At 55 years of age, Jason Isaacs is speeding up, not slowing down, with leading roles in Hotel Mumbai, Look Away and hit Netflix series The OA all in the last year alone. GQ chats with Isaacs to discuss his all-time favourite part (spoiler alert: he doesn't have one), having therapy and why nothing (not even his Ikea flat-pack knees) can get in the way of him and the tennis court.
So, you’re busy, busy, busy with the recent releases of The OA series two, Hotel Mumbai and Look Away. On a scale of one to ten, how happy are you right now?
“I don’t play that game, I’m just trying to be grateful. I’m happy in the moment, or when I’m eating cake or playing tennis, but does anyone know what happiness truly means? I’d rather just be grateful.”
**Acting – both on stage and on screen – requires some serious confidence. Have you always been comfortable in your own skin? **
“No, I’m actually not sure I ever have been. Playing ‘pop psychologist’, that’s possibly why I ended up acting. I was a very uncomfortable teenager, I think that’s the teenage condition, feeling like other people have the secret. I was constantly curious about people that fit comfortably in their own skin... Were they faking it? How could they be so certain about things? Then I discovered the rehearsal room, where you could delve into other people’s heads and hearts. Actually, that’s still what I love most about my work.”
**How does the process of delving into another psyche factor into the process of preparing for a role? **
“It depends entirely what it is. If you’re playing a wizard, there’s not many people you can go and hang out with. For Black Hawk Down, I went to train with the Rangers in Fort Benning. For Hotel Mumbai, I watched hours of survival footage. I think there’s a misconception about acting often – that you learn the lines, you play by the script – but 99.9 per cent of an actor’s role is embodying their psyche. Simple in concept, but bloody hard to do. You can’t prepare too much, you have to be completely in the moment when the camera rolls.”
You’re no strange to a traumatic scene or two, particularly in your recent film Hotel Mumbai. When were you most afraid in real life?
“It’s always for my children. I like doing things that scare me: jumping out of planes, going too fast down a mountain. I’m only fearful for my kids, for the future. I look at the hideous drift to the right in politics, with a monstrous white supremacist in the most powerful seat in the world. I worry not only for the actual consequences, but for the psychological consequences of our children seeing how there are no moral ‘grown ups’ in charge of their future.”
So, what’s the one thing you would ban to make the world a better place for all? Donald Trump?
“Oh, Jesus, yeah. But, I don’t know if you can ban prejudice, hatred, selfishness... Jesus, I’m going to start sounding like Mother Teresa. I’d ban politicians who appeal to our human, tribal natures. In fact, I may start by banning guns.”
**You’ve confessed to bingeing shows when you find one that you like. Is there anything else you’re addicted to? **
“How long have you got? My children know full well if there’s anything naughty in the house, then they need to hide it or it won’t last long.”
With such a sweet tooth, it must be hard to stay in shape?
“Well, it’s a bit of a worry because I’m not sure if I’ll ever walk or run in the same way. I played three five set tennis matches on a day off during Star Trek and the next day my knees were swollen like pumpkins. I went to see a top sports doctor and he said ‘You’ve fucked your knees,’ and I said, ‘I know, how long until they’re normal again?’ and he said, ‘No, you’ve fucked your knees.’ So I said, ‘What?! It was one day!’ and he said, ‘Yeah, so is a car crash. You should’ve listened to your body.’”
I suppose knees are one of those things, when they go, they go.
“Kind of like Ikea chairs, you can only bend them a certain number of times.”
So you don’t play tennis anymore?
“Of course I do, I just pop a lot of pills. I do all the stunts that I can do too. That’s the fun stuff that tragic old middle-aged men do at the weekends. Embarrassingly, I get to do it on a Wednesday afternoon as well.”
Aside from tennis, what else gives you pleasure in life? What else couldn’t you live without?
“All of it, I like being alive. What gives me the most pleasure? I want to say something corny like watching my kids laugh, but they’re teenagers so I’m not sure I’ll see that again for a couple of years. They laugh all the time, just not when I’m in the room.”
**Have you ever had therapy? **
“I’ve tried all kinds of therapy for research. Either because I’m playing a therapist, a psychiatrist, a doctor or a victim of abuse. That said, I have asked for help at times in my life and it’s always been incredibly useful. There should be no stigma attached to it. For humans to ignore experts and live like islands is nuts.”
So there’s never been a particular moment where you’ve wanted to give up? Where you’ve wanted to die?
