While Oscar Isaac is currently wowing audiences with his performance in Guillermo del Toro’s Frankenstein, it’s his work on major franchise movies, specifically those run by Disney, that has largely created his fanbase. Between playing Poe Dameron in the Star Wars sequel trilogy and playing Moon Knight for Marvel, Isaac has a lot of fans who hope he returns to play those roles again.
It turns out the actor isn’t against it himself, though he dropped something of a sensitive response to note his condition, which speaks entirely to the timing of the interview.
What Oscar Isaac said About Working For Disney Again
Oscar Isaac frequently offers blunt responses to things in his interviews, such as having previously said he would only return to Star Wars again if he needed to buy a house. In a new interview with GQ, he suggested that he wouldn’t necessarily be against working with Disney again, though his then-current feelings about the studio were conflicted. He said…
Yeah. I mean, I’d be open to it, although right now I’m not so open to working with Disney. But if they can kinda figure it out and, you know, not succumb to fascism, that would be great.
Dropping the word “fascism” into an answer about Star Wars and Marvel characters amounts to an f-bomb of a different sort, and it’s a pretty aggressive statement to toss at one of the biggest entertainment companies in the world. Although when one looks into the situation, it at least becomes a bit more understandable why Isaac said this when he did.
How Disney’s Jimmy Kimmel Reaction Likely Influenced Isaac’s Response
While GQ only just published the interview with Isaac, it’s noted that the interview was conducted only two days after ABC’s decision to suspend Jimmy Kimmel and pre-empt his late-night show, when reactive hot takes were spreading throughout Hollywood. This decision was very likely what Oscar Isaac was referring to with his blunt comment. Tensions were likely high as the interview was being conducted when Kimmel’s future was far from clear.
The issue goes back to comments that FCC Chairman Brendan Carr made following the monologue. It was Carr who originally suggested that ABC affiliates should refuse to carry Kimmel following comments the host made following the death of Charlie Kirk.
Following Carr’s statements, two major affiliate groups, Sinclair and Nexstar, announced they would cease carrying Jimmy Kimmel Live! While the affiliates claim they came to their own decision on whether or not to carry the show, many have suggested that benching Kimmel was the case of the government taking steps to silence a voice that had been critical of them, which is likely the fascism that Isaac was referring to.
Jimmy Kimmel Live! was off the air for a week, and all of ABC’s affiliates are now carrying the show again. As such, it appears this particular issue is behind everybody. Perhaps it will smooth things over between Disney and Oscar Isaac as well.