{{Short description|American actor (born 1979)}} {{Family name hatnote|Hernández|Estrada|lang=Hispanic American}} {{Featured article}} {{pp-pc|small=yes}} {{Use American English|date=June 2023}} {{Use mdy dates|date=March 2024}} {{Infobox person | name = Oscar Isaac | image = Oscar Isaac at 82nd Venice International Film Festival-1 (cropped).jpg | caption = Isaac in 2025 | alt = | birth_name = Óscar Isaac Hernández Estrada | birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1979|3|9}} | birth_place = Guatemala City, Guatemala | citizenship = {{Plainlist| * Guatemala * United States (since 2006) }} | education = {{Plainlist| * Miami Dade College<!-- Do not add his high school education; this should be reserved for postsecondary education (college, university, etc.) only. --> * Juilliard School (BFA) }} | occupation = Actor | years_active = 1998–present | works = List of roles and awards | spouse = {{marriage|Elvira Lind|2017}} | children = 2 | relatives = Nicole Hernandez Hammer (sister) }}
'''Óscar Isaac Hernández Estrada''' (born March 9, 1979) is an <!--Only American per WP:ETHNICITY.-->American<!--Do NOT add Guatemalan.--> actor. Recognized for his versatility, he has been credited with breaking stereotypes about Latino characters in Hollywood. He was named the best actor of his generation by ''Vanity Fair'' in 2017 and one of the 25 greatest actors of the 21st century by ''The New York Times'' in 2020. His accolades include a Golden Globe Award, a nomination for a Primetime Emmy Award and an honorary Doctor of Fine Arts degree from Juilliard.<ref name="HonoraryDegree"/> In 2016, he featured on ''Time''{{'s}} list of the 100 most influential people in the world.
Born in Guatemala, Isaac moved with his family to the United States as an infant. As a teenager, he joined a punk band, acted in plays and made his film debut in a minor role. A graduate of the Juilliard School, Isaac was a character actor in films for much of the 2000s. His first major role was that of Joseph in the biblical drama ''The Nativity Story'' (2006), and he won an AACTA Award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role for portraying political leader José Ramos-Horta in the Australian film ''Balibo'' (2009). After gaining recognition for playing supporting parts in ''Robin Hood'' (2010) and ''Drive'' (2011), Isaac had his breakthrough with the eponymous role of a singer in the musical drama ''Inside Llewyn Davis'' (2013), which earned him a Golden Globe nomination.
Isaac's career progressed with leading roles in the crime drama ''A Most Violent Year'' (2014), the thriller ''Ex Machina'' (2015) and the superhero film ''X-Men: Apocalypse'' (2016). He became a global star with the role of Poe Dameron in the ''Star Wars'' sequel trilogy (2015–2019). Isaac starred in the historical drama ''Operation Finale'' (2018)—which marked his first venture into production—the science fiction films ''Annihilation'' (2018), ''Dune'' (2021), and ''Frankenstein'' (2025), the crime drama ''The Card Counter'' (2021), and the animated superhero film ''Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse'' (2023).
On television, Isaac was the lead in three miniseries: ''Show Me a Hero'' (2015), in which his portrayal of Nick Wasicsko won him a Golden Globe Award, ''Scenes from a Marriage'' (2021), and the Marvel Cinematic Universe's ''Moon Knight'' (2022). In 2026, he also starred in the second season of the anthology series ''Beef''. His stage work includes title roles in ''Romeo and Juliet'' (2007), ''Hamlet'' (2017) and ''The Sign in Sidney Brustein's Window'' (2023).
==Early life and education == Óscar Isaac Hernández Estrada was born on March 9, 1979, in Guatemala City to a Guatemalan mother, María Eugenia Estrada Nicolle, and a Cuban father, Óscar Gonzalo Hernández-Cano, a pulmonologist.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Alonso |first1=Begoña |title=¿Quién es Oscar Isaac, protagonista de 'Caballero Luna' (Disney+) y el actor más buscado del momento? |url=https://www.elle.com/es/living/ocio-cultura/a39607591/oscar-isaac-peliculas-series-biografia/ |access-date=May 25, 2022 |work=Elle |date=April 1, 2022 |language=es-ES |trans-title=Who is Oscar Isaac, star of ''Moon Knight'' (Disney +) and the most sought-after actor of the moment? |archive-date=May 25, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220525161033/https://www.elle.com/es/living/ocio-cultura/a39607591/oscar-isaac-peliculas-series-biografia/ |url-status=live }}</ref>{{sfn|Crelin|2016|pp=47–48}} He has an older sister, climate scientist Nicole, and a younger brother, journalist Mike.<ref>{{cite magazine |last1=Lee |first1=Ray |script-title=zh:《沙丘》奧斯卡伊薩克將成為下一位漫威英雄？10點重新認識「雷托公爵」奧斯卡伊薩克 |url=https://www.harpersbazaar.com/tw/celebrity/celebritynews/g37569143/facts-about-oscar-isaac/ |access-date=May 25, 2022 |magazine=Harper's Bazaar |date=September 16, 2021 |language=zh-TW |trans-title=''Dune'' – Will Oscar Isaac Become the Next Marvel Hero? 10 Things to Get to Know 'Duke Leto' Oscar Isaac Again |archive-date=May 25, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220525172528/https://www.harpersbazaar.com/tw/celebrity/celebritynews/g37569143/facts-about-oscar-isaac/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine|last=Breznican|first=Anthony|author-link=Anthony Breznican|title=Poe Dameron meets Bro Dameron: Oscar Isaac vs. his journalist brother Mike Hernandez|url=https://ew.com/article/2015/12/15/oscar-isaac-star-wars-brother/|access-date=June 16, 2020|magazine=Entertainment Weekly|date=December 15, 2015|archive-date=June 16, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200616023628/https://ew.com/article/2015/12/15/oscar-isaac-star-wars-brother/|url-status=live}}</ref> Isaac's family immigrated to the US when he was five months old, and they frequently moved around the country, living in Baltimore, New Orleans and Miami, where they eventually settled.<ref name="esquire2017"/> Isaac became a United States citizen in 2006.<ref name="GQ2015"/> He has French origins through his grandfather.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.goldenglobes.com/honorees/oscar-isaac-inside-llewyn-davis-5971|title=Oscar Isaac (''Inside Llewyn Davis'')|publisher=Golden Globe Awards|access-date=May 25, 2022|date=May 23, 2013|archive-date=May 26, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220526012502/https://www.goldenglobes.com/honorees/oscar-isaac-inside-llewyn-davis-5971|url-status=live}}</ref> He speaks English and Spanish.<ref>{{cite AV media|title=Oscar Isaac on Being Bilingual |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xiEMAxgBFhM|access-date=March 5, 2021|via=YouTube|publisher=Sirius XM|date=March 14, 2019|archive-date=November 3, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201103062231/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xiEMAxgBFhM&feature=youtu.be|url-status=live}}</ref>
Isaac attended the private grade school Westminster Christian School in southern Florida.<ref name="tgam"/> Drawn to creating music and film content from a young age, he struggled growing up in Miami, which in his view was not "a flourishing place for the arts" due to its rather conservative nature. When he was four, he and his sister organized plays in their backyard.{{sfn|Crelin|2016|p=48}}<ref>{{cite news |title=He loves playing devil's advocate – and every other role |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/102648552/the-miami-herald/ |access-date=May 27, 2022 |work=The Miami Herald |date=February 4, 2001 |pages=714 |via=Newspapers.com |url-access=subscription |archive-date=May 27, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220527182942/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/102648552/the-miami-herald/ |url-status=live }} {{subscription required}}</ref> Around age{{nbsp}}10, Isaac made a home movie called ''The Avenger'', in which he played dual characters; he also participated in school plays.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Mengiste |first1=Maaza |title=The Dream of Oscar Isaac |url=https://www.esquire.com/entertainment/tv/a39520165/oscar-isaac-interview-moon-knight-star-wars/ |access-date=May 22, 2022 |work=Esquire |date=March 30, 2022 |archive-date=May 22, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220522185618/https://www.esquire.com/entertainment/tv/a39520165/oscar-isaac-interview-moon-knight-star-wars/ |url-status=live }}</ref> He wrote his first play in fifth grade; it was based on the Biblical story of Noah's Ark and featured a doubtful platypus.<ref>{{cite AV media|title=Oscar Isaac on Being Bilingual|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bYfEq9jtPYs|access-date=August 18, 2022|via=YouTube|publisher=Late Night with Seth Meyers|date=April 26, 2022|time=0:20|archive-date=August 18, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220818174825/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bYfEq9jtPYs|url-status=live}}</ref> He found great joy at performing in front of people, which provided stress relief at a time when his parents were separating and his mother became sick.<ref name="esquire2017">{{cite news |last1=Collinge |first1=Miranda |title=Oscar Isaac: High Flyer |url=https://www.esquire.com/uk/culture/film/a18451/oscar-isaac-interview/ |access-date=May 23, 2022 |work=Esquire |date=November 15, 2017 |archive-date=February 18, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220218145600/https://www.esquire.com/uk/culture/film/a18451/oscar-isaac-interview/ |url-status=live }}</ref>
[[File:Juilliard School - Alice Tully Hall.jpg|thumb|Isaac studied acting at the Juilliard School in New York City.|alt=A picture of a building in New York City, taken from across the street]] Growing up in a religious household,{{efn|He described his upbringing as "very Christian".<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/film/2013/may/23/oscar-isaac-inside-llewyn-davies-cannes|title=Oscar Isaac: 'The irony is not lost on me. Being celebrated for playing someone who wasn't'|first=Catherine|last=Shoard|date=May 23, 2013|work=The Guardian|access-date=May 25, 2022|archive-date=April 10, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150410081039/http://www.theguardian.com/film/2013/may/23/oscar-isaac-inside-llewyn-davies-cannes|url-status=live}}</ref>}} Estrada was a rebellious child and liked causing trouble at school.<ref name="details_interview">{{cite magazine |last=Bhattacharji |first=Alex |date=April 2015 |title=The Evolution of Oscar Isaac |url=http://www.details.com/story/oscar-isaac-star-wars-ex-machina |magazine=Details |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160110121407/http://www.details.com/story/oscar-isaac-star-wars-ex-machina |archive-date=January 10, 2016 |access-date=May 22, 2022}}</ref> He was eventually expelled.<ref name="tgam">{{cite news |last=Schneller |first=Johanna |title=An actor's classroom punishment that led to ''Llewyn Davis'' |work=The Globe and Mail |url=https://www.theglobeandmail.com/arts/film/an-actors-classroom-punishment-that-led-to-llewyn-davis/article16117161/ |access-date=May 25, 2022 |date=December 27, 2013 |archive-date=May 3, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220503213635/https://www.theglobeandmail.com/arts/film/an-actors-classroom-punishment-that-led-to-llewyn-davis/article16117161/ |url-status=live }}</ref>
In 1992, Hurricane Andrew destroyed his family's home in Miami.{{sfn|Crelin|2016|p=48}} Around this time, his parents divorced and he moved with his mother to Palm Beach, where he attended a public high school. Isaac liked his new school and formed a band with boys he met in a trailer park.<ref name="esquire2017"/> He learned music, played guitar and continued to make home movies, inspired by Quentin Tarantino's work: "action [films], with lots of blood and cars".<ref name="details_interview"/><ref name="telegraph">{{cite web |last=McNulty |first=Bernadette |title=Oscar Isaac interview for ''Inside Llewyn Davis'': 'I had no interest in going off the rails' |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/film/starsandstories/10544256/Oscar-Isaac-interview-for-Inside-Llewyn-Davis-I-had-no-interest-in-going-off-the-rails.html |access-date=May 25, 2022 |work=The Daily Telegraph |date=January 6, 2014 |url-access=limited |archive-date=May 27, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220527141220/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/film/starsandstories/10544256/Oscar-Isaac-interview-for-Inside-Llewyn-Davis-I-had-no-interest-in-going-off-the-rails.html |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="telegraph" />
At age{{nbsp}}14, Isaac and his bandmates performed Nirvana's "Rape Me" at a talent show and lost.<ref name="esquire2017"/> He attended Santaluces Community High School<ref name="highschool"/> and graduated in 1998. Isaac joined a Christian ska punk band named The Blinking Underdogs,<ref>{{Cite web |last=Brown |first=Emily |date=2021-10-18 |title=We Need to Talk About Oscar Isaac's Christian Ska Band |url=https://relevantmagazine.com/culture/we-need-to-talk-about-oscar-isaacs-christian-ska-band/ |access-date=2025-11-16 |website=RELEVANT |language=en-US}}</ref> which enjoyed some success, opening for Green Day.{{sfn|King|2014|p=104}}{{sfn|Crelin|2016|p=48}} During this time, Isaac took a two-day workshop with a casting director and won a brief part in the independent film ''Illtown'' (1998).{{sfn|Bishop|2015|p=211}}{{sfn|Crelin|2016|p=48}}
A chance encounter with artistic director John Rodaz at the Area Stage Company in Miami Beach resulted in several roles on stage. Isaac next secured parts in Joseph Adler's 2000 productions of ''This Is Our Youth'' and ''Side Man'' at GableStage.<ref name="miami2015">{{cite news|last=Rodriguez|first=Rene|title=Miami's Oscar Isaac soars to new heights in ''Star Wars: Episode VII – The Force Awakens''|url=http://www.miamiherald.com/entertainment/article49249080.html|work=The Miami Herald|access-date=May 24, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160313202013/http://www.miamiherald.com/entertainment/article49249080.html |archive-date=March 13, 2016 |url-status=dead |date=December 11, 2015|url-access=subscription}} {{subscription required}}</ref> To avoid getting typecast as a "Latino gangster", he used Isaac as his surname at auditions." To support himself financially, he worked as an orderly at the hospital where his father worked.<ref name="telegraph"/>
Isaac considered enlisting in the Marines at one point. His father initially disapproved of this, but Isaac had recruiters convince him. Once he had taken the exam, Isaac said he wanted to do combat photography in military reserve, a job they did not offer.<ref name="esquire2017"/> Instead, he studied performing arts at Miami Dade College and continued to act in plays.<ref name="highschool">{{cite news |last1=Hernandez |first1=Mike |title=Before ''Star Wars: The Force Awakens'', Actor Oscar Isaac Was Just a Miami Kid |url=https://www.miaminewtimes.com/arts/before-star-wars-the-force-awakens-actor-oscar-isaac-was-just-a-miami-kid-8107945 |access-date=May 25, 2022 |work=Miami New Times |date=December 15, 2015|archive-date=May 19, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220519212635/https://www.miaminewtimes.com/arts/before-star-wars-the-force-awakens-actor-oscar-isaac-was-just-a-miami-kid-8107945 |url-status=live }}</ref> During a trip to New York City to play a young Fidel Castro in an Off-Broadway production of the play ''When it's Cocktail Time in Cuba'', he successfully auditioned to study at the Juilliard School.<ref name="esquire2017"/> While a student there, he was cast in a production of ''Macbeth'' and worked on the film ''All About the Benjamins'' (2002).{{sfn|King|2014|pp=104–105}} Isaac graduated from Juilliard with a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in 2005.<ref>{{cite news |title=Oscar Isaac News & Biography |url=https://www.empireonline.com/people/oscar-isaac/ |access-date=May 25, 2022 |work=Empire |archive-date=May 25, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220525163320/https://www.empireonline.com/people/oscar-isaac/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.juilliard.edu/degrees-programs/drama/actors.php|title=Juilliard: Drama Division: Acting Programs|publisher=Juilliard School|access-date=April 13, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120510045618/http://juilliard.edu/degrees-programs/drama/actors.php|archive-date=May 10, 2012|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://journal.juilliard.edu/journal/qa-oscar-isaac|first=Jennifer|last=Fuschetti|title=Q & A With Oscar Isaac|work=The Juilliard School |publisher=Juilliard School|date=September 3, 2007|access-date=September 4, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120510045618/http://journal.juilliard.edu/journal/qa-oscar-isaac|archive-date=May 10, 2012|url-status=live}}</ref>
==Career== {{main|List of roles and awards of Oscar Isaac}}
