believes that the film's subject remains relevant. Even if the true-life events depicted get a little lost in their dramatization, there was a strong consensus for Operation Finale. Isaac was excellent in certain scenes, according to Bhaskar Chattopadhyay of Firstpost, but the supporting actors' roles were more noticeable. The film was a commercial failure. At Eternity's Gate (where he played Paul Gauguin), Life Itself, and Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse were among Isaac's other films in 2018. Isaac co-starred with Olivia Wilde in the box-office disaster Life Itself, while Consequence's Caroline Siede found the two leads unconvincing and their roles to be poorly written.

After Isaac ended filming Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker in October 2018, he planned to take a long acting break, but he was cast as Duke Leto Atreides in Dune (2021) just a few months later. In the former, the final film in the Star Wars sequel trilogy trilogy, Isaac reprised Poe Dameron's role. It received mixed feedback, but it was profitable. In J. C. Chandor's Netflix film Triple Frontier, Isaac appeared as an agent fighting a drug cartel in South America earlier this year. Isaac trained in a New York hall where one can reduce oxygen to avoid being exhausted amid scenes in which he is running at a high altitude. He said that filming in a favela with no water or sewage made him realize his privileges. The film received generally positive reviews. Isaac's screen presence was described as "charismatic" and "electric" by critics Christy Lemire and Richard Roeper. In The Addams Family (2019), a computer-animated film based on Charles Addams' titular characters, Isaac next played Gomez Addams. Fans suggested Isaac be cast in the role for years, who claimed that he resembled Raul Julia, who appeared in Gomez Addams in 1990s live-action films. The Addams Family received mixed feedback and raised $203 million on a $24 million budget.

In the short film The Letter Room, Isaac was only an executive producer, he was only in 2020. The Deccan Herald's Roktim Rajpal thought that Isaac "is the backbone of the short and makes a difference with his sincere appearance," but he fails to "internali[z]e the character as well as expected." In Scenes from a Marriage, he appeared alongside Jessica Chastain the following year. It's a reimagining of Ingmar Bergman's 1973 Swedish series of the same name, changing gender roles and exploring the themes of monogamy, marriage, and divorce. Isaac and Chastain used their experiences from previous marriages and parents' unions to film the show. In the film, Isaac appeared in a complete frontal nude scene. The show's critiques were overwhelmingly positive, particularly for the duo's chemistry. They were praised by Carol Midgley of The Times for their "masterclass performances and engaging in a tense, wounding dialogue faultlessly." He had been nominated for the Golden Globe Award, Screen Actor Guild Award, and Primetime Emmy Award for Best Actor in a miniseries.

In the Paul Schrader-directed crime drama The Card Counter, Isaac starred William Tell—a struggling, gambling military veteran—to avoid what he saw as "green screen alien space land." Isaac took a penmanship course because his character writes in his journal every night. When Tell's friend wanted to join the marines, he drew inspiration from his time as a high-school classmate. The film's development was suspended due to the COVID-19 lockdown near the end; per Isaac's comment, he ended it with only Schrader and the cinematographer on set. Critics lauded The Card Counter and Isaac's success, which for Eric Kohn of IndieWire was his best on record. Isaac's NPR's Justin Chang praised him for "bring[ing] his signature sly, soulful magnetism to the role" and embodying his character's grief in his "dark, haunted gaze." Actor of the Year is nominated for the London Film Critics Circle Award for Actor of the Year. In Dune, Isaac played Gomez Addams in The Addams Family 2, portraying Paul Atreides' father (played by Timothée Chalamet). Dune premiered at the 78th Venice International Film Festival in mixed reviews, but was nominated for ten Academy Awards, based on Frank Herbert's 1965 namesake novel. Its funding came at a whopping $165 million.

Isaac appeared on Big Gold Brick in a short film in which Variety's Nick Schager discovered "out of left field." He appeared in the Marvel Cinematic Universe's Moon Knight (2022), a man with dissociative identity disorder (DID) who appears as an avatar to Egyptian moon god Khonshu. He also wrote the show, which is based on Marvel Comics' namesake comic book. He had several conversations with Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige before signing on, initially reluctant to join another franchise. Isaac discovered each individuala as a result of a physical challenge that required a lot of energy. To research DID, Robert B. Oxnam's book A Fractured Mind was used. Isaac gave the three identities different nationalities in order to distinguish them. For example, he suggested that the individual Steven Grant be English and that comedians Karl Pilkington (from the British travel comedy series An Idiot Abroad) and Peter Sellers to learn his English accent to be inspired. As Isaac wanted to include an element of his own life, Jake Lockley's third persona. Moon Knight was unveiled at a critical reception. IGN's Matt Fowler discussed Isaac's "dynamic and dazzling appearance" and "ace acting," highlighting the dramatic scene in which his character revisits his painful past. He was nominated for the MTV Movie Award for Best Hero.

Isaac will star in and produce The Great Machine, a comic version of Ex Machina. He will appear in London, which will be directed by Ben Stiller. Isaac would appear as Solid Snake in the film adaptation of Metal Gear Solid directed by Jordan Vogt-Roberts in December 2020. He appeared in Martin McDonagh's untitled film in October 2021; it co-starred Christopher Walken and Sam Rockwell.

In 2023, Isaac will appear in Lorraine Hansberry's The Sign in Sidney Brustein's Window opposite Rachel Brosnahan at the Brooklyn Academy of Music.

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