Last night, Golden Globe-nominated actorOscar Isaacmade hisSaturday Night Livehosting debut alongside musical guestCharli XCX, who was originally set to perform duringPaul Rudd’s episode. (But, we all know howthatwent.) Isaac actually briefly appeared as himself earlier this season whenJason Sudeikismade his hosting debut. Isaac, along with modelEmilyRatajkowskiandSuccessionstarNicholas Braun, appeared inKenan Thompson’s recurring “What Up With That?” sketch.
Born in Guatemala and raised in Florida, the classically trained actor always knew he wanted to make movies. On an episode of theAwards Chatterpodcast, Isaac discussed what it was like to grow up in a religious household and how he carved out his own route to Hollywood. He got the filmmaking bug from his father, who despite being a doctor, had a passion for making films. He found solace in school plays when his parents divorced, and beginning in high school, spent a lot of his time playing in bands and pursuing music. After successfully auditioning for and acting in multiple plays in Florida, he brought his talents to New York and got accepted into the prestigious and highly-selective The Juilliard School in 2001. It was there that he was able to explore his love ofShakespeareand hone his craft as a stage actor. He did, however, still have his eyes set on acting for the big screen.
Following his intense period of study at Juilliard, Isaac landed small roles in projects such asThe Life Before Her Eyes,Drive, andThe Bourne Legacy. But it wasn’t untilJoelandEthan Coen’s music-infused filmInside Llewyn Davisin 2013 that Isaac would be starring in a lead role. (He indeed played Llewyn Davis, a young folk singer navigating the industry in 1960s New York.) The role enabled him to channel many different emotions and draw on different influences, particularlyDog Day Afternoonand legendary silent film starBuster Keaton. “For me it was just like the comedy of resilience, you know? And the fact that it’s just this complete, this face that doesn’t really change but has this melancholy to it, and so everything has to be in the body and in the juxtaposition. I just liked that a lot.”
The success and critical acclaim behind Isaac in the film catapulted him into a number of both independent and big-budget films. He starred alongside his Juilliard classmateJessica ChastaininJ.C. Chandor’s crime dramaA Most Violent Year,Alex Garland’s sci-fi thrillerEx Machina, and earned a Golden Globe nomination for his lead role in the limited seriesShow Me A Hero. He then entered the worlds of Marvel and Star Wars, both massive franchises with established and beloved characters. He starred as antagonist Apocalypse inX-Men: Apocalypseand as new character Poe Dameron inStar Wars: Episode VII - The Force Awakensand its two sequels.
Last year proved to be another epic period for Isaac’s career, as he starred in critically and commercially successful projects such asThe Card Counter,Dune(he even wrote to directorDenis Villeneuveexpressing his interest when he heard about the project), and the HBO limited seriesScenes from a Marriage, which once again reunited him with Chastain. And, he’ll be heading back to the land of Marvel playing the titular role in the upcoming seriesMoon KnightwithEthan Hawke. Isaac’s performances over the years have shown us that he’s capable of playing some stone-faced, enigmatic fellows. But does he have any comedy chops? He sure does.
Let’s revisit some of the best moments from the March 5 episode ofSaturday Night Live. Live from New York, it’s Oscar Isaac!
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5. Fiction Workshop
Everyone deserves to share their story. Well, maybe noteveryone. A janitor (Isaac) accidentally interrupts a quaint fiction workshop, prompting the teacher (Aidy Bryant) to invite the interested man to join the students. The delighted and timid janitor couldn’t be happier to share his writing with the class, though his piece of fiction slowly reveals itself to be not as innocent and inventive as it started out to be. Get ready for some twists and turns.
4. Aidy’s Dream
Veteran cast memberAidy Bryant has been a key part ofSNLfor ten years, successfully proving her range as a strong comedic and versatile performer. But, she can’t help but notice that she’s played many teachers, mothers, and women named Diane. It’s about darn time people see that Aidy’s much more than a nurturing woman in a sweater, so she crafted this sensual soap-opera-style sketch to show a side of her we don’t often get to see. And if you think she wrote this just as an excuse to be in a romantic sketch with the handsome and charming Oscar Isaac, then, well, you’re probably right.
3. Workplace Harassment
Harassment in the workplace seminar? Ugh, man, try not to blow your brains out! These two HR representatives Maria (Cecily Strong) and Donald (Isaac) know that’s exactly what you want to do, and frankly, they say itonetoo many times. A number of increasingly specific, sexually charged, andtotallyhypothetical situational examples leads us to believe that Donald and Maria might have a past together…and also a present.
2. Inventing Chloe
Chloe Finemanis fed up. She’s tired of going with the flow and wants things to start going her way for once. Luckily, she found some inspiration in Netflix’sInventing Anna, a dramatic limited series about the bizarrely true story of fake heiressAnna Delvey. (It’s a lot.) In this eerily-accurate pre-recorded sketch, Fineman swaps her blonde locks for a red wig, dons Delvey’s signature black glasses and gloves, and starts speaking in her confusing accent thatKate McKinnonperfectly describes as a “Russian accent that’s also German.” Remember: don’t be basic, and definitely don’t bepoor.
1. Oscar Isaac Monologue
If you think Isaac’s a great actor now, you should see how sensational he was when he was ten! And, thanks to this monologue, you can! Isaac was bursting with excitement as he trotted down the steps to the Studio 8H stage while being buoyed by rapturous applause. He used his monologue to stroll down memory lane and show footage from a film he wrote, directed,andstarred in at his friend’s house in Miami, Florida. Little Oscar was so committed to his fierce and merciless character, making it clear his heart was in the arts from the very beginning. Isaac ended his inspiring monologue with a lovely and powerful message: don’t be afraid to be a weirdo.
