The one movie Jason Isaacs will always regret: “That could have been me”
Jason Isaacs could have had a bigger role in one of the biggest hit films in which ever appeared.
While it is now remembered as a camp classic that is easy to laugh at because of its sheer absurdity, Armageddon was a monster hit when it debuted in theatres in 1998 to become the year’s top-grossing film.
Despite having a plot that could easily be picked apart by even the basic application of science, Armageddon featured an alarmingly stacked cast, including Jason Isaacs in a role that preceded his most famous part as the villainous Lucius Malfoy in the Harry Potter films.
Based on a screenplay by future Star Wars director JJ Abrams, Armageddon imagines a future in which a giant asteroid is headed towards Earth that could potentially cause massive destruction. In order to drill into the asteroid before it arrives and ensure that it detonates, NASA hired a group of oil rig workers to fly into space on a dangerous mission. Ben Affleck, who played one of the film’s heroes, infamously asked director Michael Bay why it wouldn’t be easier to train astronauts to learn how to drill, and recalled in the film’s DVD commentary that he was told to keep quiet.
Affleck played AJ Frost, a younger member of the crew run by Harry S. Stamper (Bruce Willis). Among the members of his team are Chick Chapple (Will Patton), Rockhound (Steve Buscemi), Oscar Choice (Owen Wilson), Bear Curlene (Michael Clark Duncan), Freddie Noonan (Clark Brolly), and Max Lennert (Ken Campbell). When considering how silly the story is, Armageddon has a stacked cast who surprisingly brought their A-game to the material.
It’s surprising that Isaacs, who was already a fairly acclaimed actor at the time that Armageddon was in production, has a relatively small role in the film as Dr Ronald Quincy, a scientist who first identifies the impending threat that could lead to the end of life on Earth. Isaacs had originally been considered for a different role, but told The Guardian that he was prevented from accepting it due to scheduling conflicts.
“I was offered a bigger part as an astronaut, but I was just about to start shooting Divorcing Jack, and my American agents couldn’t understand why I wouldn’t drop out to star opposite Bruce Willis,” Isaacs said. “So I ended up playing a consolation prize, and had to stand on set near Bruce Willis for six months as the astronauts strutted past, thinking: that could have been me in one of those jumpsuits.”
Although Isaacs may have been disappointed that he didn’t get to play one of the heroes in Armageddon, he may have actually gotten a better deal than he’d expected. While Divorcing Jack was hardly a sensation, it was an acclaimed film that gave him the chance to co-star opposite David Thewlis, who he would get the chance to work with again when they both appeared in the Harry Potter franchise.
Armageddon is still remembered fondly, but it doesn’t seem like it would’ve changed Isaacs’ career; the film is mostly celebrated for its ridiculous action and story, and not for its performances. If anything, Isaacs benefited from not playing a hero because he began a run in which he played several great villains, including parts in The Patriot, Harry Potter, The Death of Stalin, and, most recently, in The White Lotus.