===Early roles (2005–2010)=== After graduating from Juilliard, Isaac continued to write music and performed in small New York clubs, and played Proteus in ''Two Gentlemen of Verona'' (2005) in The Public Theatre.<ref name="telegraph"/> The following year, he portrayed Federico García Lorca in New York City Center's production of ''Beauty of the Father''; David Rooney of ''Variety'' remarked that his "injection of wry humor provides welcome levity".<ref>{{Cite news |last=Rooney |first=David |date=January 10, 2006 |title=Beauty of the Father |url=https://variety.com/2006/legit/markets-festivals/beauty-of-the-father-1200519393/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220519221519/https://variety.com/2006/legit/markets-festivals/beauty-of-the-father-1200519393/ |archive-date=May 19, 2022 |access-date=May 25, 2022 |work=Variety}}</ref> Also in 2006, he briefly appeared on the television series ''Law & Order: Criminal Intent'',<ref>{{Cite news |last=Crump |first=Jonathon |date=March 30, 2022 |title=Who is ''Moon Knight'' actor Oscar Isaac and what other TV shows and movies has he been in? |url=https://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/news/tv/who-moon-knight-actor-oscar-23535449 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220519212809/https://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/news/tv/who-moon-knight-actor-oscar-23535449 |archive-date=May 19, 2022 |access-date=May 22, 2022 |work=Manchester Evening News}}</ref> and played Joseph in the biblical epic ''The Nativity Story'', opposite Keisha Castle-Hughes. It was the first film to hold its world premiere in the Vatican City. Having grown up in a religious family, Isaac believed it was important to portray his character "as human as possible" and approach him like any other role.<ref name="note1">{{cite news |last=Greydanus |first=Steven |date=November 22, 2006 |title=Joseph Gets His Due |work=National Catholic Register |url=http://ncregister.com/site/article/1363 |access-date=May 24, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061123001441/http://ncregister.com/site/article/1363 |archive-date=November 23, 2006 |url-status=dead}}</ref> To understand Joseph's background better, he read a book titled ''The Life and Times of Jesus the Messiah''.<ref>{{cite news |last=Mattingly |first=Terry |author-link=Terry Mattingly |title=''Nativity'' actors takes a new look at Joseph |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/102473222/the-herald-palladium/ |access-date=May 24, 2022 |work=The Herald-Palladium |date=December 2, 2006 |page=D1 |via=Newspapers.com |url-access=subscription |archive-date=May 24, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220524201431/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/102473222/the-herald-palladium/ |url-status=live }} {{subscription required}}</ref> The film received mixed reviews and grossed $46{{nbsp}}million against a budget of $35{{nbsp}}million.<ref>{{cite web |title=''The Nativity Story'' |url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/nativity_story |publisher=Rotten Tomatoes |access-date=May 24, 2022 |archive-date=May 18, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220518142448/https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/nativity_story |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=''The Nativity Story'' |url=https://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?page=main&id=nativity.htm |publisher=Box Office Mojo |access-date=May 24, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121108185004/https://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?page=main&id=nativity.htm |archive-date=November 8, 2012}}</ref> A critic for ''The Abbotsford News'' wrote that Isaac brought the role "a freshness and vulnerability it usually" lacks.<ref>{{cite news |last=Wilmington |first=Michael |title=Familiar tale still has the power to entertain |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/102473766/the-abbotsford-news/ |access-date=May 24, 2022 |work=The Abbotsford News |date=December 2, 2006 |page=33 |via=Newspapers.com |url-access=subscription |archive-date=May 24, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220524201430/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/102473766/the-abbotsford-news/ |url-status=live }} {{subscription required}}</ref> Toddy Burton of ''The Austin Chronicle'' found Isaac "endearing", yet thought that his character's selfless personality made him seem unreal.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Burton |first1=Tody |title=Movie Review: ''The Nativity Story'' |url=https://www.austinchronicle.com/events/film/2006-12-01/423487/ |access-date=May 24, 2022 |work=The Austin Chronicle |date=December 1, 2006 |archive-date=May 24, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220524203238/https://www.austinchronicle.com/events/film/2006-12-01/423487/ |url-status=live }}</ref>
Isaac played Romeo alongside Lauren Ambrose in the Public Theater's ''Romeo and Juliet'' (2007).<ref>{{Cite web |last=Brantley |first=Ben |author-link=Ben Brantley |date=June 25, 2007 |title=Rash and Unadvis'd in Verona Seeks Same |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2007/06/25/theater/reviews/25bran.html |url-access=limited |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220519221636/https://www.nytimes.com/2007/06/25/theater/reviews/25bran.html |archive-date=May 19, 2022 |access-date=May 22, 2022 |website=The New York Times}}</ref> Michal Daniel of ''The Record'' believed that a "persuasively young and inexperienced" Isaac was overshadowed by Ambrose but had an enthusiastic speech and a passionate behavior.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Daniel |first1=Michal |title=In this 'Romeo,' two young-at-heart leads |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/102528063/the-record/ |access-date=May 25, 2022 |work=The Record |date=June 29, 2007 |page=G21 |via=Newspapers.com |url-access=subscription |archive-date=May 25, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220525185943/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/102528063/the-record/ |url-status=live }} {{subscription required}}</ref> For much of the rest of the 2000s, Isaac played minor roles in films—the thriller ''The Life Before Her Eyes'' (2007), the biopic ''Che'' (2008), the spy thriller ''Body of Lies'' (2008) and the Spanish historical drama ''Agora'' (2009).<ref>{{Cite web |last=Holden |first=Stephen |date=April 18, 2008 |title=Robbed of Youth, and Saddled With Guilt |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/18/movies/18life.html |url-access=limited |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220519184124/https://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/18/movies/18life.html |archive-date=May 19, 2022 |access-date=May 25, 2022 |website=The New York Times}}</ref><ref name="VultureFilmRoles">{{Cite web |last=Logan |first=Lizzie |date=March 8, 2019 |title=Every Oscar Isaac Movie Role, Ranked (by How Much I Want to Marry His Character) |url=https://www.vulture.com/article/best-oscar-isaac-movies-ranked-by-cuteness.html |url-access=limited |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220519183257/https://www.vulture.com/article/best-oscar-isaac-movies-ranked-by-cuteness.html |archive-date=May 19, 2022 |access-date=May 22, 2022 |website=Vulture}}</ref> In a book published by Rutgers University Press, which analyzes the performances of rising actors in the 2010s, Rick Warner believed that Isaac "momentarily steals the scene" as a United Nations interpreter in ''Che''.{{sfn|Warner|2022|p=55}} Isaac won the AACTA Award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role for his role as José Ramos-Horta in ''Balibo'' (2009).<ref name="AFIAwards">{{Cite web |title=Oscar Isaac Biography |url=https://www.tvguide.com/celebrities/oscar-isaac/bio/3000386834/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220521032101/https://www.tvguide.com/celebrities/oscar-isaac/bio/3000386834/ |archive-date=May 21, 2022 |access-date=May 21, 2022 |website=TV Guide}}</ref> Chris Barsanti of ''PopMatters'' opined that he played his role with "improbable charm".<ref>{{cite news |last1=Barsanti |first1=Chris |title=Human Rights Watch Film Festival 2010: ''The Balibo Conspiracy'' |url=http://www.popmatters.com/pm/post/126643-human-rights-watch-film-festival-2010-the-balibo-conspiracy/ |access-date=May 25, 2022 |work=PopMatters |date=June 7, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100610213914/http://www.popmatters.com/pm/post/126643-human-rights-watch-film-festival-2010-the-balibo-conspiracy/ |archive-date=June 10, 2010 |url-status=dead}}</ref> According to R. Kurt Osenlund of ''Slant Magazine'', Isaac became "a bona fide scene-stealer" after ''Balibo''.<ref name="slant">{{cite news |last1=Osenlund |first1=R. Kurt |title=On the Rise: Oscar Isaac |url=https://www.slantmagazine.com/film/on-the-rise-oscar-isaac/ |access-date=May 25, 2022 |work=Slant Magazine |date=June 11, 2013 |archive-date=May 19, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220519175728/https://www.slantmagazine.com/film/on-the-rise-oscar-isaac/ |url-status=live }}</ref>
Isaac began the 2010s with the role of the villain King John in the film ''Robin Hood''.<ref name="VultureFilmRoles" /> In preparation, he read about the character and shared ideas with director Ridley Scott on how to portray him. He liked playing a villain, as he said one does not worry about having to make them likable, enabling him to display more facets of his character.<ref name="VF2010">{{Cite news|last=Lopez|first=John|title=How to Train Your Villain with Robin Hood's Oscar Isaac|url=https://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2010/05/how-to-train-your-villain-with-robin-hoods-oscar-isaac|access-date=June 9, 2021|work=Vanity Fair|date=May 10, 2010|archive-date=June 7, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210607231208/https://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2010/05/how-to-train-your-villain-with-robin-hoods-oscar-isaac|url-status=live}}</ref> The film had a mixed critical consensus and grossed $321{{nbsp}}million against a budget of $200{{nbsp}}million.<ref>{{cite web |title=''Robin Hood'' |url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/robin_hood_2010 |publisher=Rotten Tomatoes |access-date=May 25, 2022 |archive-date=May 19, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220519074238/https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/robin_hood_2010 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=''Robin Hood'' |url=https://www.boxofficemojo.com/title/tt0955308/ |publisher=Box Office Mojo |access-date=May 25, 2022 |archive-date=April 17, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220417040121/https://www.boxofficemojo.com/title/tt0955308/ |url-status=live }}</ref> For R. Kurt Osenlund, Isaac skillfully overshadowed Russell Crowe (who played Robin Hood), "bringing new, magnetic venom to the done-and-done-again role".<ref name="slant"/> Rick Warner wrote, "In his early minor film roles, Isaac makes the most of the few lines he is given, supplying emotional complexity not just verbally but also through his attractive face and piercing stare."{{sfn|Warner|2022|p=55}}
===Breakthrough (2011–2014)===
In 2011, Isaac received recognition for several supporting roles.{{sfn|Crelin|2016|p=49}} His first role that year was of an asylum orderly in Zack Snyder's ''Sucker Punch'', for which he applied extensive makeup. Isaac credited Snyder for his openness to actors' input on set.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Wiger |first=Josh |date=March 1, 2011 |title=''Sucker Punch'' Interview {{!}} Carla Gugino & Oscar Isaac |work=Comic Book Resources |url=https://www.cbr.com/sucker-punch-interview-carla-gugino-oscar-isaac/ |access-date=May 14, 2022 |archive-date=May 14, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220514204305/https://www.cbr.com/sucker-punch-interview-carla-gugino-oscar-isaac/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Warner |first1=Kara |title=''Sucker Punch'' Secrets Revealed! |url=http://www.mtv.com/news/1660722/sucker-punch/ |publisher=MTV News |access-date=May 17, 2022 |date=March 25, 2011 |archive-date=May 17, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220517174042/http://www.mtv.com/news/1660722/sucker-punch/ |url-status=dead }}</ref> He played a security guard in Madonna's ''W.E.'' (2011), a critical failure that ''British Vogue'' saw as his "one misjudgment",<ref name="bv">{{cite news |title=The Vogue Interview: Oscar Isaac |url=https://www.vogue.co.uk/article/oscar-isaac-interview-a-most-violent-year-film |access-date=May 14, 2022 |work=British Vogue |date=January 23, 2015 |archive-date=May 14, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220514143841/https://www.vogue.co.uk/article/oscar-isaac-interview-a-most-violent-year-film |url-status=live }}</ref> although Drew Taylor of IndieWire believed he was "one of the few worthwhile aspects" of the film.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Taylor |first1=Drew |title=The Indie Roots of the New ''Star Wars'' Cast |url=https://www.indiewire.com/2014/05/the-indie-roots-of-the-new-star-wars-cast-27177/ |publisher=IndieWire |access-date=May 15, 2022 |date=May 1, 2014 |archive-date=May 15, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220515070820/https://www.indiewire.com/2014/05/the-indie-roots-of-the-new-star-wars-cast-27177/ |url-status=live }}</ref> Isaac then portrayed a musician in ''10 Years'', in which he performed his own song "Never Had",<ref>{{cite news |last1=Aquino |first1=Tara |title=Interview: Oscar Isaac Talks "''10 Years''," the Coen Brothers' ''Inside Llewyn Davis'', and Jamming with Justin Timberlake |url=http://uk.complex.com/pop-culture/2012/12/interview-oscar-isaac-10-years |date=December 18, 2012 |access-date=February 23, 2016 |work=Complex |archive-date=March 3, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160303013950/http://uk.complex.com/pop-culture/2012/12/interview-oscar-isaac-10-years |url-status=live }}</ref> and an ex-convict in Nicolas Winding Refn's critically acclaimed action drama ''Drive'' (2011).<ref>{{cite news |last1=Tricarico |first1=Angela |title=Where to watch Oscar Isaac's 20 best movies and shows, from ''The Force Awakens'' to ''Moon Knight'' |url=https://www.businessinsider.com/guides/streaming/best-oscar-isaac-movies-shows-where-to-watch |access-date=May 28, 2022 |work=Business Insider |date=March 31, 2022 |archive-date=May 23, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220523025950/https://www.businessinsider.com/guides/streaming/best-oscar-isaac-movies-shows-where-to-watch |url-status=live }}</ref> Initially hesitant about ''Drive'', he accepted the offer after working out a "more nuanced" and less stereotypical version of the character with Refn and screenwriter Hossein Amini.{{sfn|Crelin|2016|p=49}} Todd McCarthy of ''The Hollywood Reporter'' praised Isaac's "unanticipated intelligence and sincerity"; Madison Diazm, writing for ''Comic Book Resources'' in 2022, called the film an early testament to Isaac's ability to create tension.<ref>{{cite news |last=McCarthy |first=Todd |author-link=Todd McCarthy |title=''Drive'': Cannes 2011 Review |url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/general-news/drive-cannes-2011-review-190649/ |access-date=May 14, 2022 |work=The Hollywood Reporter |date=May 20, 2011 |archive-date=May 14, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220514125141/https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/general-news/drive-cannes-2011-review-190649/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="CBR2022">{{cite news |last1=Diaz |first1=Madison |title=How Oscar Isaac's Dynamic Career Prepared Him to Play Moon Knight |url=https://www.cbr.com/oscar-isaac-career-prepared-moon-knight/ |access-date=May 14, 2022 |work=Comic Book Resources |date=March 7, 2022 |archive-date=May 14, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220514125141/https://www.cbr.com/oscar-isaac-career-prepared-moon-knight/ |url-status=live }}</ref> ''Drive'' earned $81.3{{nbsp}}million against a production budget of $15{{nbsp}}million.<ref>{{cite web |title=''Drive'' (2011) – Financial Information |url=https://www.the-numbers.com/movie/Drive#tab=summary |publisher=The Numbers |access-date=May 14, 2022 |archive-date=October 18, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181018171252/https://www.the-numbers.com/movie/Drive#tab=summary |url-status=live }}</ref>
