Oscar Isaac told Variety in late August before the world premiere of “Frankenstein” at the Venice Film Festival that he was more than open to returning as Poe Dameron in a future “Star Wars” movie. Isaac played the dashing X-wing fighter pilot in three “Star Wars” films from 2015 to 2019. But returning to the Disney-owned franchise got a little more complicated for Isaac just a few weeks later, when Disney-owned ABC pulled Jimmy Kimmel off the air over comments he made about the shooting death of Charlie Kirk.
In a new interview with GQ magazine, Isaac was asked about returning to “Star Wars” and had this new clarification to add: “Yeah. I mean, I’d be open to it, although right now I’m not so open to working with Disney. But if they can kinda figure it out and, you know, not succumb to fascism, that would be great… if that happens, then yeah, I’d be open to having a conversation about a galaxy far away. Or any number of other things.”
GQ notes the interview with Isaac “took place two days after ABC and Disney suspended production on ‘Jimmy Kimmel Live!’ in response to Kimmel’s comments about the death of Charlie Kirk.” Kimmel returned to ABC four days after GQ’s interview with Isaac.
In his Sept. 15 monologue shortly after Kirk’s suspected killer was arrested, Kimmel quipped: “We hit some new lows over the weekend with the MAGA gang trying to characterize this kid who killed Charlie Kirk as anything other than one of them.” The line got the late-night host suspended. When he returned to air on Sept. 23, an emotional Kimmel said it was never his intention “to make light of the murder of a young man.”
As for Isaac, the actor has come a long way since initially resisting the idea of returning as Poe Dameron in the “Star Wars” universe. Speaking on a Deadline panel in 2020 a few months after the release of “Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker,” Isaac noted that “Star Wars” movies were “not really what I set out to do” as an actor.
“What I set out to do was to make handmade movies, and to work with people that inspire me,” Isaac said, nothing that he would “probably” not return to “Star Wars” but “who knows. [Maybe] if I need another house or something.”
Isaac now admitted to GQ that perhaps he should not have made such an opinion public, explaining: “Yeah. That was a real likable quote. Jesus Christ. Y’know, people ask you things, you say stuff, you don’t really think about it that much. I said a slightly dickish thing.”
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Head over to GQ’s website to read Isaac’s interview in its entirety.
From Variety US