Jason Isaacs: The villain who managed to dodge fame until ‘The White Lotus’

Jason Isaacs: The villain who managed to dodge fame until ‘The White Lotus’ The British actor, with a decades-long career and iconic roles like Lucius Malfoy in the Harry Potter saga, managed to stay out of the media spotlight until his starred in one of today’s biggest television phenomena His name is well known among film enthusiasts, and fans of the Harry Potter saga are also very familiar with him. However, for many, Jason Isaacs, 61, was relatively unknown until his role in the third season of The White Lotus . The British actor’s popularity has skyrocketed thanks to one of the biggest TV phenomena of recent years.

A recent article in The Guardian was headlined: “How Jason Isaacs became the latest White Lotus star to have a renaissance,” referencing the actor’s newfound fame despite having decades of experience in the industry. A similar revival happened with actress Jennifer Coolidge, whose portrayal of Tanya became a viral obsession on the internet during the first two seasons of The White Lotus. “I’m presuming and hoping things will go back to normal, for me at least,” Isaacs told Vanity Fair in May .



“It’s slightly dizzying. It’s a bit like eating 20 desserts. You feel high on it, and something about it feels uncomfortable.

” In his promotional interviews, the actor has used the attention surrounding him to speak out on political matters in the U.K. and to criticize U.

S. President Donald Trump’s decision to freeze funding for the international fight against AIDS . Isaacs has also been seen publicly wearing a yellow ribbon on his jacket, a symbol advocating for the return of hostages taken by Hamas during the October 7, 2023 attacks.

“Have I seen this actor before?” many viewers of The White Lotus may have wondered. Isaacs has an extensive filmography in film, theater, and television dating back to the 1990s, though he made his stage debut while studying at university. The third of four children, Isaacs grew up in Liverpool within a small Jewish community, which shaped his upbringing.

At age 11, his family moved to London, where he stayed until enrolling at the University of Bristol to study law. There, his life took a turn as he discovered theater and decided to pursue acting after graduation. His first opportunity came on television in 1989, and by the late 1990s, he had already moved on to Hollywood.

But before making that leap, he had demonstrated his talents in the cult classic Angels in America: A Gay Fantasia on National Themes , performed at London’s Royal National Theatre It’s no wonder Isaacs’ face seems familiar. He’s appeared in some of the most iconic blockbusters of the late 20th and early 21st centuries, such as Armageddon (1998), starring Bruce Willis and Ben Affleck, and Mel Gibson’s historical drama The Patriot (2000), where he portrayed the ruthless Colonel William Tavington. After The Patriot, Isaacs said he “was offered every bad guy under the sun opposite every single A-list star.

” Despite turning down a number of villain roles, it was his performance as the colonel that kicked off his villain stage. However, his success was often overshadowed by the addictions he struggled with for years. “I’d like to apologise to anyone who met me before I was 30 — I was a drug addict,” he confessed in an interview with The Guardian in November 2020, when he celebrated 20 years of sobriety.

Back to his movies: in 2002, Jason Isaacs first appeared as Lucius Malfoy, the formidable Death Eater father of Draco Malfoy, in Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets , the second film adaptation of J.K. Rowling’s books.

This role connected him with a new generation of fans, and Isaacs has always expressed gratitude for the character, who he played in a total of six films. In fact, he was responsible for Lucius’s iconic straight blonde wig and cane: “I loved my blonde hair because it gave me character. The only way to keep it straight was to tilt my head back.

I looked down my nose at people and didn’t have to do any acting,” he joked in a recent interview with Esquire . During this time, in the early 2000s, Isaacs also filmed in Spain, starring in The Escorial Conspiracy (2008), a historical drama directed by Antonio del Real. The film delves into the political disputes that occurred during the reign of King Philip II, focusing on the rivalry between the House of Alba and their loyalists and the House of Mendoza, including Princess of Éboli and Antonio Pérez (played by Isaacs).

Though the film didn’t have a significant impact, Isaacs learned Spanish thanks to the experience, which he speaks quite fluently, as shown in various interviews with the Spanish press. Isaacs’ connection to Spain runs even deeper, as he has long been a fan of tennis legend Rafa Nadal . A few weeks ago, he took advantage of a professional trip to Mallorca to spend some time at Nadal’s eponymous academy, as he confirmed on social media.

“Rafa is the greatest athlete there has ever been in terms of character, as gracious in defeat as in victory, and always humble,” he told EFE during his stay on the island. “In spirit, he can’t be beaten. There are those who have had a better backhand or a better serve, but in terms of being a complete athlete, of being an athlete inside and out, no one has ever come close.

” “We’ve had thousands of players over the years...

. But few with as much intensity and desire to improve as Hollywood star Jason Isaacs,” reads a post on the profile of Nadal’s academy , accompanied by photos of the actor practicing tennis. A post shared by Rafa Nadal Academy by Movistar (@rafanadalacademy) Lucius Malfoy is arguably the role for which Isaacs is most recognized, but his list of villains is long and varied.

He has portrayed Captain Hook in Peter Pan , the deranged scientist Dr. Heinreich Volmer in the Netflix series The OA , and Captain Gabriel Lorca in Star Trek: Discovery . While not a typical villain, Isaacs’ character in The White Lotus is far from a model of virtue either.

The Liverpool native plays Timothy Ratliff, a wealthy investor from North Carolina whose life of power and privilege is threatened when the FBI uncovers his fraudulent business dealings. Trapped in the gilded cage that is a luxurious Thai island resort , the setting of The White Lotus , he seeks solace in lorazepam, the medication his wife takes, while fantasizing about his death. Patrick Schwarzenegger — who plays Saxon, Isaacs’ son in the show — has described the 61-year-old actor as “a mentor.

” “He’s basically been a father figure to me...

he helped me in scenes when I felt stuck, and he spent a lot of time building that father-son relationship with us,” said Schwarzenegger. After more than three decades in acting, television has brought him significant joy beyond the series created by Mike White. His only Golden Globe nomination came from the 2006 political thriller The State Within .

It remains to be seen if The White Lotus will bring him any recognition during awards season. For now, he continues to give interviews and promote the series that, unexpectedly, has thrust him into the spotlight. Married to documentary director Emma Hewitt since 2001 and father to two daughters, Jason Isaacs has shared that his constantly hectic career leaves little time for home life.

His upcoming schedule, with a dozen projects in the works, is proof of this. Sign up for our weekly newsletter to get more English-language news coverage from EL PAÍS USA Edition Tu suscripción se está usando en otro dispositivo ¿Quieres añadir otro usuario a tu suscripción? Si continúas leyendo en este dispositivo, no se podrá leer en el otro. ¿Por qué estás viendo esto? Tu suscripción se está usando en otro dispositivo y solo puedes acceder a EL PAÍS desde un dispositivo a la vez.

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