[[File:Oscar Isaac at the New York Premiere of Won't Back Down, September 2012.jpg|thumb|upright|Isaac at the New York City premiere of ''Won't Back Down'' in 2013|alt=Oscar Isaac smiling to his left]] Isaac had four film releases in 2012. His first, the Mexican epic historical drama ''For Greater Glory'', had him play a freedom fighter,<ref name="ForGreaterGlory">{{Cite news |last=Corso |first=Brooke |date=June 8, 2012 |title=''For Greater Glory'' |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/102027045/the-monitor/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220523004747/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/102027045/the-monitor/ |archive-date=May 23, 2022 |access-date=May 17, 2022 |work=The Monitor |page=A53 |via=Newspapers.com|url-access=subscription}} {{subscription required}}</ref> for which he was nominated for an ALMA Award for Favorite Movie Actor – Supporting Role.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Gratereaux |first=Alexandra J. |date=January 10, 2017 |title=2012 NCLR/ ALMA Awards Nominees Include Jennifer Lopez, Pitbull & Selena Gomez |url=https://www.foxnews.com/entertainment/2012-nclr-alma-awards-nominees-include-jennifer-lopez-pitbull-selena-gomez |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220521230018/https://www.foxnews.com/entertainment/2012-nclr-alma-awards-nominees-include-jennifer-lopez-pitbull-selena-gomez |archive-date=May 21, 2022 |access-date=May 29, 2022 |publisher=Fox News}}</ref> After playing the main character's cousin in the comedy-drama ''Revenge for Jolly!'',<ref>{{cite web |last1=Toro |first1=Gabe |title=Tribeca Review: Despite Myriad Celebrity Cameos ''Revenge For Jolly!'' Is Excruciating |url=https://www.indiewire.com/2012/04/tribeca-review-despite-myriad-celebrity-cameos-revenge-for-jolly-is-excruciating-252476/ |publisher=IndieWire |access-date=May 18, 2022 |date=April 22, 2012 |archive-date=May 18, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220518172237/https://www.indiewire.com/2012/04/tribeca-review-despite-myriad-celebrity-cameos-revenge-for-jolly-is-excruciating-252476/ |url-status=live }}</ref> Isaac appeared in the action thriller ''The Bourne Legacy''. Director Tony Gilroy originally considered Isaac for the lead role in the latter, but the film's production company decided against casting an unknown actor.<ref>{{cite web |last=Collins |first=Cat |title=''Inside Llewyn Davis'' star reveals Bourne ambition |url=https://www.yahoo.com/news/inside-llewyn-davis-star-reveals-bourne-ambitions-144113187.html |publisher=Yahoo! News |access-date=May 18, 2022 |date=January 19, 2014 |archive-date=May 18, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220518172237/https://www.yahoo.com/news/inside-llewyn-davis-star-reveals-bourne-ambitions-144113187.html |url-status=live }}</ref> Isaac instead won the brief part of a brainwashed assassin.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Fleming |first1=Mike Jr. |title=Oscar Isaac Is ''Bourne'' Again In Robert Ludlum Thriller Spinoff |url=https://deadline.com/2011/07/oscar-isaac-is-bourne-again-in-robert-ludlum-thriller-spinoff-149016/ |access-date=May 17, 2022 |work=Deadline Hollywood |date=July 22, 2011 |archive-date=May 17, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220517175413/https://deadline.com/2011/07/oscar-isaac-is-bourne-again-in-robert-ludlum-thriller-spinoff-149016/ |url-status=live }}</ref> The film was released to a mixed critical reception and box-office success.<ref>{{cite web |title=''The Bourne Legacy'' |url=https://www.metacritic.com/movie/the-bourne-legacy/critic-reviews |publisher=Metacritic |access-date=May 17, 2022 |archive-date=May 17, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220517175413/https://www.metacritic.com/movie/the-bourne-legacy/critic-reviews |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=''The Bourne Legacy'' |url=https://www.boxofficemojo.com/release/rl2521204225/ |publisher=Box Office Mojo |access-date=May 17, 2022 |archive-date=March 31, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190331142658/https://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=bourne4.htm |url-status=live }}</ref> Lizzie Logan of ''Vulture'' opined that "Isaac took a character with very little screen time and turned him into a living, breathing, hurting person".<ref name="VultureFilmRoles" /> ''Won't Back Down'', a drama on the American educational system, was Isaac's last film in 2012.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Durand |first1=Elizabeth |title=Video Q&A: Rosie Perez and Oscar Isaac School Us on ''Won't Back Down'' |url=https://www.mtv.com/news/2813325/rosie-perez-oscar-isaac-interview-wont-back-down/ |publisher=MTV News |access-date=May 17, 2022 |date=September 28, 2012 |archive-date=May 17, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220517190415/https://www.mtv.com/news/2813325/rosie-perez-oscar-isaac-interview-wont-back-down/ |url-status=dead }}</ref> It received negative reviews and was a box-office failure.<ref>{{cite web |title=''Won't Back Down'' |url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/wont_back_down_2012 |publisher=Rotten Tomatoes |access-date=May 17, 2022 |archive-date=May 19, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220519074242/https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/wont_back_down_2012 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=''Won't Back Down'' (2012) – Financial Information |url=https://www.the-numbers.com/movie/Wont-Back-Down#tab=summary |publisher=The Numbers |access-date=May 17, 2022 |archive-date=May 28, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220528133922/https://www.the-numbers.com/movie/Wont-Back-Down#tab=summary |url-status=live }}</ref>
In 2013, Isaac played the titular character of a struggling folk singer in 1961 Greenwich Village in the Coen brothers' drama ''Inside Llewyn Davis''.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/music/posts/la-et-ms-inside-llewyn-davis,0,1832093.story?track=rss|title=The Coens' ''Inside Llewyn Davis'' aims to keep 1960s folk scene real|last=Roberts|first=Randall|date=November 9, 2013|access-date=November 11, 2013|work=Los Angeles Times|archive-date=November 11, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131111122222/http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/music/posts/la-et-ms-inside-llewyn-davis,0,1832093.story?track=rss|url-status=live}}</ref> Isaac accepted the project due to his high regard for the Coen brothers, who in turn were impressed with his musical talent. In preparation for the part, Isaac learned the guitar technique Travis picking and worked with musicians Erik Frandsen and T Bone Burnett.{{sfn|Crelin|2016|p=49}} Before production began, Isaac behaved and dressed like Davis to observe people's reaction to him.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Bunbury |first1=Stephanie |title=Oscar Isaac a natural fit for Coen brothers' film ''Inside Llewyn Davis'' |url=https://www.smh.com.au/entertainment/movies/oscar-isaac-a-natural-fit-for-coen-brothers-film-inside-llewyn-davis-20140115-30v1w.html |access-date=May 25, 2022 |work=The Sydney Morning Herald |date=January 15, 2014 |archive-date=May 25, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220525192850/https://www.smh.com.au/entertainment/movies/oscar-isaac-a-natural-fit-for-coen-brothers-film-inside-llewyn-davis-20140115-30v1w.html |url-status=live }}</ref> The film received acclaim, as did Isaac's performance in what proved to be his breakthrough role.{{sfn|Crelin|2016|p=49}}<ref>{{cite web |title=''Inside Llewyn Davis'' |url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/inside_llewyn_davis_2013 |publisher=Rotten Tomatoes |access-date=May 15, 2022 |archive-date=May 30, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190530140945/https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/inside_llewyn_davis_2013/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=Lewis |first1=Hilary |title=18 Breakthrough Stars of 2013: Lorde, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Tatiana Maslany and More |url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/gallery/18-breakthrough-stars-2013-lorde-667659/9-oscar-isaac/ |access-date=May 15, 2022 |work=The Hollywood Reporter |date=December 27, 2013 |archive-date=May 15, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220515064739/https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/gallery/18-breakthrough-stars-2013-lorde-667659/9-oscar-isaac/ |url-status=live }}</ref> Critics from ''The Oregonian'' and ''St. Louis Post-Dispatch'' added that Isaac "anchors this film with a star-making, soulful performance",<ref>{{cite web |last=Mohan |first=Marc |date=December 17, 2014 |title=''Inside Llewyn Davis'' review: Coen Brothers tackle '60s folk in one of the year's best films |url=https://www.oregonlive.com/movies/2013/12/post_51.html |access-date=May 14, 2022 |website=The Oregonian |archive-date=May 27, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220527131203/https://www.oregonlive.com/movies/2013/12/post_51.html |url-status=live }}</ref> and "has a gift for being appealing even when he's unpleasant".<ref>{{cite web |last=Wilson |first=Calvin |date=December 19, 2013 |title=''Inside Llewyn Davis'' is the Coen Brothers at their best |url=https://www.stltoday.com/entertainment/movies/reviews/inside-llewyn-davis-is-the-coen-brothers-at-their-best/article_83d0398a-9ff1-55bf-9d20-7bf8c0fb8d4e.html |url-access=subscription |access-date=May 14, 2022 |work=St. Louis Post-Dispatch |archive-date=May 26, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220526012502/https://www.stltoday.com/entertainment/movies/reviews/inside-llewyn-davis-is-the-coen-brothers-at-their-best/article_83d0398a-9ff1-55bf-9d20-7bf8c0fb8d4e.html |url-status=live }}</ref> A. O. Scott of ''The New York Times'' wrote, "Isaac, a versatile character actor here ascending to the highest levels of his craft, refuses the easy road of charm. Like his character, he trusts his own professionalism and the integrity of the material." Scott opined that the musical performances elevated the film, especially Isaac's "The Death of Queen Jane" and "The Shoals of Herring".<ref>{{cite news |last=Scott |first=A. O. |author-link=A. O. Scott |title=Melancholy Odyssey Through the Folk Scene |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2013/12/06/movies/inside-llewyn-davis-directed-by-joel-and-ethan-coen.html |access-date=May 13, 2022 |work=The New York Times |date=December 5, 2013 |url-access=limited |archive-date=May 11, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220511165119/https://www.nytimes.com/2013/12/06/movies/inside-llewyn-davis-directed-by-joel-and-ethan-coen.html |url-status=live }}</ref> For the film, Isaac was nominated for the Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Nordyke |first=Kimberly |date=January 12, 2014 |title=Golden Globes: Complete Winners List |url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/general-news/golden-globes-2014-winners-list-670159/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220521230601/https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/general-news/golden-globes-2014-winners-list-670159/ |archive-date=May 21, 2022 |access-date=May 22, 2022 |website=The Hollywood Reporter}}</ref> He next starred as Laurent LeClaire, a man who seduces his friend's wife (Elizabeth Olsen) in the erotic thriller ''In Secret'' (2013). Michael Phillips of the ''Chicago Tribune'' praised Isaac as the film's prime asset, noting that his "sly delineation of the charismatic Laurent provides the through-line".<ref>{{cite news |last1=Phillips |first1=Michael |author-link=Michael Phillips (critic) |title=Review: ''In Secret'' ★★ 1/2 |url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/entertainment/movies/ct-in-secret-review-20140220-column.html |access-date=May 20, 2022 |work=Chicago Tribune |date=February 20, 2014 |archive-date=May 20, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220520175305/https://www.chicagotribune.com/entertainment/movies/ct-in-secret-review-20140220-column.html |url-status=live }}</ref>
In 2014, Isaac appeared in the thriller ''The Two Faces of January'', starring alongside Viggo Mortensen and Kirsten Dunst.<ref name="VultureFilmRoles" /> He starred with Jessica Chastain in J. C. Chandor's ''A Most Violent Year'' (2014), replacing actor Javier Bardem.<ref>{{cite web |first1=Scott |last1=Feinberg |first2=Tatiana |last2=Siegel |title=Oscar Isaac, J.C. Chandor Team Up for ''A Most Violent Year'' (Exclusive) |url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/race/oscar-isaac-jc-chandor-team-661488 |work=The Hollywood Reporter |date=December 3, 2013 |access-date=April 16, 2020 |archive-date=January 10, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200110041720/https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/race/oscar-isaac-jc-chandor-team-661488 |url-status=live }}</ref> Described by Isaac as "a gangster movie without the gangsters",<ref name="VultureFilmRoles" /> the film follows his character Abel Morales, the ambitious owner of a heating-oil company, who is determined to protect his business in a city plagued by violent crime.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Kermode |first1=Mark |author-link=Mark Kermode |title=''A Most Violent Year'' review – 1980s New York comes to life in all its murky brilliance |url=https://www.theguardian.com/film/2015/jan/25/a-most-violent-year-review-jessica-chastain |access-date=May 14, 2022 |work=The Guardian |date=January 25, 2015 |archive-date=April 13, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160413150643/http://www.theguardian.com/film/2015/jan/25/a-most-violent-year-review-jessica-chastain |url-status=live }}</ref> Chandor first met Isaac upon Chastain's insistence and, finding him "precise, wild and alive", cast him in the part.<ref name="bv"/> When Isaac noticed that Morales's background was missing in the script, Chandor allowed him to create it, for which he researched Latin Americans' history in the 1950s and 1960s.{{sfn|Berg|2018|p=294}} Fascinated by Morales's duality—"cold, calculating businessman" but also "highly emotional and highly passionate"—Isaac read books about sociopaths and "corporate America" to prepare for the part.{{sfn|Berg|2018|p=295}}<ref name="tg2015">{{cite news |last1=Hoby |first1=Hermione |date=January 3, 2015 |title=Oscar Isaac: the star set for a most interesting year |work=The Guardian |url=https://www.theguardian.com/film/2015/jan/03/oscar-isaac-most-violent-year |access-date=May 15, 2022 |archive-date=May 15, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220515004910/https://www.theguardian.com/film/2015/jan/03/oscar-isaac-most-violent-year |url-status=live }}</ref> The film failed to recoup its budget but was a critical success.<ref>{{cite web |title=''A Most Violent Year'' |url=https://www.boxofficemojo.com/release/rl3110438401/weekend/ |publisher=Box Office Mojo |access-date=May 14, 2022 |archive-date=January 4, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190104072844/https://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=amostviolentyear.htm |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=''A Most Violent Year'' |url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/a_most_violent_year |publisher=Rotten Tomatoes |access-date=May 14, 2022 |archive-date=May 17, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220517023013/https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/a_most_violent_year |url-status=live }}</ref> Ann Hornaday of ''The Washington Post'' praised Isaac for "deliver[ing] a master class in that skill from the very first moment of ''A Most Violent Year'' to the last", adding, "he's a commanding screen presence, even when he's saying nothing."<ref>{{cite news |last1=Hornaday |first1=Ann |title=Oscar Isaac delivers a breakout performance in the moody urban thriller ''A Most Violent Year''. |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/goingoutguide/movies/a-most-violent-year-movie-review-oscar-isaac-jessica-chastain-shine-in-early-80s-new-york-drama/2015/01/14/0bf16086-9b3b-11e4-a7ee-526210d665b4_story.html |access-date=May 14, 2022 |newspaper=The Washington Post |date=January 15, 2015 |archive-date=September 26, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200926185149/https://www.washingtonpost.com/goingoutguide/movies/a-most-violent-year-movie-review-oscar-isaac-jessica-chastain-shine-in-early-80s-new-york-drama/2015/01/14/0bf16086-9b3b-11e4-a7ee-526210d665b4_story.html |url-status=live }}</ref> Tad Friend of ''The New Yorker'' believed that Isaac's portrayal was reminiscent of the work of actors Treat Williams, Dustin Hoffman and Al Pacino.<ref>{{cite magazine |last1=Friend |first1=Tad |title=The Pictures Oil Man |magazine=The New Yorker |date=January 5, 2015 |pages=17–18}}</ref> For his performance in the film, Isaac won a National Board of Review Award for Best Actor.{{sfn|Berg|2018|p=293}}
