Oscar Isaac's Weird Accent In Moon Knight Wasn't Actually In The Script
Oscar Isaac is the latest big name to join the Marvel Cinematic Universe in the upcoming Disney+ series "Moon Knight." The series, based on the comic book character of the same name, will see Isaac portray a mild-mannered British museum gift shop employee named Steven Grant (Oscar Isaac), who is pulled into a disorienting mystery when, upon blacking out for long periods of time, he discovers that he shares a body with an American mercenary named Marc Spector ... who also happens to have a white costumed alter ego (and that's just the start of it).
"Moon Knight," which also stars Ethan Hawke as the villain, cult leader Arthur Harrow, marks something of a surprising return to franchise filmmaking for Isaac. As the actor has commented in the past, he was not necessarily gung-ho about joining another franchise so soon after his experiences in the most recent "Star Wars" trilogy. He told Radio Times that he spent months wondering whether joining the MCU was the right move for his career. "I was like, 'I just really want to do character studies. And I don't know,'" Isaac said.
However, the unconventional nature of the Moon Knight character — and the potential for, in fact, a deeper character study, even within the series' strange mix of superheroics, paranoia, and Egyptian mythology — was what convinced Isaac to sign up, particularly when it became clear that his creative input would be highly valued by everyone crafting the series. Once he became invested, he even personally helped recruit Ethan Hawke to co-star in the six-episode series.
Ultimately, Isaac said that the project became "a very personal story," and noted one major ingredient in the show's character that he came up with himself.
Oscar Isaac pitched his own take on Steven Grant to Kevin Feige
Oscar Isaac told Radio Times that the odd English accent he uses as Steven Grant in "Moon Knight" was his own personal choice. He said that Steven "wasn't necessarily written that way at all," and as he developed Steven's accent and timid persona, it became his lynchpin to understanding how to approach all the various facets of the Moon Knight character, who — as a person with Dissociative Identity Disorder — has multiple personalities.
"That's the risk, sometimes you have an idea of what you want to do. And then something comes to you. And I just kept thinking about it," Isaac said. "And then suddenly Steven Grant started appearing for me, and I started doing it around the house for my kids and my wife, and they kept asking me to do it. And I was like, 'Alright, well, maybe there's something here.'"
From there, Isaac took a personal meeting with Kevin Feige to pitch his idea: Feige bought in, leading to Isaac taking on the now highly-anticipated role in the ever-expanding MCU. "And it's funny, because afterwards he told me they didn't know what the hell I was doing. And they weren't sure it was going to work at all," Isaac added. "But you know, in the end I'm glad we did that, because everyone says it kind of makes the show."
Isaac also recently clarified to Empire Magazine that Steven's accent is not necessarily supposed to sound like what audiences expect from an English character. "That voice is about where Steven's from, where he's living now, and some of his believed heritage," Isaac said, clearly leaving some room for interpretation on what that means. Audiences will learn more when "Moon Knight" premieres March 30.