Though he began his acting career in the late 90s,Oscar Isaacbegan to rise in prominence in the early-2010s, becoming one of the best actors working today with an impressive list of movies and TV shows to his name. Isaac worked as a character actor for years before his first major role as Joseph in the 2006 film,The Nativity Story. Following that, he was able to secure supporting roles in bigger projects likeRobin Hood(2010) andDrive, before his major breakthrough as an actor came inthe 2013 filmInside Llewyn Davis, where he played the titular character.
As his career continues to progress, Oscar Isaac has found himself acting in varied roles that include both character-driven small-scale stories, and several different major franchises. Some of these franchises include the MCU, Star Wars, and Spider-Man, wherehis villain turn inSpider-Man: Across the Spider-Versewas one of the strongest aspects of the critically acclaimed movie. Oscar Isaac has even more on the horizon, too, with several big projects like Frankenstein andThe King of Kingsin the works.
Scenes From a Marriage
Cast
A remake of the miniseries by Ingmar Bergman, Scenes from a Marriage stars Oscar Isaac and Jessica Chastain as Mira and Johnathan, an American couple whose disintegrating marriage is explored over the course of five episodes. The series explores a number of contradictory themes, such as love and hate, as well as monogamy and divorce. Nicole Beharie and Corey Stoll also star.
HBO’sScenes From a Marriagehad a lot to live up to, given that it was a remake of the incredible 1973 miniseries of the same name, directed by the legendary Ingmar Bergman, and it largely succeeds, though it doesn’t quite reach the same level as what came before. Focusing on an American couple and the disintegration of their marriage,Scenes From a Marriageis a poignant, often heartbreaking look at love and how it changes over time.
With projects likeScenes From a Marriageunder his belt, he has proven time and again that he is electric on screen.
The greatest aspect ofScenes From a Marriageis the incredible central performances from Jessica Chastain and Oscar Isaac, as both of them turn out to be some of the best in their careers.Oscar Isaac is a revelation here, showing just how talented he is as an actor, arguably one of the best in his entire generation. With projects likeScenes From a Marriageunder his belt, he has proven time and again that he is electric on screen.
Moon Knight
Moon Knight stars Oscar Isaac as Steven Grant, a gift-shop employee in London who discovers he has dissociative identity disorder. He shares a body with Marc Spector and together, they travel to Egypt to uncover a deadly mystery surrounding the gods.Moon Knightconsisted of six episodes and was the fifth live-action TV show in the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s Phase 4. Also starring in the series is Ethan Hawke as the villainous Arthur Harrow and May Calamawy as Layla El-Faouly.
When Marvel Studios announced that they would be producing television shows set inthe MCU timelinefor Disney+, it was the perfect opportunity for several characters to get their time in the spotlight.Moon Knightwas one of the most anticipated series for Marvel, and it turned out pretty great, with the popular street-level hero finally getting his chance to shine. With its focus on Egyptian mythology,Moon Knightis able to focus on another aspect of the MCU, paving the way for the character to eventually cross over into film.
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Moon Knightworks as well as it does, mostly because of the impressively committed performance by Oscar Isaac at the center of it all. Given the multiple personalities of Moon Knight, Oscar Isaac is given a lot of material to work with, and he nails everything that is asked of him. Jumping between Marc Spector (Moon Knight), Steven Grant (Mr. Knight), and Jake Lochley multiple times in the series, it’s one of the most impressive performances in the MCU in years.
Drive
Starring Ryan Gosling as an unnamed Hollywood stunt driver (identified only as “the Driver”) who moonlights as a criminal getaway driver, Nicolas Winding Refn’s Drive follows the enigmatic Driver as he finds himself hunted by a gang of violent criminals. After becoming close with his neighbors, the Driver offers to help Standard (Oscar Isaac), who was recently released from prison, settle a debt with a robbery. But the job is far more complicated than it seems, and the Driver is forced to use everything at his disposal to survive.
With a stellar performance by Ryan Gosling,Driveis a slow-burn drama that has moments of graphic violence, as an unnamed Hollywood stunt driver begins work as a getaway driver, while simultaneously falling for his troubled neighbor who has a young son.Driveis incredibly stylish, with stunning production design that really heightens the atmosphere in the film. AlthoughDrivecan be violent and sometimes relentless, it is tender and often quiet, making it a satisfying movie to watch.
Drivewas a significant supporting role for Oscar Isaac’s career, and he does an incredible job playing Standard Gabriel, the debt-ridden husband of Carey Mulligan’s Irene Gabriel, who was recently released from prison, and enlists the help of Gosling’s character to help him rob a pawn shop. ThoughDriveisn’t the biggest role of Oscar Isaac’s career, he still knocks it out of the park, and each scene with him showcases his immense talent as an actor.
Based on the 1999 non-fiction book of the same name,Show Me a Herodetails the city of Yonkers, New York and the efforts to desegregate public housing from 1987-1994. Like most HBO programming,Show Me a Herowas meticulous in its production design, capturing the time period of its story, while also emphatically highlighting the racial and social barriers faced within the community at the time.
Show Me a Herowas the first major role for Oscar Isaac in television, as the actor had only mostly appeared in films at that point in his career. He plays Nick Wasicsko, a former police officer turned Yonkers City Council member who is running in the mayoral election.Oscar Isaac’s first true foray into TV proved to be a great choice as he gives a truly fantastic performance throughout, which earned him a Golden Globefor Best Actor in a Miniseries or Television Film.