===Mainstream success (2015–2017)=== In 2015, Isaac portrayed Nathan Hamlet Bateman, the reclusive inventor of a humanoid artificial intelligence, in the science fiction film ''Ex Machina''. He based his character's look and accent on director Stanley Kubrick and observed his speech patterns.<ref name="chronicle">{{cite news |last1=Haupt |first1=Melanie |title=The Fembot Gambit |url=https://www.austinchronicle.com/screens/2015-04-17/the-fembot-gambit/ |access-date=May 13, 2022 |work=The Austin Chronicle |date=April 17, 2015 |archive-date=May 13, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220513190550/https://www.austinchronicle.com/screens/2015-04-17/the-fembot-gambit/ |url-status=live }}</ref> Isaac modeled Bateman's personality on chess champion Bobby Fischer and played the game during filming to get "in that mode of constantly trying to be a few steps ahead".<ref name="chronicle"/> ''Ex Machina'' was a commercial and critical success,<ref>{{cite web |title=''Ex Machina'' |url=https://www.boxofficemojo.com/release/rl1481672193/ |publisher=Box Office Mojo |access-date=May 15, 2022 |archive-date=May 15, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220515151155/https://www.boxofficemojo.com/release/rl1481672193/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=''Ex Machina'' |url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/ex_machina |publisher=Rotten Tomatoes |access-date=May 15, 2022 |archive-date=May 16, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220516215813/https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/ex_machina |url-status=live }}</ref> with praise for Isaac's performance.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Craig |first1=David |title=Meet the cast of Marvel's ''Moon Knight'' – full list of characters |url=https://www.radiotimes.com/tv/sci-fi/moon-knight-disney-plus-cast/ |access-date=May 20, 2022 |work=Radio Times |date=April 20, 2022|archive-date=May 20, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220520115526/https://www.radiotimes.com/tv/sci-fi/moon-knight-disney-plus-cast/ |url-status=live }}</ref> Matt Zoller Seitz of RogerEbert.com commended Isaac for possessing "an electrifying star quality, cruelly sneering yet somehow delightful, insinuating and intellectually credible".<ref>{{Cite web |last=Seitz |first=Matt Zoller |author-link=Matt Zoller Seitz |date=April 9, 2015 |title=''Ex Machina'' |url=https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/ex-machina-2015 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150412001200/https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/ex-machina-2015 |archive-date=April 12, 2015 |access-date=May 13, 2022 |publisher=RogerEbert.com}}</ref> Isaac followed with his first leading role on television—the 6-episode HBO miniseries ''Show Me a Hero'', in which he played politician Nick Wasicsko.{{sfn|Crelin|2016|pp=49–50}} Isaac was approached for the role shortly after he had finished filming for ''Star Wars: The Force Awakens''. Although he found the story "fascinating", he was initially reluctant to sign on as it was "a little impenetrable" for him. He agreed after finding footage of Wasicsko interacting with the media.<ref name="varietysmah"/> Because a show's length generally exceeds a film's, Isaac found filming the miniseries a little more difficult and was skeptical about its six-hour format.{{sfn|Crelin|2016|pp=49–50}}<ref name="varietysmah">{{cite news |last1=Littleton |first1=Cynthia |title=Oscar Isaac, Paul Haggis Bonded Over Building Story of an Everyman ''Hero'' |url=https://variety.com/2016/tv/news/paul-haggis-oscar-isaac-show-me-a-hero-hbo-miniseries-1201791724/ |access-date=May 15, 2022 |work=Variety |date=June 9, 2016 |archive-date=May 15, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220515140026/https://variety.com/2016/tv/news/paul-haggis-oscar-isaac-show-me-a-hero-hbo-miniseries-1201791724/ |url-status=live }}</ref> Isaac's performance, which won him the Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Miniseries or Television Film,{{sfn|Crelin|2016|pp=49–50}} was lauded by critics.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Varona |first1=Henry |title=Official ''Moon Knight'' Synopsis Lays Out the Show's Deadly Storyline |url=https://www.cbr.com/moon-knight-synopsis-shows-plot/ |access-date=May 15, 2022 |work=Comic Book Resources |date=January 18, 2022 |archive-date=May 11, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220511165139/https://www.cbr.com/moon-knight-synopsis-shows-plot/ |url-status=live }}</ref> Emily Nussbaum of ''The New Yorker'' praised it as "a star performance agile enough to elevate scenes that might veer into agitprop".<ref>{{cite magazine |last1=Nussbaum |first1=Emily |title=Little Boxes: Home truths on ''Show Me a Hero'' and ''Orange Is the New Black'' |url=https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2015/08/31/little-boxes |access-date=May 15, 2022 |magazine=The New Yorker |date=August 24, 2015 |archive-date=May 18, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210518205236/https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2015/08/31/little-boxes |url-status=live }}</ref>
[[File:Oscar Isaac (30694590031).jpg|thumb|upright|Isaac at the 2016 Toronto International Film Festival, where his film ''The Promise'' premiered|alt=Oscar Isaac looking to his left]] Isaac co-starred as Poe Dameron, an X-wing pilot, in the epic space opera film ''Star Wars: The Force Awakens'' (2015). Having liked ''Star Wars'' films since childhood, he initially considered himself unfit for the part,{{efn|Isaac doubted if his performance would make the character interesting.{{sfn|Crelin|2016|p=50}}}} but director J. J. Abrams convinced him in a meeting.{{sfn|Crelin|2016|p=50}} A fan of ''Inside Llewyn Davis'', Abrams described Isaac as "a far more sophisticated actor than one might get for a role".<ref name="GQ2015">{{cite news |last1=Martin |first1=Brett |title=Oscar Isaac Talks ''Star Wars: The Force Awakens'' |url=https://www.gq.com/story/oscar-isaac-star-wars-the-force-awakens-interview |access-date=May 13, 2022 |work=GQ |date=December 15, 2015 |archive-date=April 22, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220422231750/https://www.gq.com/story/oscar-isaac-star-wars-the-force-awakens-interview |url-status=live }}</ref> Isaac suggested to Abrams that his character be from the moon Yavin 4, which first appeared in ''Star Wars'' (1977) in scenes filmed in his country Guatemala; this idea was incorporated.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Fussell |first1=Sidney |title=How Oscar Isaac's Latin heritage influenced his ''Star Wars'' character |url=https://www.businessinsider.com/star-wars-oscar-isaac-latin-heritage-influenced-poe-dameron-2016-1 |access-date=May 15, 2022 |work=Business Insider |date=January 6, 2016 |archive-date=May 15, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220515082231/https://www.businessinsider.com/star-wars-oscar-isaac-latin-heritage-influenced-poe-dameron-2016-1 |url-status=live }}</ref> While filming ''The Force Awakens'', Isaac initially felt insecure, but soon found a sense of belonging with co-stars Daisy Ridley and John Boyega, who were also newcomers to the film series.{{sfn|Crelin|2016|p=50}} In preparation for the role, Isaac read about war, including a book called ''What It's Like to Go to War''.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Monroe |first1=Justin |title=Oscar Isaac Drops Hints About ''Star Wars VII'' and ''X-Men: Apocalypse'' and Talks His Role in ''Ex Machina'' |url=https://www.complex.com/pop-culture/2015/04/oscar-isaac-interview-ex-machina-star-wars-vii-x-men-apocalypse |publisher=Complex Networks |access-date=May 13, 2022 |date=April 11, 2015 |archive-date=May 13, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220513190550/https://www.complex.com/pop-culture/2015/04/oscar-isaac-interview-ex-machina-star-wars-vii-x-men-apocalypse |url-status=live }}</ref> ''The Force Awakens'' received positive reviews and grossed $2{{nbsp}}billion worldwide, becoming the highest-grossing film of 2015.<ref>{{cite web |title=''Star Wars: The Force Awakens'' |url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/star_wars_episode_vii_the_force_awakens |publisher=Rotten Tomatoes |access-date=May 15, 2022 |archive-date=October 11, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161011055835/https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/star_wars_episode_vii_the_force_awakens |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=2015 Worldwide Box Office |url=https://www.boxofficemojo.com/year/world/2015/ |publisher=Box Office Mojo |access-date=June 1, 2023 |archive-date=August 18, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200818152249/https://www.boxofficemojo.com/year/world/2015/ |url-status=live }}</ref> ''Forbes'' and ''TheWrap'' critics praised the cast additions, including Isaac, as "outright terrific",<ref>{{cite news |last1=Mendelson |first1=Scott |title=''Star Wars: The Force Awakens'' Review: The Empire Strikes Out |url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/scottmendelson/2015/12/16/star-wars-the-force-awakens-review-the-empire-strikes-out/?sh=5d67fabf5a20 |access-date=May 17, 2022 |work=Forbes |date=December 16, 2015|archive-date=May 17, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220517144624/https://www.forbes.com/sites/scottmendelson/2015/12/16/star-wars-the-force-awakens-review-the-empire-strikes-out/?sh=5d67fabf5a20 |url-status=live }}</ref> and "engaging performers" who "make strong impressions very quickly, and who are charismatic enough to make us care about their characters".<ref>{{cite news |last=Duralde |first=Alonso |author-link=Alonso Duralde |title=''Star Wars: The Force Awakens'' Review: J.J. Abrams Makes Everything Old ''A New Hope'' Again |url=https://www.thewrap.com/star-wars-the-force-awakens-review-j-j-abrams-harrison-ford-daisy-ridley/ |work=TheWrap |access-date=May 17, 2022 |date=December 16, 2015 |archive-date=May 26, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220526000352/https://www.thewrap.com/star-wars-the-force-awakens-review-j-j-abrams-harrison-ford-daisy-ridley/ |url-status=live }}</ref>
Isaac agreed to play the titular villain in the film ''X-Men: Apocalypse'' (2016) because he was a fan of X-Men comic books since childhood.<ref name=":0" /> He underwent extensive makeup and prosthetics, and wore a 40-pound suit; the full costume was uncomfortable, which forced Isaac to go to a cooling tent between takes.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Kemp |first1=Kemp |title=Oscar Isaac on ''X-Men: Apocalypse'': "I wish it was a better film" |url=https://www.nme.com/news/film/oscar-isaac-on-x-men-apocalypse-i-wish-it-was-a-better-film |access-date=May 15, 2022 |work=NME |date=May 3, 2022 }}{{dead link|date=August 2023|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}</ref> Critics Angelica Jade Bastién and Glenn Kenny believed Isaac, though a "charismatic and dynamic" actor, "feel[s] so torpid here",<ref>{{Cite web |last=Bastién |first=Angelica Jade |author-link=Angelica Jade Bastién |date=May 27, 2016 |title=''X-Men: Apocalypse'' |url=https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/x-men-apocalypse-2016 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160601152125/https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/x-men-apocalypse-2016 |archive-date=June 1, 2016 |access-date=May 16, 2022 |publisher=RogerEbert.com}}</ref> and "fares poorly through no fault of his own".<ref>{{cite news |last=Kenny |first=Glenn |author-link=Glenn Kenny |title=Review: ''X-Men: Apocalypse'', a Sequel 5,000 Years in the Making |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2016/05/27/movies/x-men-apocalypse-review.html |access-date=May 16, 2022 |work=The New York Times |date=May 26, 2016 |url-access=limited |archive-date=May 16, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220516213057/https://www.nytimes.com/2016/05/27/movies/x-men-apocalypse-review.html |url-status=live }}</ref> Years after ''Apocalypse''{{'s}} underwhelming critical performance,<ref>{{cite web |title=''X-Men: Apocalypse'' |url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/x_men_apocalypse |publisher=Rotten Tomatoes |access-date=May 15, 2022 |archive-date=May 6, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220506052222/https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/x_men_apocalypse |url-status=live }}</ref> Isaac commented that he wished the film and his character had been better handled.<ref name=":0">{{cite news |last=Itzkoff |first=Dave |author-link=Dave Itzkoff |title=Oscar Isaac Learned to Love Blockbusters Again in ''Moon Knight'' |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2022/05/02/arts/television/oscar-isaac-moon-knight.html |access-date=May 15, 2022 |work=The New York Times |date=May 2, 2022 |url-access=limited |archive-date=May 14, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220514114102/https://www.nytimes.com/2022/05/02/arts/television/oscar-isaac-moon-knight.html |url-status=live }}</ref> Also in 2016, he starred alongside Charlotte Le Bon and Christian Bale in ''The Promise'', a historical drama about a love triangle set during the Armenian genocide.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Sneider|first1=Jeff|title=Christian Bale, Oscar Isaac to Star in ''The Promise''|url=https://www.thewrap.com/christian-bale-oscar-isaac-to-star-in-terry-georges-epic-love-story-the-promise-exclusive/|work=The Wrap|access-date=January 10, 2016|date=June 15, 2015|archive-date=January 9, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160109234145/http://www.thewrap.com/christian-bale-oscar-isaac-to-star-in-terry-georges-epic-love-story-the-promise-exclusive/|url-status=live}}</ref> Critics were dismissive of the film, believing that the outstanding cast and powerful real-life story was wasted on a love triangle that failed to engage.<ref>{{cite web |title=''The Promise'' |url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/the_promise_2017 |publisher=Rotten Tomatoes |access-date=May 15, 2022 |archive-date=May 17, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220517074605/https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/the_promise_2017 |url-status=live }}</ref> Richard Roeper of the ''Chicago Sun-Times'' wrote that the film was "derivative of better war romances" but was "bolstered by strong performances from Isaac and Bale, two of the best actors of their generation".<ref>{{cite news |last1=Roeper |first1=Richard |title=''The Promise'': Bale, Isaac strong in sometimes corny romance |url=https://chicago.suntimes.com/entertainment/the-promise-bale-isaac-strong-in-sometimes-corny-romance/ |access-date=May 15, 2022 |work=Chicago Sun-Times |date=April 20, 2017 |author-link=Richard Roeper |url-access=subscription |archive-date=May 15, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220515090139/https://chicago.suntimes.com/entertainment/the-promise-bale-isaac-strong-in-sometimes-corny-romance/ |url-status=live }} {{subscription required}}</ref> The film's producers intended to donate the profits to charity, but it accrued a $102{{nbsp}}million loss.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Alex |first1=Ritman |last2=Galuppo |first2=Mia |title=''The Promise'' vs. ''The Lieutenant'': Two Movies Battle Over the Armenian Genocide |url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/general-news/promise-seat-lieutenant-two-movies-battle-armenian-genocide-996196/ |access-date=May 30, 2022 |work=The Hollywood Reporter |date=April 21, 2017 |archive-date=January 3, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220103100613/https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/general-news/promise-seat-lieutenant-two-movies-battle-armenian-genocide-996196/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=D'Alessandro |first1=Anthony |title=What Were The Biggest Bombs At The 2017 B.O.? Deadline's Most Valuable Blockbuster Tournament |url=https://deadline.com/2018/03/king-arthur-geostorm-monster-trucks-the-promise-the-great-wall-box-office-losses-1202354934/ |access-date=May 15, 2022 |work=Deadline Hollywood |date=March 29, 2018 |archive-date=February 12, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210212021631/https://deadline.com/2018/03/king-arthur-geostorm-monster-trucks-the-promise-the-great-wall-box-office-losses-1202354934/ |url-status=live }}</ref> Outside film in 2016, Isaac narrated the Nike ad Unlimited You,<ref>{{cite web |last1=Calvario |first1=Liz |title=Rio Olympics: Nike Opening Ceremony Ad Pushes Beyond Limits with The Daniels, 'Swiss Army Man' Directors |url=https://www.indiewire.com/2016/08/nike-ad-just-do-it-unlimited-oscar-isaac-serena-williams-the-daniels-1201713883/ |publisher=IndieWire |access-date=May 17, 2022 |date=August 6, 2016 |archive-date=May 17, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220517145441/https://www.indiewire.com/2016/08/nike-ad-just-do-it-unlimited-oscar-isaac-serena-williams-the-daniels-1201713883/ |url-status=live }}</ref> and voiced a soldier trying to rejoin civilian life in the podcast series ''Homecoming''.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Nordine |first1=Michael |title=Oscar Isaac and Catherine Keener Will Lend Their Voices to ''Homecoming'', a Psychological Thriller Podcast |url=https://www.indiewire.com/2016/11/oscar-isaac-catherine-keener-homecoming-podcast-david-schwimmer-1201741943/ |publisher=IndieWire |access-date=May 17, 2022 |date=November 1, 2016 |archive-date=May 17, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220517145440/https://www.indiewire.com/2016/11/oscar-isaac-catherine-keener-homecoming-podcast-david-schwimmer-1201741943/ |url-status=live }}</ref>