“As an actor, I’m conscious that the public turn on their televisions or buy tickets to suspend their disbelief. There are some things that are important to keep secret – not because I’m ashamed or embarrassed of them, no – but because I don’t want to fill the viewer's head with my personal dramas. I don’t think the public that hope to be transported by my work are helped by knowing too much about me personally, it creates a barrier that can’t be breached. In fact, the actors I grew up worshipping – people I’m transported by to this day – I know the least about.”
You touched upon the stigma surrounding mental health. What do you think is the best way to get men to talk about their feelings, their worries?
“Look, I’m no guru or poster boy for anyone that’s got their shit together; I wouldn’t pretend to be, because anyone who knew me would laugh themselves into new underwear if I did. We talk about men showing their feelings but it depends on where men can share their feelings. What I do know is that if things are going wrong in your life then the worst thing to do is to knuckle down and hope it’ll go away. If your car is broken, you go to the mechanic. You don’t think ‘oh crap, there’s a flat tyre, better keep driving until it inflates itself,’ it’s as simple as that.”
**That’s a great analogy. **
“Without sounding corny, that’s why I believe in the power of stories. I think in times of crisis – either consciously or subconsciously – humans look to fictional narratives as a kind of guiding template. I used to come across Harry Potter fans who said that the books had saved their life and I’d think, ‘Well, that’s sweet, but really?’ Then they’d explain how the books had provided solace and support when they were feeling their darkest or most alone. That’s when I realised it was something bigger than we could’ve imagined. Jo is a true magician, those books will pull on heartstrings across the world forever.”
**What do you like most about yourself? **
“It changes from second to second but, in theory, I don’t like anything about myself. I like it when other people like me, that’s probably why I’m an actor. I think I’m funny, I think I can cheer people up, and – maybe because I’m from Liverpool, maybe because I’m Jewish – I really like that. In hindsight, maybe I’m fooling myself... my kids certainly don’t think I’m funny, they just roll their eyes when I open my mouth.”
**No teenagers think their parents are funny, trust me. What would you say is your greatest achievement? **
“People would often say their kids, but it’s not much of an achievement. Anyone can do it, it just takes a couple of minutes, some wine and a dark room. In terms of acting, people often ask what my favourite role has been, but it’s always the next one. I like living in the here and now. I’m way too superstitious to allow for the hubris of celebrating my achievements, but after 30 odd years and hundreds of roles, a few have made a real impact on the public. So to do something I love, that is occasionally of value, is a real bonus.”
That’s an achievement in itself, surely?
“I’m just stumbling blindly forward trying to do the best that I can. I tell you what a personal achievement is... if I can get out of bed and feel grateful for any part of the day – or all of the day – for all the unbelievable good fortune that I have. It’s easy to moan or complain, but because I’m lucky enough to work with the people at The Red Cross, or Great Ormond Street, or Marie Curie, I can use my exposure for the better and spend the day feeling incredibly grateful. That is the best achievement any of us can do for ourselves.”
Yes, you’re very active on social media to expose social injustice and promote the work of charities across the world. Is that something you’re particularly passionate about?
“My mum ran charities her whole life and I gave her no credit for it. I wish I could have all that time again because she’s dead now, sadly. But, I do think I absorbed by osmosis that drive to help others. If I can use my profile to galvanise people into action, then that feels great. Don’t get me wrong, I’m as selfish and cracked and amoral as everybody else, but I know what makes me feel good in life: chocolate, playing tennis, holding hands... and charity. I don’t know if it’s an ego boost, if it feeds the need inside all of us to be needed or of value, but it makes me feel better.”
**What is the most important lesson life has taught you? What one piece of advice would you pass down to your kids? **
“Find whatever tools you need to be grateful. Oh, and put that phone down! Although, as an addict, I’m just as bad as them.”
**Do you have a particular favourite project? **
“I can’t single out a favourite, but If you haven’t watched The OA, you’re missing out on something, that’s all I’m saying. I have never met anyone as fearless in their storytelling as Zal (Batmanglij) and Brit (Marling). Netflix has empowered them to go so far off piste, you don’t even recognise the mountain anymore. I read the script and got on a plane to the set that same night.”
What about the script made you get on the plane?
“I read millions of scripts and I honestly have never read anything like The OA. Not even close. The characters aren’t drawing on the cauldron of established tropes and clichés, they’re in a completely different kitchen. It’s selfish, really... I want people to watch it because I want Netflix to commission another series, because I want to see what they’ll do. Purely as a fan, I want to see where their stories will go.”
**Well, judging by the popularity of it, a third series must be looking likely? Here’s hoping, anyway... **
“Here’s hoping.”
- Look Away and The OA series two are out now. Hotel Mumbai is out on 3 May. *