Star Wars: Episode VIII - The Last Jedi
Star Wars: The Last Jedi continues the saga as Rey hones her powers under the guidance of Luke Skywalker. As her abilities unsettle her mentor, the Resistance faces the First Order in a pivotal battle.
Sometimes, it feels likeStar Wars: The Last Jedichanged pop-culture discourse forever, and not in a good way, as the film has been incredibly divisive since it was released in 2017. Some claim it is the worst movie ever made, while others love everything about it. Despite the toxic conversation that still surrounds the movie,Star Wars: The Last Jediis actually amazing, and one of the best projects of the Disney era. Perhaps the best part of the film was how it actually wanted to push the franchise forward, bringing up tough questions along the way.
2015
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Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker
2019
Oscar Isaac first appeared as Poe Dameron inStar Wars: The Force Awakens, and although he was a major part of the marketing, his character didn’t get as much to do as it was originally thought.Thankfully,Star Wars: The Last Jediexplores Poe Dameron in greater depth, and Oscar Isaac gives one of the best performances in the movie, as the character must learn from the mistakes he keeps making and trust those ahead of him actually understand what they are doing.
There have been several attempts at adapting Frank Herbet’s monumentally foundational science fiction novel, but it wasn’t until Denis Villeneuve’sDunein 2021 that it all came together to create something truly incredible. WhileDuneonly covered about half of the novel, it was awe-inspiring from start to finish with some of the best production design and visual effects in modern-day blockbuster filmmaking. Patient and meticulous without ever getting boring,Duneset the perfect foundation for the franchise on film.
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Oscar Isaac is magnificent inDune, playing Duke Leto Atreides, head of House Atreides, governor of Caladan, and Paul Atreides' father, who is sent to take over operations on Arrakis by order of the Emperor.Oscar Isaac’s performance as Duke Leto Atreides gives the character so much depth. He is simultaneously strong while vulnerable with his son, giving him guidance and reassurance. It’s not the biggest role in the entire Dune franchise, but it is a significant one, and Oscar Isaac did incredible things with it.
Set in New York City in 1981,A Most Violent Yeartells the story of an immigrant business owner who goes to great lengths to protect his family and business during the most dangerous year in the city’s history.A Most Violent Yearis a gritty and poignant, slow-burning thriller that is rife with atmosphere and strong performances. The film explores capitalism and greed to great effect, making it one of the more thought-provoking thrillers of its decade.
It’s a masterclass performance by Oscar Isaac, arguably one of the best in his entire career.
FollowingInside Llewyn Davis,Oscar Isaac’s career really took off andA Most Violent Yearwas one of the first leading roles as a rising star, and he is just as good in it as he is in basically everything else. Oscar Isaac plays Abel Morales in the film, a fuel supplier who tries to retain his moral code following rampant violence and corruption that threatens his business and family. It’s a masterclass performance by Oscar Isaac, arguably one of the best in his entire career.
Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Versehad the tough task of following up the groundbreaking film,Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, just a few years earlier, focusing on Miles Morales stepping into the role of the titular character. The film expanded on everything that made its predecessor so great, placing an even bigger emphasis on the multiverse and raising the stakes higher than ever. With some of the best animation ever put to film,Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verseis one of the best superhero movies of all time.
Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Versewas nominated for Best Animated Picture at the Oscars, but ultimately fell short against Hayao Miyazaki’sThe Boy and the Heron.
Oscar Isaac does tremendous voice work inSpider-Man: Across the Spider-Verseas he plays Miguel O’Hara, also known as Spider-Man 2099, another multiversal variant. While he is positioned as one of the good guys at the beginning, he takes a villain turn as the third act of the film approaches, andOscar Isaac’s performance captures the urgency Miguel feels in the situationas he tries to stop Miles Morales from changinga canon event.
2Ex Machina (2015)
Oscar Isaac as Nathan Bateman
Following a lonely programmer who is invited to the house of his company’s CEO to administer a Turing test to an artificially intelligent humanoid robot he created,Ex Machinais a masterpiece of science fiction and one of the best thrillers of the past two decades. As the narrative progresses, the atmosphere shift is incredible, and the end of the film allows viewers to linger on what happened long after it is over. It’s thought-provoking and shocking, with incredible performances throughout.
Oscar Isaac is a tour de force inEx Machinaas he plays Nathan Batemen, CEO of Blue Book and the creator of Alicia Vikander’s Ava.One of the most unnerving performances of Oscar Isaac’s career,his shift as the film progresses, and Batemen’s real intentions are revealed, is chilling. It also features one of the best dance scenes of all time, withOscar Isaac tearing up the dance floor.
Directed by the Coen Brothers,Inside Llewyn Davisfollows the titular character as he tries to find success as a folk singer while keeping his life in order. The film is set in 1961 over the span of one week, providing an intimate look at Llewyn Davis and the struggles he goes through. Simultaneously funny and incredibly sad,Inside Llewyn Davisis a masterpiece.
While Oscar Isaac was already showing how great of an actor he was,Inside Llewyn Daviswas the big breakthrough of his career and the moment his career truly took off, eventually leading him to become one of the best actors working today. Oscar Issac gives his character so much depth with his most profound and gentle performance of his career. It’s easy to watchInside Llewyn Davisand see whyOscar Isaaceventually became a star. He is really that good in it.