About late 2016, Isaac spent most of his time caring for his dying mother. As her condition worsened, he began reading her ''Hamlet'' by Shakespeare, whose work he had been a fan of since childhood. In honor of his mother, who died later in February 2017, Isaac starred as Prince Hamlet in The Public Theater production of ''Hamlet''.<ref name="nythmlet">{{cite news |last1=Soloski |first1=Alexis |title=After His Mother's Death, Oscar Isaac Turns to Shakespeare for Solace |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2017/07/06/theater/oscar-isaacs-mom-died-now-hes-working-out-his-grief-in-hamlet.html |access-date=May 18, 2022 |work=The New York Times |date=July 6, 2017 |url-access=limited |archive-date=August 30, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190830010301/https://www.nytimes.com/2017/07/06/theater/oscar-isaacs-mom-died-now-hes-working-out-his-grief-in-hamlet.html |url-status=live }}</ref> The play, directed by Sam Gold, ran from July to September 2017.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.publictheater.org/Public-Theater-Season/Hamlet/|title=''Hamlet''|publisher=The Public Theater|access-date=August 17, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170818004628/https://www.publictheater.org/Public-Theater-Season/Hamlet/|archive-date=August 18, 2017|url-status=dead}}</ref> ''The Hollywood Reporter''{{'s}} David Rooney praised Isaac as the production's prime asset,<ref>{{cite news |last1=Rooney |first1=David |title=''Hamlet'': Theater Review |url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-reviews/oscar-isaac-hamlet-theater-1020612/ |access-date=May 18, 2022 |work=The Hollywood Reporter |date=July 13, 2017 |archive-date=May 18, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220518173213/https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-reviews/oscar-isaac-hamlet-theater-1020612/ |url-status=live }}</ref> and Jeremy Gerard of ''Deadline Hollywood'' described him as "the rare actor as comfortable onstage as before the camera", highlighting his "committed, fully conceived performance".<ref>{{cite news |last1=Gerard |first1=Jeremy |title=Reviews: Oscar Isaac's Pensive Prince Steadies Hamstrung ''Hamlet''; Sondheim's 'Assassins' At Encores! |url=https://deadline.com/2017/07/review-oscar-isaac-hamlet-encores-sondheim-assassins-1202128215/ |access-date=May 18, 2022 |work=Deadline Hollywood |date=July 14, 2017 |archive-date=May 18, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220518173214/https://deadline.com/2017/07/review-oscar-isaac-hamlet-encores-sondheim-assassins-1202128215/ |url-status=live }}</ref> Also that year, Isaac played an insurance investigator in the black comedy ''Suburbicon'', written by the Coen brothers who directed Isaac in ''Inside Llewyn Davis''.<ref name="VultureFilmRoles" /><ref>{{cite web|url=https://variety.com/2016/film/news/paramount-george-clooney-matt-damon-comedy-suburbicon-1201705681/|title=Paramount Buys George Clooney-Matt Damon Comedy ''Suburbicon''|first=Dave|last=McNary|author-link=Dave McNary|work=Variety|date=February 13, 2016|access-date=May 11, 2016|archive-date=June 1, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160601011648/https://variety.com/2016/film/news/paramount-george-clooney-matt-damon-comedy-suburbicon-1201705681/|url-status=live}}</ref> Peter Travers of ''Rolling Stone'' called Isaac's performance the film's best,<ref>{{cite magazine |last1=Travers |first1=Peter |author-link=Peter Travers |title=''Suburbicon'': George Clooney's Satire Goes From Righteous to Toothless |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/movies/movie-reviews/suburbicon-review-george-clooneys-satire-goes-from-righteous-to-toothless-127419/ |access-date=May 18, 2022 |magazine=Rolling Stone |date=October 26, 2017 |archive-date=May 18, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220518173213/https://www.rollingstone.com/movies/movie-reviews/suburbicon-review-george-clooneys-satire-goes-from-righteous-to-toothless-127419/ |url-status=live }}</ref> and David Sims of ''The Atlantic'' wrote, "The film's only really electrifying moments are generated by Oscar Isaac{{Nbsp}}[...] it's in his scenes that the darkly funny spark of the Coens' writing flickers to life."<ref>{{cite news |last1=Sims |first1=David |title=''Suburbicon'' Is a Rare and Mesmerizing Trainwreck |url=https://www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2017/10/suburbicon-george-clooney-review/544226/ |access-date=May 18, 2022 |work=The Atlantic |date=October 28, 2017 |archive-date=May 18, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220518173214/https://www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2017/10/suburbicon-george-clooney-review/544226/ |url-status=live }}</ref> For the film, Isaac was nominated for a San Diego Film Critics Society Award for Best Supporting Actor.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Dietz |first=Jason |date=November 28, 2017 |title=Best of 2017: Film Awards & Nominations Scorecard |url=https://www.metacritic.com/feature/2017-film-awards-and-nominations-scorecard |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220522001246/https://www.metacritic.com/feature/2017-film-awards-and-nominations-scorecard |archive-date=May 22, 2022 |access-date=May 22, 2022 |publisher=Metacritic }}</ref> Isaac's final work in 2017 was in the sequel ''Star Wars: The Last Jedi'', in which he reprised the role of Poe Dameron. J. J. Abrams originally intended to kill Dameron off in ''The Force Awakens'', but Isaac convinced him otherwise.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Davis |first1=Edward |title=J.J. Abrams Explains How Oscar Isaac Convinced Him To Let Poe Live; Plus Watch More ''Star Wars'' Blu-Ray Clips |url=https://www.indiewire.com/2016/03/j-j-abrams-explains-how-oscar-isaac-convinced-him-to-let-poe-live-plus-watch-more-star-wars-blu-ray-clips-83844/ |publisher=IndieWire |access-date=May 18, 2022 |date=March 31, 2016 |archive-date=May 18, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220518174053/https://www.indiewire.com/2016/03/j-j-abrams-explains-how-oscar-isaac-convinced-him-to-let-poe-live-plus-watch-more-star-wars-blu-ray-clips-83844/ |url-status=live }}</ref> ''The Last Jedi'' grossed $1.3{{nbsp}}billion becoming 2017's highest-grossing film.<ref>{{cite web |title=2017 Worldwide Box Office |url=https://www.boxofficemojo.com/year/world/2017/?ref_=bo_cso_table_1 |publisher=Box Office Mojo |access-date=May 18, 2022 |archive-date=May 28, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220528133926/https://www.boxofficemojo.com/year/world/2017/?ref_=bo_cso_table_1 |url-status=live }}</ref>
===Professional expansion (2018–present)=== Isaac filmed ''Annihilation'' (2018) simultaneously with ''Star Wars: The Last Jedi'' at the same studio. As such, he did not have enough time rehearsing for his role in the former and credited co-star Natalie Portman (who played his wife) with helping him film their intimate scenes with ease.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Sharf |first1=Zack |title=Oscar Isaac Filmed ''Annihilation'' and ''Star Wars'' Simultaneously at the Same Studio: 'It Was Pretty Wild' |url=https://www.indiewire.com/2018/02/oscar-isaac-filmed-annihilation-star-wars-last-jedi-same-studio-1201928201/ |publisher=IndieWire |access-date=May 20, 2022 |date=February 13, 2018 |archive-date=May 20, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220520153929/https://www.indiewire.com/2018/02/oscar-isaac-filmed-annihilation-star-wars-last-jedi-same-studio-1201928201/ |url-status=live }}</ref> The film received positive reviews.<ref>{{cite web |title=''Annihilation'' |url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/annihilation |publisher=Rotten Tomatoes |access-date=May 20, 2022 |archive-date=March 2, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180302054741/https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/annihilation |url-status=live }}</ref> Tasha Robinson of ''The Verge'' complimented Isaac's chemistry with Portman,<ref>{{cite news |last1=Robinson |first1=Tasha |title=''Annihilation'' is the most thoughtful science fiction movie since Arrival |url=https://www.theverge.com/2018/2/23/17042290/annihilation-review-natalie-portman-oscar-isaac-alex-garland-jeff-vandermeer |access-date=May 20, 2022 |work=The Verge |date=February 23, 2018 |archive-date=May 18, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220518143923/https://www.theverge.com/2018/2/23/17042290/annihilation-review-natalie-portman-oscar-isaac-alex-garland-jeff-vandermeer |url-status=live }}</ref> and Caryn James of the BBC took note of his ability to act well with a mere glance.<ref>{{cite web |last1=James |first1=Caryn |author-link=Caryn James |title=Film review: Four stars for the thrilling ''Annihilation'' |url=https://www.bbc.com/culture/article/20180222-film-review-four-stars-for-the-thrilling-annihilation |publisher=BBC |access-date=May 20, 2022 |date=February 22, 2018 |archive-date=May 20, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220520172512/https://www.bbc.com/culture/article/20180222-film-review-four-stars-for-the-thrilling-annihilation |url-status=live }}</ref> Isaac debuted as a producer filming the historical drama ''Operation Finale'' (2018), in which he played Peter Malkin, the Israeli secret agent who captured Nazi fugitive Adolf Eichmann in 1960. When asked about his first time producing, he said he wanted to contribute to the stories he is part of. He believed that the film's topic still remains relevant in modern times, where extreme views are deemed acceptable.<ref name="latimes2018">{{cite news |last1=Rottenberg |first1=Josh |title=''Star Wars'' actor Oscar Isaac learns a history lesson in ''Operation Finale'' |url=https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/movies/la-ca-mn-sunday-conversation-oscar-isaac-20180824-story.html |access-date=May 20, 2022 |work=Los Angeles Times |date=August 24, 2018 |archive-date=May 20, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220520172306/https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/movies/la-ca-mn-sunday-conversation-oscar-isaac-20180824-story.html |url-status=live }}</ref> Critical consensus for ''Operation Finale'' was that it is "well-intentioned, well-acted, and overall entertaining, even if the depth and complexity of the real-life events depicted can get a little lost in their dramatization".<ref>{{cite web |title=''Operation Finale'' |url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/operation_finale |publisher=Rotten Tomatoes |access-date=May 20, 2022 |archive-date=May 19, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220519204151/https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/operation_finale |url-status=live }}</ref> Bhaskar Chattopadhyay of ''Firstpost'' thought Isaac was brilliant in certain scenes, but mainly highlighted the performances of the supporting actors.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Chattopadhyay |first1=Bhaskar |title=''Operation Finale'' movie review: A film about a high-stakes secret operation is curiously lacking in dread |url=https://www.firstpost.com/entertainment/operation-finale-movie-review-a-film-about-a-high-stakes-secret-operation-is-curiously-lacking-in-dread-5453531.html |access-date=May 20, 2022 |work=Firstpost |date=November 8, 2018 |archive-date=May 20, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220520172305/https://www.firstpost.com/entertainment/operation-finale-movie-review-a-film-about-a-high-stakes-secret-operation-is-curiously-lacking-in-dread-5453531.html |url-status=live }}</ref> The film was a commercial failure.<ref>{{cite web |title=''Operation Finale'' |url=https://www.boxofficemojo.com/release/rl3204810241/ |publisher=Box Office Mojo |access-date=May 20, 2022 |archive-date=March 31, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190331231846/https://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=operationfinale.htm |url-status=live }}</ref> Isaac's other films in 2018 include ''At Eternity's Gate'' (where he played Paul Gauguin), ''Life Itself'' and ''Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse'', which featured his voice during the post-credits.<ref name="VultureFilmRoles" /><ref name=":1">{{cite news |last1=Zeitchik |first1=Steven |title=''Life Itself'': Six lessons from its box-office belly-flop |url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/entertainment/movies/ct-ent-life-itself-lessons-20180925-story.html |access-date=May 20, 2022 |work=Chicago Tribune |date=September 25, 2018 |archive-date=May 20, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220520173342/https://www.chicagotribune.com/entertainment/movies/ct-ent-life-itself-lessons-20180925-story.html |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Robinson |first=Joanna |date=December 13, 2018 |title=''Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse'': The End of Credits Scene, Explained |url=https://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2018/12/spider-man-into-the-spider-verse-end-of-credits-who-is-miguel-ohara |url-access=limited |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220519201049/https://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2018/12/spider-man-into-the-spider-verse-end-of-credits-who-is-miguel-ohara |archive-date=May 19, 2022 |access-date=May 30, 2022 |work=Vanity Fair}}</ref> Isaac co-starred with Olivia Wilde in the box-office failure ''Life Itself''; Caroline Siede of ''Consequence'' found the two leads unconvincing and their roles to be poorly written.<ref name=":1" /><ref>{{cite news |title=Film Review: ''Life Itself'' is So Bizarre It Has To Be Seen To Be Believed |url=https://consequence.net/2018/09/film-review-life-itself-2/ |access-date=May 20, 2022 |work=Consequence |date=September 18, 2018 |archive-date=May 27, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220527170708/https://consequence.net/2018/09/film-review-life-itself-2/ |url-status=live }}</ref>
After Isaac finished filming ''Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker'' in October 2018, he intended to take a prolonged acting hiatus but was cast as Duke Leto Atreides in ''Dune'' (2021) a few months later.<ref name="thr2022"/> In the former, the final film in the ''Star Wars'' sequel trilogy, Isaac reprised the role of Poe Dameron.<ref>{{Cite magazine |last=Hibberd |first=James |date=November 18, 2019 |title=Poe Dameron pilots the Millennium Falcon in new ''The Rise of Skywalker'' photo |url=https://ew.com/movies/2019/11/18/poe-dameron-millennium-falcon-rise-of-skywalker/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220519202625/https://ew.com/movies/2019/11/18/poe-dameron-millennium-falcon-rise-of-skywalker/ |archive-date=May 19, 2022 |access-date=May 22, 2022 |magazine=Entertainment Weekly}}</ref> It received mixed reviews but was profitable.<ref>{{cite web |title=''Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker'' |url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/star_wars_the_rise_of_skywalker |publisher=Rotten Tomatoes |access-date=May 20, 2022 |archive-date=April 13, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190413130648/https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/star_wars_the_rise_of_skywalker |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=D'Alessandro |first1=Anthony |title=''Star Wars: Rise Of Skywalker'' Lowest Profit Of Disney Trilogy Titles: No. 9 On Deadline's 2019 Most Valuable Blockbuster Tournament |url=https://deadline.com/2020/04/star-wars-rise-of-skywalker-movie-profit-2019-lowest-for-lucasfilm-1202915179/ |access-date=May 20, 2022 |work=Deadline Hollywood |date=April 22, 2020 |archive-date=April 24, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200424132647/https://deadline.com/2020/04/star-wars-rise-of-skywalker-movie-profit-2019-lowest-for-lucasfilm-1202915179/ |url-status=live }}</ref> Earlier in 2019, Isaac starred as an agent working against a drug cartel in South America in J. C. Chandor's Netflix film ''Triple Frontier''. To avoid feeling exhausted during scenes in which he is running at high altitude, Isaac trained in a New York hall where one can decrease oxygen. He said that filming in a favela with no water or sewer made him realize his privileged life.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Schmied |first1=Ursula |title=Oscar Isaac: 'Ich bin gerne Zeitreisender' |url=https://www.gq-magazin.de/unterhaltung/tv-serien-filme-musik/interview-oscar-isaac-ich-bin-gerne-zeitreisender |trans-title=Oscar Isaac: 'I like being a time traveller' |access-date=May 20, 2022 |work=GQ Germany |date=March 12, 2019 |language=de-DE |archive-date=November 30, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201130052446/https://www.gq-magazin.de/unterhaltung/tv-serien-filme-musik/interview-oscar-isaac-ich-bin-gerne-zeitreisender |url-status=live }}</ref> Reviews for the film were generally positive.<ref>{{cite web |title=''Triple Frontier'' |url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/triple_frontier |publisher=Rotten Tomatoes |access-date=May 21, 2022 |archive-date=July 25, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210725113547/https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/triple_frontier |url-status=live }}</ref> Critics Christy Lemire and Richard Roeper highlighted Isaac's screen presence as "charismatic" and "electric".<ref>{{Cite web |last=Lemire |first=Christy |author-link=Christy Lemire |date=March 12, 2019 |title=''Triple Frontier'' |url=https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/triple-frontier-2019 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190315080918/https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/triple-frontier-2019 |archive-date=March 15, 2019 |access-date=May 21, 2022 |publisher=RogerEbert.com}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=Roeper |first1=Richard |title=''Triple Frontier'': Surprises around every corner as Special Ops vets try a heist |url=https://chicago.suntimes.com/2019/3/6/18327729/triple-frontier-surprises-around-every-corner-as-special-ops-vets-try-a-heist |access-date=May 21, 2022 |work=Chicago Sun-Times |date=March 6, 2019 |url-access=subscription |archive-date=May 18, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210518102915/https://chicago.suntimes.com/2019/3/6/18327729/triple-frontier-surprises-around-every-corner-as-special-ops-vets-try-a-heist |url-status=live }} {{subscription required}}</ref> Isaac next voiced the role of Gomez Addams in ''The Addams Family'' (2019), an animated film based on the titular characters created by Charles Addams. For years, fans suggested Isaac be cast in the part as they claimed he resembled Raul Julia who played Gomez Addams in live-action films in the 1990s.<ref>{{cite magazine |last1=Lenker |first1=Maureen Lee |title=Oscar Isaac in talks to voice Gomez in animated ''Addams Family'' movie |url=https://ew.com/movies/2017/12/15/oscar-isaac-gomez-animated-addams-family-movie/ |access-date=May 21, 2022 |magazine=Entertainment Weekly |date=December 15, 2017 |archive-date=May 21, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220521164647/https://ew.com/movies/2017/12/15/oscar-isaac-gomez-animated-addams-family-movie/ |url-status=live }}</ref> ''The Addams Family'' received mixed reviews and grossed $203{{nbsp}}million on a $24{{nbsp}}million budget.<ref>{{cite web |title=''The Addams Family'' |url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/the_addams_family_2019 |publisher=Rotten Tomatoes |access-date=May 21, 2022 |archive-date=May 12, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210512140005/https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/the_addams_family_2019 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=''The Addams Family'' |url=https://www.boxofficemojo.com/title/tttt1620981/ |publisher=Box Office Mojo |access-date=May 21, 2022 |archive-date=May 26, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220526000352/https://www.boxofficemojo.com/title/tttt1620981/ |url-status=live }}</ref>
