Previously in his career, Oscar Isaac has already helped to lead several popular and beloved entertainment properties, from Star Wars to Dune to The Addams Family and beyond, all while maintaining the indie cred that have helped smaller films like Ex Machina and Inside Llewyn Davis stand the test of time. Now, he’s front and center for Disney+’s Moon Knight, his second Marvel project and first within the MCU proper, and critics have already lauded his performance(s) as Steven Grant and Marc Spector, even if the jury is still out on where things are going. But as seasoned an acting vet as Isaac is, he’s not immune to advice and guidance, particularly within a franchise-building world like Marvel, so it’s perhaps no surprise that he chatted up Robert Downey Jr. about his superhero turn.
With Moon Knight having debuted its first of six episodes on Disney’s streaming service on March 29, Oscar Isaac has been doing a lot of talking about the darker-than-usual Marvel project, and shared with Extra that some of his early conversations about the project and character were with MCU progenitor and Iron Man portrayer Robert Downey Jr. In his words:
I did talk to Robert Downey quite a bit. I talked to him a lot. He’s a friend already, so just talking to him about it and just what his sense of it is, and how his process has been. He was such a great person to talk to, obviously, about the whole thing. And also for me, the biggest inspiration, because to this day still, that first Iron Man movie is just so good.
By and large, an MCU project lives and dies by the skills of its lead actors, and Robert Downey Jr. legitimately solidified the rest of his career by taking on Iron Man, its sequels, and the run of Avengers films. So any advice he has to give about this kind of career will be (and should be) heeded, and it turns out his guidance for Oscar Isaac hinged on communicating with Marvel Studios’ big boss.
I think the thing is, he just really said that Kevin Feige is a genius and he’s a collaborator, and so don’t be afraid to come in and give your ideas and give your thoughts, and to be bold with your choices.
Clearly, Oscar Isaac took that advice and ran halfway around the world with it, at least when it comes to his ear-catching British accent that has been on display in trailers and throughout the series premiere. And by all means, while it’s a little silly, it works within the context of the series early on, by way of creating narrative-based confusion. I’m sure that wouldn’t have been in there at all, guvnah, had Isaac not convinced Kevin Feige and others that it was a good idea, and it’s likely not the only significant character trait that the actor brought into the role organically, knowing that Feige may be open to such things.
Now if only Oscar Isaac could convince Kevin Feige to clue fans in on whether or not Moon Knight’s central hero will live on to join other Marvel properties like a new Avengers franchise. The actor revealed that he didn't opt into a long-term Marvel contract that has been the norm for most of the MCU's other stars, so the character's future is completely uncertain at this point. Could that have been one of the undisclosed pieces of advice that Robert Downey Jr. gave him? T'wouldn't be the strangest thing to learn if it was.
Moon Knight streams new episodes on Disney+ every Wednesday. While waiting for the next one, get a little more insight into the comic character Khonshu, and head to our 2022 TV premiere schedule to see what new and returning shows are popping up soon.
