Now synonymous with his character Moon Knight, Oscar Isaac was initially hesitant to take on the role after his stint as Poe Dameron in the Star Wars franchise. He had taken on back-to-back acting roles in Dune and The Card Counter after he finished his schedule for The Rise of Skywalker.
After the compulsory hiatus due to the pandemic, Isaac was offered Moon Knight in the latter half of 2020. He did not want to get into another long-term commitment with a series again but was sufficiently intrigued by the character of Stephen Grant/Marc Spector (also going by Moon Knight).
Star Wars actor Oscar Isaac almost rejected the role of Moon Knight in 2020
Despite enjoying his role in the Star Wars franchise, Oscar Isaac was in turmoil about taking on another role that required him to play the same character for a long while. He admitted that he was nervous about the decision, as coming back from the failure of the series would be next to impossible. He said,
“…my instinct at first was like, ‘This is probably not the right thing to do.’ But there was just something about the Steven character that was speaking to me a little bit.”
His interest in the character of Steven Grant who suffered from DID, or Dissociative Identity Disorder banished his fears about being in the MCU-led series and Isaac became the lead in Moon Knight. The language used for DID struck Isaac as “fantastical” and “complex”, adding,
“… when I found Steven, this characterization, it was almost like, “What would Peter Sellers do if he was asked to be in a Marvel movie?”
Thankfully, Kevin Feige was willing to listen to the Dune actor’s suggestions about the character leading to a successful working relationship between Marvel Studios and Isaac.
Michael Hernandez was his body double for scenes where Marc and Steven were interacting
As those familiar with the series would know, several scenes feature the two alter egos of the character together in one scene. When asked about how those scenes were filmed, Isaac said he asked his brother, Michael Hernandez, a journalist and actor to help out.
“So he came out, and he would play whichever character I wasn’t playing in the moment.”
The Ex Machina actor added that it was difficult to figure out the movements and blocking. Isaac would act as one character (either Marc or Steven) prior to filming, give inputs to his brother and play the other character when the scene was shot. He mentioned missing out on the “unexpected” nuances that come about when filming with another person, and said,
“Usually, as an actor, the thing that you really look forward to is the unexpected. An actor across from you does something different, and you react. That’s how you find spontaneity. So that was one of the big technical challenges of the show.”
Michael Hernandez also admitted to being excited when Oscar Isaac approached him to be his double. Hernandez worked hard for the role, exercising with Isaac so their physical attributes would be similar. He said,
“I prepared mentally for this whole two-month period of just intense training and dieting to get to a certain physical level. I was so determined and focused to get it done. I was really proud of myself that I made it happen.”
The brothers’ perseverance seems to have paid off as the series opened in 2022 to positive reviews. The six-episode series about Steven Grant and Marc Spector, and their interactions with Egyptian deities is available for exclusive viewing on Disney+.
See also: Oscar Isaac Didn’t Want Marvel Stardom, Called $6M Moon Knight Role a “Mental Torment”
Source: The Hollywood Reporter