Isaac's only role in 2020 was of a kindhearted prison officer in the short film ''The Letter Room'', for which he was also an executive producer.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Grater |first1=Tom |title=Deals On Oscar Nominated Short ''The Letter Room''; ''The Lunchbox'' Producer French Honor; ''Knots : A Forced Marriage Story'' Distribution – Global Briefs |url=https://deadline.com/2021/04/deals-oscar-nominated-oscar-isaac-short-the-letter-room-lunchbox-producer-french-honor-1234733259/ |access-date=May 21, 2022 |work=Deadline Hollywood |date=April 13, 2021 |archive-date=May 21, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220521164647/https://deadline.com/2021/04/deals-oscar-nominated-oscar-isaac-short-the-letter-room-lunchbox-producer-french-honor-1234733259/ |url-status=live }}</ref> Roktim Rajpal of the ''Deccan Herald'' believed that Isaac "is the backbone of the short and makes an impact with his sincere performance", yet he fails to "internali[z]e the character as much as expected".<ref>{{cite news |last1=Rajpal |first1=Roktim |title=''The Letter Room'' short film review: Oscar Isaac-starrer delivers the goods |url=https://www.deccanherald.com/entertainment/the-letter-room-short-film-review-oscar-isaac-starrer-delivers-the-goods-977590.html |access-date=May 21, 2022 |work=Deccan Herald |date=April 23, 2021 |archive-date=May 21, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220521164647/https://www.deccanherald.com/entertainment/the-letter-room-short-film-review-oscar-isaac-starrer-delivers-the-goods-977590.html |url-status=live }}</ref> The following year, he starred alongside Jessica Chastain in ''Scenes from a Marriage''. A remake of the 1973 Swedish series of the same name by Ingmar Bergman, it switches gender roles, and explores the themes of monogamy, marriage and divorce.<ref>{{cite web |title=''Scenes From a Marriage'' |url=https://www.hbo.com/scenes-from-a-marriage |publisher=HBO |access-date=May 28, 2022 |archive-date=April 26, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220426175333/https://www.hbo.com/scenes-from-a-marriage |url-status=live }}</ref> To film the show, Isaac and Chastain employed their experiences from past relationships and parents' marriage.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Soloski |first1=Alexis |title=Shooting ''Scenes From a Marriage'': 'I Cried Every Day' |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2021/09/10/arts/television/scenes-from-a-marriage-jessica-chastain-oscar-isaac.html |access-date=May 21, 2022 |work=The New York Times |date=September 10, 2021 |url-access=limited |archive-date=May 21, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220521211743/https://www.nytimes.com/2021/09/10/arts/television/scenes-from-a-marriage-jessica-chastain-oscar-isaac.html |url-status=live }}</ref> Isaac performed in a full frontal nude scene in the series.<ref>{{cite magazine |last1=Garner |first1=Glenn |title=Oscar Isaac Says He 'Was Surprised' by His Full-Frontal Nude Moment in Scenes from a Marriage |url=https://people.com/tv/oscar-isaac-was-surprised-by-full-frontal-nude-moment-scenes-from-a-marriage/ |access-date=June 5, 2022 |magazine=People |date=October 15, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220107125828/https://people.com/tv/oscar-isaac-was-surprised-by-full-frontal-nude-moment-scenes-from-a-marriage/ |archive-date=January 7, 2022}}</ref> Reviews for the show were positive, particularly for the duo's chemistry.<ref>{{cite web |title=''Scenes From a Marriage'' |url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/scenes_from_a_marriage/s01 |publisher=Rotten Tomatoes |access-date=May 21, 2022 |archive-date=May 21, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220521211743/https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/scenes_from_a_marriage/s01 |url-status=live }}</ref> Carol Midgley of ''The Times'' praised them for giving "masterclass performances and delivering crackling, wounding dialogue faultlessly".<ref>{{cite news |last1=Midgley |first1=Carol |title=''Scenes from a Marriage'' review a relationship breakdown I couldn't turn away from |url=https://www.thetimes.com/article/scenes-from-a-marriage-review-a-relationship-breakdown-i-couldnt-turn-away-from-l2v759w5f |access-date=May 21, 2022 |work=The Times |date=October 12, 2021 |url-access=subscription |archive-date=February 5, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220205120618/https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/scenes-from-a-marriage-review-a-relationship-breakdown-i-couldnt-turn-away-from-l2v759w5f |url-status=live }} {{subscription required}}</ref> He was nominated for the Golden Globe Award, Screen Actors Guild Award and Primetime Emmy Award for Best Actor in a miniseries.<ref>{{Cite web |last1=Feinberg |first1=Scott |last2=Gajewski |first2=Ryan |date=January 9, 2022 |title=''The Power of the Dog'', ''West Side Story'' Top Golden Globes in Private Ceremony Amid Ongoing Boycott |url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/general-news/golden-globes-hfpa-kicks-off-celebrity-free-ceremony-amid-ongoing-boycott-1235071870/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220414080717/https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/general-news/golden-globes-hfpa-kicks-off-celebrity-free-ceremony-amid-ongoing-boycott-1235071870/ |archive-date=April 14, 2022 |access-date=May 22, 2022 |website=The Hollywood Reporter }}<br />{{Cite web |last=Nordyke |first=Kimberly |date=February 27, 2022 |title=SAG Awards: Winners List |url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/sag-awards-winners-2022-complete-list-1235100358/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220521231025/https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/sag-awards-winners-2022-complete-list-1235100358/ |archive-date=May 21, 2022 |access-date=May 22, 2022 |website=The Hollywood Reporter }}<br />{{Cite web |last1=Moreau |first1=Jordan |last2=Schneider |first2=Michael |date=July 12, 2022 |title=Emmys 2022: Complete Nominations List |url=https://variety.com/2022/tv/awards/emmys-nominations-list-2022-1235313788/ |access-date=July 12, 2022 |website=Variety |url-status=live |archive-date=July 12, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220712193223/https://variety.com/2022/tv/awards/emmys-nominations-list-2022-1235313788/ }}</ref>
[[File:OscarIsaac.jpg|thumb|upright|Isaac at the 2022 New York Comic Con|alt=A picture of Oscar Isaac smiling]] To avoid what he saw as "green screen alien space land", Isaac starred as William Tell—a troubled, gambling military veteran—in the Paul Schrader-directed crime drama ''The Card Counter''. Because his character writes in his journal every night, Isaac took a penmanship course. To portray Tell's military experience, he drew inspiration from his time as a high-school graduate when he and his friend wanted to join the marines. Near the end, the film's production was halted due to the COVID-19 lockdown; per Isaac's suggestion, he finished it with only Schrader and the cinematographer on set.<ref name="iw2021"/> Critics praised ''The Card Counter'' and Isaac's performance, which for Eric Kohn of IndieWire was his career's best.<ref name="iw2021">{{cite web |last1=Kohn |first1=Eric |title=Oscar Isaac Reveals the Intricate Process Behind His Career-Best Performance in ''The Card Counter'' |url=https://www.indiewire.com/2021/10/oscar-isaac-interview-the-card-counter-dune-1234672036/ |publisher=IndieWire |access-date=May 22, 2022 |date=October 19, 2021 |archive-date=May 22, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220522090952/https://www.indiewire.com/2021/10/oscar-isaac-interview-the-card-counter-dune-1234672036/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=''The Card Counter'' |url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/the_card_counter |publisher=Rotten Tomatoes |access-date=May 22, 2022 |archive-date=September 11, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210911005204/https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/the_card_counter |url-status=live }}</ref> Justin Chang of NPR lauded Isaac for "bring[ing] his usual sly, soulful magnetism to the role" and embodying his character's trauma in his "dark, haunted gaze".<ref>{{cite web |last1=Chang |first1=Justin |title=A Disgraced Interrogator Gambles On Redemption In ''The Card Counter'' |url=https://www.npr.org/2021/09/10/1035554477/the-card-counter-film-review-oscar-isaac |publisher=NPR |access-date=May 22, 2022 |date=September 10, 2021 |author-link=Justin Chang |archive-date=September 20, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210920215953/https://www.npr.org/2021/09/10/1035554477/the-card-counter-film-review-oscar-isaac |url-status=live }}</ref> The film earned him a nomination for the London Film Critics' Circle Award for Actor of the Year.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Ritman |first=Alex |date=December 16, 2021 |title=London Critics' Circle Film Awards: ''Power of the Dog'' Leads Pack of Nominees |url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/london-critics-circle-2022-film-nominations-nominees-1235063663/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220521083501/https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/london-critics-circle-2022-film-nominations-nominees-1235063663/ |archive-date=May 21, 2022 |access-date=May 22, 2022 |website=The Hollywood Reporter}}</ref> After reprising the role of Gomez Addams in ''The Addams Family 2'',<ref>{{Cite web |last=D'Alessandro |first=Anthony |date=October 8, 2020 |title=''The Addams Family 2'': Bill Hader & Javon 'Wanna' Walton Join Voice Cast |url=https://deadline.com/2020/10/the-addams-family-2-bill-hader-javon-wanna-walton-join-voice-cast-1234593614/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201008162155/https://deadline.com/2020/10/the-addams-family-2-bill-hader-javon-wanna-walton-join-voice-cast-1234593614/ |archive-date=October 8, 2020 |access-date=May 22, 2022 |website=Deadline Hollywood}}</ref> Isaac starred in ''Dune'' as the father of the protagonist Paul Atreides (played by Timothée Chalamet). Based on the 1965 namesake novel by Frank Herbert,<ref>{{cite news |last=Breznican |first=Anthony |author-link=Anthony Breznican |title=Behold ''Dune'': A New Look at Timothée Chalamet, Zendaya, and More |url=https://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2020/04/behold-dune-an-exclusive-look-at-timothee-chalamet-zendaya-oscar-isaac |access-date=May 22, 2022 |work=Vanity Fair |date=April 14, 2020 |archive-date=April 14, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200414123142/https://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2020/04/behold-dune-an-exclusive-look-at-timothee-chalamet-zendaya-oscar-isaac |url-status=live }}</ref> ''Dune'' premiered at the 78th Venice International Film Festival to mixed reviews but was nominated for 10{{nbsp}}Academy Awards.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Lewis |first1=Isobel |title=Critics divided as they brand Denis Villeneuve's ''Dune'' 'dazzling' and 'boring' |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/news/dune-review-round-up-denis-villeneuve-b1914281.html |access-date=May 22, 2022 |work=The Independent |date=September 4, 2021 |archive-date=October 24, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211024140742/https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/news/dune-review-round-up-denis-villeneuve-b1914281.html |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=Couch |first1=Aaron |title=''Dune'' Lands 10 Oscar Nominations, Including Best Picture |url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/dune-oscars-nominations-1235088196/ |access-date=May 22, 2022 |work=The Hollywood Reporter |date=February 8, 2022 |archive-date=May 22, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220522100556/https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/dune-oscars-nominations-1235088196/ |url-status=live }}</ref> It earned over $400{{nbsp}}million against a budget of $165{{nbsp}}million.<ref>{{cite web |title=''Dune'' (2021) – Financial Information |url=https://www.the-numbers.com/movie/Dune-(2020)#tab=summary |publisher=The Numbers |access-date=May 22, 2022 |archive-date=November 2, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211102032150/https://www.the-numbers.com/movie/Dune-(2020)#tab=summary |url-status=live }}</ref>
Isaac began 2022 with the black comedy ''Big Gold Brick'' in a brief role that Nick Schager of ''Variety'' found "out of left field".<ref>{{cite news |last1=Schager |first1=Nick |title=''Big Gold Brick'' Review: Andy Garcia and Emory Cohen Clash in Leadenly Surrealistic Comedy |url=https://variety.com/2022/film/reviews/big-gold-brick-review-1235189356/ |access-date=May 22, 2022 |work=Variety |date=February 24, 2022 |archive-date=May 22, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220522101524/https://variety.com/2022/film/reviews/big-gold-brick-review-1235189356/ |url-status=live }}</ref> In the Marvel Cinematic Universe series ''Moon Knight'' (2022), he played the titular superhero, a man with dissociative identity disorder (DID) who serves as an avatar to the Egyptian moon god Khonshu.{{efn|Isaac played Marc Spector / Moon Knight, Steven Grant / Mr. Knight, and Jake Lockley.<ref name="MoonKnight">{{Cite web |last=Fullerton |first=Huw |date=May 6, 2022 |title=''Moon Knight'' post-credits scene explained: Who is Jake Lockley? |url=https://www.radiotimes.com/tv/fantasy/moon-knight-end-credits-jake-lockley-newsupdate/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220518181420/https://www.radiotimes.com/tv/fantasy/moon-knight-end-credits-jake-lockley-newsupdate/ |archive-date=May 18, 2022 |access-date=May 18, 2022 |website=Radio Times}}</ref>}} He also executive produced the show, which is based on Marvel Comics' namesake comic book.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Yip |first1=Micah |title=CBR's ''Moon Knight'' Guide: News, Easter Eggs, Reviews, Theories and Rumors |url=https://www.cbr.com/moon-knight-guide-easter-eggs-theories-reviews-news/ |access-date=May 18, 2022 |work=Comic Book Resources |date=March 26, 2022 |archive-date=May 18, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220518193133/https://www.cbr.com/moon-knight-guide-easter-eggs-theories-reviews-news/ |url-status=live }}</ref> Initially reluctant to join another franchise,<ref name="thr2022">{{cite news |last1=Davids |first1=Brian |title=''Moon Knight'' Star Oscar Isaac Admits He Was Hesitant to Join MCU, Post-'Star Wars' |url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/tv/tv-features/moon-knight-oscar-isaac-1235117724/ |access-date=May 18, 2022 |work=The Hollywood Reporter |date=March 23, 2022 |archive-date=May 15, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220515173324/https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/tv/tv-features/moon-knight-oscar-isaac-1235117724/ |url-status=live }}</ref> he had several conversations with Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige before signing on.