The Many (GLORIOUS) Faces of Oscar Isaac
Oscar Isaac officially strapped on his jetpack to stardom when he took on the role of heroic and hunky fighter pilot Poe Dameron in Star Wars: The Force Awakens. The world cannot get over his effortless curls, his mastery of lip-biting (this will NEVER get old), and his generally shippability (including this potentially *SPOILER-Y?* love interest). But, for those of you just hopping on the Oscar Isaac train (it’s red, and is second only to the Hogwarts Express in terms of official train rankings), HAVE WE GOT A TREAT FOR YOU.
We’re about to make your Netflix, Hulu, HBOGO, and public library queues SUH much better. Here, in all their glory, are some of the best Oscar Isaac performances that you may have missed over the years, including one that revolves around a cat. BEWARE—there is a dangerous amount of talent and dreamboat-ness contained in this man. Use the buddy system if you plan on entering the Oscar Isaac obsession zone.
Warner Brothers
While this stylized, noir, action movie was generally panned, there’s actually a lot to love in this passion project from director Zack Snyder. Despite the itty bitty outfits, the film features a great ensemble of strong, female actors (Emily Browning, Abbie Cornish, Jena Malone (pre-Johanna Mason), Jamie Chung, and Carla Gugino) kicking ass and taking names. Oscar Isaac brings swagger and intensity to the guy-liner-wearing villain named Blue who runs the mental hospital that houses these troubled girls. He doesn’t have as much screen time as the ladies, but he gives a chilling performance and demands your attention whenever he speaks.
Anchor Bay Films
We feel as if the world is largely unaware of this cinematic (okay, casting) gem. NO MORE! This very mockumentary-style dramedy stars the most epic cast of all time: Channing Tatum, Jenna Dewan Tatum, CHRIS PRATT, Justin Long, Anthony Mackie, Ari Graynor, Rosario Dawson, Kate Mara, Max Minghella, Aubrey Plaza, and our man Oscar Isaac. It’s like an Avengers movie it has so many of our favorite people (and at least one actual Avenger). On top of all that greatness, this movie is blessed with one of the best Oscar Isaac moments of all time—Oscar Isaac singing “Never Had.” *Warning!* The clip of him singing does give away a really lovely plot point in the film, so maybe listen to this on repeat AFTER you watch the movie.
CBS Films
In one of his first starring roles, Oscar Isaac plays a down-on-his-luck folk musician in the Coen Brothers film, Inside Llewyn Davis. It’s a melancholy and meandering journey of a movie, but it features some stunning performances from Oscar, Carey Mulligan, Justin Timberlake (YES HE SINGS), Adam Driver (Star Wars reunion!), and Garrett Hedlund, as well as some super moving music. The unanimous favorite song from the film, “Fare Thee Well,” was even recorded with Oscar Isaac and Marcus Mumford of Mumford and Sons. Oh, and Oscar carries around a cat for A LOT of the movie. So, that’s just the dandiest thing we’ve ever seen.
A24
Reason #512 why Oscar Isaac is bae: ACTING RANGE. He has got the mad skills to play MILLIONS of characters and play them each uniquely and BRILLIANTLY. Prime example—in Ex Machina, Oscar plays an insane, genius, billionaire who brings Domhnall Gleeson (dearest of dear red-headed men) in to test an AI (Alicia Vikander) he’s designed. Even though the movie is a mainly sci-fi and thriller in nature, the script is actually very contained and character-driven, giving Oscar the freedom to delve deep into the madness of his erratic megalomaniac. It’s an incredible performance, and we’re not just saying that because of his killer dance moves.
X-Men: Apocalypse (Coming 5/27/16)
Although we haven’t seen X-Men: Apocalypse yet, we have no doubt that Oscar Isaac is going to SLAY as the title character, Apocalypse. That’s right, Oscar Isaac is literally playing the end of the world, AND WE COULD NOT BE MORE EXCITED. If that’s what the doom of humanity looks like, we cool with that.
And for more Oscar Isaac (because ENOUGH is NEVER ENOUGH), here are some other FAB Oscar roles that may or may not be the best part of whatever TV series/movie they’re in:
Show Me a Hero — Oscar just won a Golden Globe for this dark HBO series. Serious stuff for serious people with serious mustaches.
A Most Violent Year — A very buzzy awards film last year starring Jessica Chastain and Oscar Isaac as immigrants trying to keep their business afloat.
The Two Faces of January — A stellar cast of Viggo Mortensen (Aragorn 4 lifeeee), Kirsten Dunst, and Oscar Isaac weave their way through a somewhat confusing European murder mystery. At least the sunglasses are on point.
Drive — Who remembers what this movie is about other than Ryan Gosling and a shiny jacket? Well, ten points to you then.
W.E. — While Madonna’s foray into film isn’t our favorite flick, Oscar can steal our heart with even the smallest part.
Have you already fallen into an Oscar Isaac movie rabbit hole? Are you planning on staying there forever?