<ref name="nme2022"/> Drawn to his character's complex mind, Isaac found manifesting each alter a technical challenge that took considerable energy.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Travis |first1=Ben |title=''Moon Knight'': Oscar Isaac Wanted To Do 'Something Really F—ing Nutty' In His Marvel Comeback – Exclusive Image |url=https://www.empireonline.com/tv/news/moon-knight-oscar-isaac-really-fing-nutty-marvel-comeback-exclusive/ |access-date=May 18, 2022 |work=Empire |date=February 14, 2022 |archive-date=February 15, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220215192240/https://www.empireonline.com/tv/news/moon-knight-oscar-isaac-really-fing-nutty-marvel-comeback-exclusive/ |url-status=live }}</ref> He read Robert B. Oxnam's book ''A Fractured Mind'' to research DID.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Vary |first1=Adam B. |title=How ''Moon Knight'' Sends Marvel Studios Into the Unknown: 'We're Creating a Whole New Thing' |url=https://variety.com/2022/tv/news/moon-knight-oscar-isaac-marvel-egypt-dissociative-identity-disorder-1235219568/ |work=Variety |date=March 31, 2022 |access-date=May 18, 2022 |archive-date=April 3, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220403093752/https://variety.com/2022/tv/news/moon-knight-oscar-isaac-marvel-egypt-dissociative-identity-disorder-1235219568/ |url-status=live }}</ref> To distinguish the three alters, Isaac gave them different nationalities.<ref name="collider">{{cite web |last1=Villei |first1=Matt |title=''Moon Knight'' Director Mohamed Diab Reveals Why [Spoiler] Speaks the Way He Does |url=https://collider.com/moon-knight-director-mohamed-diab-jake-lockley-comments/ |publisher=Collider |access-date=May 18, 2022 |date=May 5, 2022 |archive-date=May 18, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220518183043/https://collider.com/moon-knight-director-mohamed-diab-jake-lockley-comments/ |url-status=live }}</ref> For example, he suggested that the alter Steven Grant be English, and was inspired by comedians Karl Pilkington (from the British travel comedy series ''An Idiot Abroad'') and Peter Sellers to develop his English accent.<ref name="nme2022">{{cite news |last1=Levine |first1=Nick |title=Oscar Isaac: 'My inspiration for ''Moon Knight''? Karl Pilkington' |url=https://www.nme.com/features/tv-interviews/oscar-isaac-interview-moon-knight-marvel-mental-health-3188620 |access-date=May 18, 2022 |work=NME |date=March 24, 2022 |archive-date=May 18, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220518181420/https://www.nme.com/features/tv-interviews/oscar-isaac-interview-moon-knight-marvel-mental-health-3188620 |url-status=live }}</ref> The third alter, Jake Lockley, speaks Spanish as Isaac wanted to add an aspect of his own life to the role.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Paige |first=Rachel |date=May 4, 2022 |title=''Moon Knight'': Meet Marc Spector's Third Alter – Jake Lockley |url=https://www.marvel.com/articles/tv-shows/moon-knight-meet-marc-spector-third-alter-jake-lockley |access-date=May 18, 2022 |publisher=Marvel.com}}</ref> ''Moon Knight'' was released to a positive critical reception.<ref>{{cite web |title=''Moon Knight''|url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/moon_knight/s01 |publisher=Rotten Tomatoes |access-date=May 20, 2022 |archive-date=April 2, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220402195052/https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/moon_knight/s01 |url-status=live }}</ref> In a review of the fifth episode, Matt Fowler of ''IGN'' took note of Isaac's "dynamic and dazzling performance" and "ace acting", highlighting the dramatic scene in which his character revisits his traumatic past.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Fowler |first1=Matt |date=April 27, 2022 |title=''Moon Knight'': Episode 5 Review – 'Asylum' |work=IGN |url=https://www.ign.com/articles/moon-knight-episode-5-review-asylum |url-status=live |access-date=May 20, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220427174620/https://www.ign.com/articles/moon-knight-episode-5-review-asylum |archive-date=April 27, 2022}}</ref> He was nominated for an MTV Movie Award for Best Hero.<ref name="MTVAwards">{{Cite news |last=Nordyke |first=Kimberly |date=June 5, 2022 |title=MTV Movie & TV Awards: ''Spider-Man: No Way Home'', ''Euphoria'' Top Winners List |url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/mtv-movie-tv-awards-full-winners-list-1235159302/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220606021132/https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/mtv-movie-tv-awards-full-winners-list-1235159302/ |archive-date=June 6, 2022 |access-date=June 6, 2022 |work=The Hollywood Reporter}}</ref> Isaac also dropped out of starring in the Francis Ford Coppola film ''Megalopolis.''<ref>[https://theplaylist.net/oscar-isaac-reportedly-passes-francis-ford-coppola-megalopolis-20220322/ Oscar Isaac Reportedly Passes On Francis Ford Coppola’s ‘Megalopolis’]</ref>
In 2023, Isaac starred as the title character in the revival of Lorraine Hansberry's ''The Sign in Sidney Brustein's Window'' opposite Rachel Brosnahan. The production had its initial run at the Brooklyn Academy of Music<ref>{{cite web|url=https://deadline.com/2022/10/oscar-isaac-rachel-brosnahan-lorraine-hanberry-sign-in-sidney-brusteins-window-bam-1235136503/|title= Oscar Isaac, Rachel Brosnahan Set For Off Broadway Revival Of Lorraine Hansberry's 'The Sign in Sidney Brustein's Window'|website= Deadline Hollywood|accessdate= October 22, 2022}}</ref> before its Broadway transfer which began in April 2023.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/general-news/oscar-isaac-rachel-brosnahan-broadway-play-the-sign-in-sidney-brusteins-window-1235366536/|title= Oscar Isaac, Rachel Brosnahan Bring 'The Sign in Sidney Brustein's Window' to Broadway|website= The Hollywood Reporter|accessdate= April 5, 2023}}</ref> Later that year, he voiced the role of Spider-Man 2099, a version of the namesake superhero, in the animated film ''Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse''. The film received critical acclaim and was a commercial success.<ref>{{cite web |title=''Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse'' |url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/spider_man_across_the_spider_verse |publisher=Rotten Tomatoes |access-date=June 9, 2023}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Peralta |first1=Diego |title=''Across the Spider-Verse'' Leaps to an Insane Worldwide Box Office |url=https://collider.com/spider-man-across-the-spider-verse-global-box-office-250-million/ |publisher=Collider |access-date=June 9, 2023|date=June 9, 2023}}</ref> Critic Maya Phillips of ''The New York Times'' found Isaac to be well-cast as a slightly unhinged and self-serious Spider-Man.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Phillips |first1=Maya |title=''Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Vers'' Review: Worlds Wide Web |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2023/06/01/movies/spider-man-across-the-spider-verse-review.html |access-date=June 9, 2023 |work=The New York Times |date=June 1, 2023|url-access=limited}}</ref>
In 2025, Isaac voiced Jesus Christ in the Angel Studios film ''The King of Kings''.<ref>{{cite web |last=Couch |first=Aaron |date=September 13, 2024 |title=Faith-Based 'King of Kings' Sets Easter 2025 Release in Theaters |url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/king-of-kings-sets-easter-2025-release-in-theaters-1236000455/ |website=The Hollywood Reporter |access-date=July 27, 2025}}</ref> Isaac then starred in Julian Schnabel's drama ''In the Hand of Dante'', based on the novel of the same name by Nick Tosches.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.thewrap.com/the-hand-of-dante-oscar-isaac-gal-gadot-jason-momoa-gerard-butler-interim-agreement/|title=Oscar Isaac, Jason Momoa and Gerard Butler to Star in Julian Schnabel's 'The Hand of Dante'|website=The Wrap|first=Scott|last=Mendelson|date=October 16, 2023|access-date=October 17, 2023}}</ref> He ended the year portraying the lead role of Victor Frankenstein in Guillermo del Toro's horror film ''Frankenstein''.<ref>{{cite news|last=Rubin|first=Rebecca|url=https://variety.com/2024/film/news/jacob-elordi-frankenstein-guillermo-del-toro-netflix-1235863921/|title=Jacob Elordi to Play Frankenstein's Monster in Guillermo del Toro's Netflix Adaptation|work=Variety|date=January 7, 2024|access-date=January 25, 2024|archive-date=January 8, 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240108011308/https://variety.com/2024/film/news/jacob-elordi-frankenstein-guillermo-del-toro-netflix-1235863921/|url-status=live}}</ref> About his experience filming it, Isaac declared: "It was the most fucking fun I've ever had in my life. Running around in the rain, up and down steps, this Christ-like thing on a crucifix and Guillermo in the corner, screaming! It was hard to fathom that it was actually happening. It's such dark material, but was approached with so much joy. Like 14 year olds had keys to the kingdom – it had that kind of energy to it."<ref>[https://www.gamesradar.com/entertainment/sci-fi-movies/star-wars-oscar-isaac-says-filming-guillermo-del-toros-frankenstein-was-the-most-fun-hes-ever-had-its-such-dark-material-but-was-approached-with-so-much-joy/ Star Wars' Oscar Isaac says filming Guillermo del Toro's Frankenstein was "the most fun" he's ever had: "It's such dark material, but was approached with so much joy"]</ref> During this time, Isaac dropped out of lead roles in the films ''Behemoth!'', ''Kockroach,'' and ''Flesh of the Gods.''<ref>[https://www.worldofreel.com/blog/2025/8/8/pedro-pascal-steps-in-for-oscar-isaac-in-tony-gilroys-behemoth-is-he-in-too-many-movies Pedro Pascal Steps In for Oscar Isaac in Tony Gilroy’s ‘Behemoth!’ — Is He in Too Many Movies?]</ref><ref>[https://deadline.com/2025/10/taron-egerton-joins-channing-tatum-in-crime-film-kockroach-1236603244/ Taron Egerton Joins Channing Tatum & Zazie Beetz In New York Crime Boss Pic ‘Kockroach’ For Mad Chance & Black Bear]</ref><ref>[https://deadline.com/2026/04/wagner-moura-joins-flesh-of-the-gods-a24-1236771141/ Wagner Moura Joins Kristen Stewart In Panos Cosmatos’ Vampire Thriller ‘Flesh Of The Gods’ As A24 Picks Up U.S. Rights]</ref>
Isaac was the subject and executive producer of the 2025 documentary film ''King Hamlet'', shot in 2017 and directed by his spouse Elvira Lind, that focused on his actor's preparations for the Public Theatre production of ''Hamlet''.<ref>{{cite book |title=52nd Telluride Film Festival Program Guide |date=2025 |publisher=The National Film Preserve |location=Berkeley, California |page=44 |url=https://telluridecms-production.s3.amazonaws.com/assets/pdfs/52nd-TFF-program-guide-Final2.pdf |access-date=29 August 2025 |chapter=King Hamlet}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=King Hamlet (Metropolis Competition) |work=DOCNYC |date=14 November 2025|url=https://www.docnyc.net/film/king-hamlet/}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last=Zilko|first=Christian |title='King Hamlet' Review: Oscar Isaac's Charm Carries a Light Doc About the Healing Power of Art |work=Indiewire |date=29 August 2025|url=https://www.indiewire.com/criticism/movies/king-hamlet-review-oscar-isaac-documentary-1235148180/}}</ref>
Isaac also had a starring role as Joshua Martin in the second season of ''Beef'', created by Lee Sung Jin, released on April 16, 2026, on Netflix.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Fear |first1=David |title='COMPARISON IS THE THIEF OF JOY': INSIDE THE MAKING OF 'BEEF' SEASON 2 |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/tv-movies/tv-movie-features/beef-season-2-oscar-isaac-carey-mulligan-creator-interview-1235545988/|access-date=April 17, 2026 |website=Rolling Stone|date=April 17, 2026}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Spencer |first1=Ashley|title=Oscar Isaac and Carey Mulligan Have a Generational 'Beef' |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2026/04/15/arts/television/beef-oscar-isaac-carey-mulligan-netflix.html|access-date=April 17, 2026 |website=Rolling Stones|date=April 17, 2026}}</ref>
On May 22, 2026, Isaac received an honorary Doctor of Fine Arts degree from his alma mater Juilliard.<ref name="HonoraryDegree">{{cite news|author=Juilliard School|date=20 April 2026|title=Press Release: Juilliard to Confer Honorary Doctorates Upon Misty Copeland, Denyce Graves, Oscar Isaac, and Paul Simon at 121st Commencement Ceremony|url=https://www.juilliard.edu/news/185141/juilliard-confer-honorary-doctorates-upon-misty-copeland-denyce-graves-oscar-isaac-and|access-date=20 April 2026|website=Juilliard School}}</ref>
====Upcoming==== In 2027, Isaac will reprise his voice role as Miguel O'Hara in ''Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse.''<ref>{{cite web |last1=Dominguez |first1=Noah |title=Across the Spider-Verse's Oscar Isaac Wants Pedro Pascal in the Sequel |url=https://www.cbr.com/across-the-spider-verse-oscar-isaac-pedro-pascal-sequel/|access-date=July 8, 2023 |website=Comic Book Resources|date=June 5, 2023}}</ref> <!--Isaac will star in and produce ''The Great Machine'', an adaptation of the comic ''Ex Machina''.<ref>{{cite news|last=Kit|first=Borys|url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/heat-vision/oscar-isaac-star-produce-brian-k-vaughan-adaptation-1270443|title=Oscar Isaac to Star in, Produce Brian K. Vaughan Adaptation ''The Great Machine'' (Exclusive)|work=The Hollywood Reporter|date=January 17, 2020|access-date=May 27, 2022|archive-date=April 23, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210423055041/https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/heat-vision/oscar-isaac-star-produce-brian-k-vaughan-adaptation-1270443|url-status=live}}</ref> He is set to star in ''London'', which will be directed by Ben Stiller.<ref>{{cite news |last1=D'Alessandro |first1=Anthony |title=Ben Stiller to Direct & Star with Cate Blanchett in ''The Champions'' for New Republic Pictures, ITV Studios America & Dirty Films |url=https://deadline.com/2021/11/ben-stiller-cate-blanchett-the-champions-project-1234872204/ |access-date=June 22, 2022 |work=Deadline Hollywood |date=November 11, 2021 |archive-date=July 25, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220725223429/https://deadline.com/2021/11/ben-stiller-cate-blanchett-the-champions-project-1234872204/ |url-status=live }}</ref> In December 2020, it was announced that Isaac would star as Solid Snake in the film adaptation of ''Metal Gear Solid'' directed by Jordan Vogt-Roberts.<ref>{{cite news|last=Kroll|first=Justin|date=December 4, 2020|title=Oscar Isaac To Star As Solid Snake In Sony's ''Metal Gear Solid'' Movie|url=https://deadline.com/2020/12/oscar-isaac-solid-snake-sonys-metal-gear-solid-movie-1234650259/|access-date=December 4, 2020|website=Deadline Hollywood|archive-date=December 4, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201204175757/https://deadline.com/2020/12/oscar-isaac-solid-snake-sonys-metal-gear-solid-movie-1234650259/|url-status=live}}</ref> In October 2021, he was cast in Martin McDonagh's untitled project; it co-stars Christopher Walken and Sam Rockwell.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Wiseman|first1=Andreas|last2=Fleming|first2=Mike Jr.|url=https://deadline.com/2021/10/oscar-isaac-sam-rockwell-martin-mcdonagh-christopher-walken-afm-new-movie-1234864883/|title=Martin McDonagh's Next Film Sizzles At AFM; Christopher Walken, Oscar Isaac & Sam Rockwell Starring|date=October 29, 2021|work=Deadline Hollywood|access-date=May 27, 2022|archive-date=May 26, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220526012503/https://deadline.com/2021/10/oscar-isaac-sam-rockwell-martin-mcdonagh-christopher-walken-afm-new-movie-1234864883/|url-status=live}}</ref> -->
==Reception and acting style== Media publications like ''Vanity Fair'', ''The Guardian'' and ''People'' have positively commented on Isaac's looks.<ref name="vf"/><ref>{{cite news |last=Adewunmi |first=Bim |title=Crush of the week: Oscar Isaac |url=https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2016/jan/16/oscar-isaac-crush-bim-adewunmi |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211004201747/https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2016/jan/16/oscar-isaac-crush-bim-adewunmi |archive-date=October 4, 2021 |access-date=June 6, 2022 |work=The Guardian |date=January 16, 2016 |author-link=Bim Adewunmi |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine |last=Emmanuele |first=Julia |title=Sexiest Man Alive, Matt Bomer, Oscar Isaac, Liam Hemsworth |url=https://people.com/celebrity/sexiest-man-alive-matt-bomer-oscar-isaac-liam-hemsworth/ |access-date=June 6, 2022 |magazine=People |date=August 14, 2015 |archive-date=May 6, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210506041111/https://people.com/celebrity/sexiest-man-alive-matt-bomer-oscar-isaac-liam-hemsworth/ |url-status=live }}</ref> ''Rolling Stone'' and other media outlets have dubbed Isaac "the Internet's Boyfriend", a label he is skeptical about.<ref name="rolling stone">{{cite magazine |last=Hiatt |first=Brian |date=May 18, 2016 |title=Oscar Isaac: The Internet's Boyfriend Becomes a Leading Man |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/movies/features/oscar-isaac-the-internets-boyfriend-becomes-a-leading-man-20160518 |magazine=Rolling Stone |access-date=May 18, 2016 |archive-date=August 6, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160806194211/https://www.rollingstone.com/movies/features/oscar-isaac-the-internets-boyfriend-becomes-a-leading-man-20160518 |url-status=live }}</ref> Hoby Hermione of ''The Guardian'' took note of Isaac's "cheerful, vigorous presence", "energy and good humour".<ref name="tg2015"/> Melanie Haupt of ''The Austin Chronicle'' identified him as "polite, professional, serene".<ref name="chronicle"/> Joseph Adler, who directed Isaac in plays early in his career, was impressed with his "discipline", "professionalism" and "incredible intelligence".<ref name="miami2015"/> Nick Levine of ''NME'' wrote, "In the flesh, Oscar Isaac has a relaxed charisma that puts you at ease."<ref name="nme2022"/> Brett Martin of ''GQ'' commented on his "wide, easy smile", adding, "It's been a long time since we've had a leading man whose charisma comes packed with such tetchiness, so little naked desire to be liked."<ref name="GQ2015"/>
[[File:Oscar Isaac.JPG|thumb|upright|left|Isaac playing guitar with Gaby Moreno during a concert in 2015|alt=Oscar Isaac is holding a guitar while looking to his right.]] In 2016, ''Time'' named Isaac one of the 100 most influential people in the world.<ref>{{cite magazine |url=http://time.com/4301247/oscar-isaac-2016-time-100/ |title=Oscar Isaac |first=Paul |last=Haggis |date=April 21, 2016 |magazine=Time |access-date=May 27, 2022 |archive-date=October 1, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181001022300/http://time.com/4301247/oscar-isaac-2016-time-100/ |url-status=live }}</ref> In 2017, Isaac was described as the "best dang actor of his generation" by ''Vanity Fair''{{'s}} chief critic Richard Lawson, who wrote, "He's a classically trained actor of true range, one who can sing and dance, do comedy, action, and drama with equal ease and authority. He's thrilling to watch, a prodigious mind sparking a nimble{{nbsp}}[...] form into action."<ref name="vf">{{cite news|last1=Lawson|first1=Richard|author-link=Richard Lawson (writer)|title=As Hamlet, Oscar Isaac Proves He's the Best Actor of His Generation|url=https://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2017/07/hamlet-public-theater-oscar-isaac-review|work=Vanity Fair|date=July 14, 2017|access-date=September 9, 2017|archive-date=September 7, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190907112212/https://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2017/07/hamlet-public-theater-oscar-isaac-review|url-status=live}}</ref> The same year, ''Esquire''{{'s}} Miranda Collinge added that after his roles of Hamlet and Poe Dameron, Isaac was becoming the most accomplished leading actor of his generation.<ref name="esquire2017"/> In 2020, ''The New York Times'' ranked him 14th in its list of the 25 Greatest Actors of the 21st Century. "When I think about what makes him so credible as an actor", wrote the list's co-author A. O. Scott, "[is] whatever Isaac is pretending to do onscreen{{nbsp}}[...] I always believe that he really knows how to do it, and that I'm watching some kind of authentic mastery in action."<ref>{{cite news|last1=Dargis|first1=Manohla|author-link1=Manohla Dargis|first2=A. O.|last2=Scott|author-link2=A. O. Scott|title=The 25 greatest actors of the 21st century (so far)|work=The New York Times|date=November 25, 2020|url=https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2020/movies/greatest-actors-actresses.html|access-date=December 15, 2020|url-access=limited|archive-date=December 1, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201201234221/https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2020/movies/greatest-actors-actresses.html|url-status=live}}</ref> Hossein Amini, who directed Isaac in ''The Two Faces of January'', remarked on his "ability to make the tiniest shifts in character incredibly quickly, without revealing any element of process".{{sfn|Wood|Smith|2015|p=23}}
Martin identified an extent of "loneliness and menace" in Isaac's most memorable characters, attributing his growing success to "a series of brilliant but darkly idiosyncratic roles" (''Inside Llewyn Davis'' and ''A Most Violent Year''). Isaac himself noted "a sense of melancholy, anger, displacement" in these characters.<ref name="GQ2015"/> For Rick Warner, Isaac's roles in these films and ''Ex Machina'' signify his "penchant for moody rumination" that "runs together with an expression of intellect that slips into egoism".{{sfn|Warner|2022|p=65}} Madison Diaz of ''Comic Book Resources'' praised Isaac for his inclination to "intense and complex" characters and for exploring their hardships and complicated pasts.<ref name="CBR2022"/> Tom Shone of ''The Guardian'' identified common characters of "ambitious, slightly myopic men whose own movement quickens their fall" (an oil importer struggling to keep his business intact in ''A Most Violent Year'' and a doomed politician in ''Show Me a Hero''). Shone noted, "He has made a career playing men for whom careerism doesn't work." Isaac's favorite roles depict "a lot more of the beauty and cruelty of life".<ref name="TG2017">{{cite news |last1=Shone |first1=Tom |author-link=Tom Shone |title=Oscar Isaac on ''Star Wars'', Guatemala and his Dylan-esque backstories |url=https://www.theguardian.com/film/2017/apr/20/oscar-isaac-on-star-wars-guatemala-and-his-dylan-esque-backstories |access-date=May 29, 2022 |work=The Guardian |date=April 20, 2017 |archive-date=October 21, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211021215127/https://www.theguardian.com/film/2017/apr/20/oscar-isaac-on-star-wars-guatemala-and-his-dylan-esque-backstories |url-status=live }}</ref> He often looks for "the comic in the dramatic and the dramatic in the comic and where those things meet and the brackish waters in between".<ref>{{Cite news |last=Zemler |first=Emily |date=April 27, 2017 |title=Oscar Isaac reflects on his key roles as Poe Dameron, Llewyn Davis and, of course, Fartman |url=https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/movies/la-ca-mn-imdb-file-oscar-isaac-20170418-htmlstory.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220522051936/https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/movies/la-ca-mn-imdb-file-oscar-isaac-20170418-htmlstory.html |archive-date=May 22, 2022 |access-date=May 29, 2022 |work=Los Angeles Times}}</ref> For Isaac, acting is "the only framework where you can give expression to such intense emotions. Otherwise anywhere else is pretty inappropriate, unless you're just in a room screaming to yourself."<ref name="esquire2017" />
Throughout his career, Isaac has avoided typecasting.<ref name="TG2017"/> Often noted for his versatility,<ref name=":0"/><ref>{{cite web |last1=Acevedo |first1=Nicole |title=In ''Moon Knight'', Oscar Isaac pushes boundaries of what a traditional hero looks like |url=https://www.nbcnews.com/news/latino/moon-knight-oscar-isaac-marvel-hero-journey-healing-rcna26048 |publisher=NBC News |access-date=August 22, 2022 |date=April 27, 2022 |archive-date=August 22, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220822082209/https://www.nbcnews.com/news/latino/moon-knight-oscar-isaac-marvel-hero-journey-healing-rcna26048 |url-status=live }}</ref> he has played a wide range of nationalities, including Egyptian, Indonesian, Armenian, Greek, Welsh, East Timorese, and English. Rick Warner opined Isaac has "skillfully embodied several different affective dispositions—sensitive, flippant, romantically charming, hyperintelligent, neurotic, cynical, sinister, and menacingly violent".{{sfn|Warner|2022|p=54}} He has been credited for a positive ethnic representation in American cinema.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/2015/01/30/oscar-isaac-we-latin-american-actors-dont-just-know-how-to-play-villains/ |title=Oscar Isaac: "We Latin American actors don't just know how to play villains" |work=San Diego Union-Tribune |date=September 21, 2016 |access-date=April 22, 2025}}</ref>{{sfn|Berg|2018|p=293}} Author Charles Ramírez Berg wrote in ''Close-up: Great Cinematic Performances'' that Isaac's character in ''A Most Violent Year''—a self-acting businessman replacing the usual "barbarous, short-fused ethnic gangster"—broke "the tempestuous, hot-blooded Latino stereotype".{{sfn|Berg|2018|p=300}} Isaac is one of the few Latino actors to play Hamlet in a major US production, alongside José Ferrer (opposite Paul Robeson) in the 1930s-40s, Martin Sheen (who is half-Spanish) who played the role in 1968 at The Public, and Frankie J. Alvarez in 2012 at Asolo Repertory.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Della Gatta |first1=Carla |title=Latinx Shakespeares: Staging US Intracultural Theater |date=2023 |publisher=University of Michigan Press |location=Ann Arbor |url=https://press.umich.edu/Books/L/Latinx-Shakespeares2}}</ref> Isaac believes that "the artist{{Nbsp}}[...] should be borderless".<ref name="latimes2018"/> If his character is Latino, he "take[s] that away and see[s] what's there. People will put that on top of a bland character to make them exotic, to add a little spice."<ref>{{cite news |last1=Monroe |first1=Justin |title=Oscar Isaac Drops Hints About ''Star Wars VII'' and ''X-Men: Apocalypse'' and Talks His Role in ''Ex Machina'' |url=https://www.complex.com/pop-culture/2015/04/oscar-isaac-interview-ex-machina-star-wars-vii-x-men-apocalypse |access-date=May 29, 2022 |work=Complex |date=April 11, 2015|archive-date=May 13, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220513190550/https://www.complex.com/pop-culture/2015/04/oscar-isaac-interview-ex-machina-star-wars-vii-x-men-apocalypse |url-status=live }}</ref>
==Personal life== Isaac is indifferent to his celebrity status and remains close with his family.<ref name="esquire2017"/> According to a ''New York Daily News'' report, he was engaged to Maria Miranda in 2007.<ref>{{cite news|title=Oscar Isaac due for Miranda rites|url=https://www.nydailynews.com/entertainment/gossip/oscar-isaac-due-miranda-rites-article-1.277088|access-date=June 9, 2021|work=New York Daily News|date=December 30, 2007|archive-date=June 9, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210609182034/https://www.nydailynews.com/entertainment/gossip/oscar-isaac-due-miranda-rites-article-1.277088|url-status=live}}</ref> Isaac is married to Danish film director Elvira Lind, whom he met in 2012, and married in 2017. They have two sons: Eugene (b. 2017) and Mads (b. 2019).<ref>{{cite news |last1=Scheraga |first1=Michelle |title=Your Internet Boyfriend Oscar Isaac Is Married IRL! Meet His Wife Elvira Lind |url=https://parade.com/1360111/michelle-scheraga/oscar-isaac-wife-elvira-lind/ |access-date=May 27, 2022 |work=Parade |date=March 30, 2022 |archive-date=May 27, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220527184048/https://parade.com/1360111/michelle-scheraga/oscar-isaac-wife-elvira-lind/ |url-status=live }}</ref> He lives in Williamsburg, Brooklyn.<ref name="Zach baron">{{cite news |last1=Baron |first1=Zach |title=Oscar Isaac Talks ''Annihilation'', ''Star Wars'', and the Most Turbulent Year of His Life |url=https://www.gq.com/story/oscar-isaac-gq-style-spring-cover-story |access-date=February 16, 2019 |work=GQ |date=February 20, 2018 |archive-date=February 17, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190217142413/https://www.gq.com/story/oscar-isaac-gq-style-spring-cover-story |url-status=live }}</ref>
Isaac is close friends with actor Pedro Pascal, whom he met while both actors starred in a 2005 Off-Broadway production of ''Beauty of a Father''.<ref>{{cite web |title=MTC's Beauty and the Father Snags Isaac and Pascal for Late 2005 NYC Premiere|author=Kenneth Jones |date= August 26, 2005|access-date= May 4, 2025 |url=https://playbill.com/article/mtcs-beauty-and-the-father-snags-isaac-and-pascal-for-late-2005-nyc-premiere-com-127710|website=Playbill}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Unmasking Pedro Pascal, the Complicated New Face of Sci-Fi|author=Hemal Jhaveri |date= January 9, 2023|access-date= May 4, 2025 |url=https://www.wired.com/story/pedro-pascal-interview-last-of-us-mandalorian/|website=WIREDl}}</ref> Isaac and Pascal would later star together in the 2019 film ''Triple Frontier''.<ref>{{cite web |title=Oscar Isaac Would Love Pedro Pascal to Join 'Spider-Verse' as a "Cranky, Old Spider-Person"|author=Carly Thomas |website=The Hollywood Reporter |date= June 3, 2023|access-date= May 4, 2025 |url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/oscar-isaac-wants-pedro-pascal-join-spider-verse-1235506824/}}</ref>
Isaac expressed support for Armenia in 2020 during the second Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, saying, "To think that Armenian people are in jeopardy once again is heartbreaking."<ref>{{Cite web |last=Sager |first=Rebekah |date=2020-11-05 |title=Beyoncé, Rihanna and Oscar Isaac Among Stars Spotlighting Conflicts in Nigeria and Nagorno-Karabakh |url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/lifestyle/lifestyle-news/beyonce-rihanna-and-oscar-isaac-among-stars-spotlighting-conflicts-across-the-world-4085262/ |access-date=2025-10-21 |website=The Hollywood Reporter |language=en-US}}</ref> He also expressed solidarity with the people of the Gaza Strip during the Gaza war. As part of a group called Artists4Ceasefire, he signed a letter urging President Joe Biden to call for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza.<ref>{{Cite news |last1=Moorman |first1=Taijuan |last2=Robinson |first2=KiMi |date=October 16, 2023 |title=Celebrities call for ceasefire, decry civilian deaths: Hollywood reacts to Israel-Hamas war |url=https://eu.usatoday.com/story/entertainment/celebrities/2023/10/16/israeli-palestinian-conflict-celebrity-reactions/71206600007/ |work=USA Today}}</ref>
==Notes== {{notelist}}
==References== ===Citations=== {{reflist|colwidth=30em}}
===Literary sources=== {{refbegin}} * {{cite book |last1=Berg |first1=Charles Ramírez |editor1-last=Pomerance |editor1-first=Murray |editor2-last=Stevens |editor2-first=Kyle |title=Close-up: Great Cinematic Performances. Volume 1, American |year=2018 |publisher=Edinburgh University Press |isbn=978-1-474417-01-3 |chapter=Oscar Isaac in A Most Violent Year |pages=291–301}} * {{cite book |last1=Bishop |first1=Nancy |title=Auditioning for Film and Television: Secrets from A Casting Director |year=2015 |publisher=Bloomsbury Methuen Drama |isbn=978-1-472526-36-6}} * {{cite magazine |title=Oscar Isaac |last1=Crelin |first1=Joy |magazine=Current Biography |date=June 2016 |volume=77 |issue=6 |issn=001-1-3344 |pages=47–51}} * {{cite book |last1=King |first1=Lynnea Chapman |title=The Coen Brothers Encyclopedia |year=2014 |publisher=Rowman & Littlefield |isbn=978-081-0-88577-6}} * {{cite journal |last1=Román |first1=David |title=Hamlet by William Shakespeare, and: Hamlet by William Shakespeare |journal=Theatre Journal |year=2018 |volume=70 |issue=4 |pages=563–568 |doi=10.1353/tj.2018.0113|s2cid=192052925 }} * {{cite book |last=Warner |first=Rick |editor-last=Rybin |editor-first=Steven |title=Stellar Transformations: Movie Stars of the 2010s |year=2022 |publisher=Rutgers University Press |isbn=978-1-978818-33-0 |pages=53–69 |chapter=Oscar Isaac: Brooding by Degrees}} * {{cite book |last1=Wood |first1=Jason |last2=Smith |first2=Ian Haydn |title=New British Cinema from Submarine to 12 Years a Slave: the Resurgence of British Film-making |year=2015 |publisher=Faber & Faber |isbn=978-0-571315-17-8}} {{refend}}
==External links== {{commons category}} * {{IMDb name|1209966|Oscar Isaac}}
{{Navboxes |title = Awards for Oscar Isaac |list = {{AACTA Award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role}} {{Florida Film Critics Circle Award for Best Supporting Actor}} {{GoldenGlobeBestActorTVMiniseriesFilm}} {{National Board of Review Award for Best Actor}} {{National Society of Film Critics Award for Best Actor}} {{Online Film Critics Society Award for Best Supporting Actor}} {{San Diego Film Critics Society Award for Best Actor}} {{Saturn Award for Best Actor on Television}} {{TFCA Award for Best Actor}} {{Vancouver Film Critics Circle Award for Best Actor}} }}
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Isaac, Oscar}} Category:1979 births Category:21st-century American male actors Category:American entertainers of Cuban descent Category:American male film actors Category:American male Shakespearean actors Category:American male stage actors Category:American male television actors Category:American male video game actors Category:American male voice actors Category:American people of French descent Category:Best Miniseries or Television Movie Actor Golden Globe winners Category:Best Supporting Actor AACTA Award winners Category:Guatemalan emigrants to the United States Category:Guatemalan people of Cuban descent Category:Guatemalan people of French descent Category:Hispanic and Latino American male actors Category:Juilliard School alumni Category:Living people Category:Miami Dade College alumni Category:Male actors from Brooklyn Category:People from Williamsburg, Brooklyn