Oscar Isaac reveals those living with Dissociative Identity Disorder were favorable in their reactions to Moon Knight's mental health story. The Marvel Cinematic Universe series marked the franchise debuts of both Isaac and Marc Spector, a mercenary living with DID who becomes the human conduit for the Egyptian moon god Khonshu, but elects to step away from the fight following the death of a relative, leaving his alter Steven Grant in control. When religious zealot Arthur Harrow threatens the world in his attempts to free Egyptian goddess Ammit, Marc and Steven must work together to save the world.
Alongside Hawke, the cast for Moon Knight included Ethan Hawke as Harrow, May Calamawy as Marc's wife Layla, F. Murray Abraham as the voice of Khonshu, Karim El Hakim, Ann Akinjirin, David Ganly, Khalid Abdalla and Gaspard Ulliel. Developed by The Umbrella Academy's Jeremy Slater, the MCU series scored generally positive reviews from critics and audiences alike, namely for the performances of its cast and darker tone. Moon Knight also scored rave reviews for its depiction of Marc and Steven's DID and one star is opening up about the response to this element.
In a recent interview with Gold Derby, Oscar Isaac opened up about reactions to Moon Knight and the show's mental health story. The MCU star shared that those living with DID were very favorable in their response to the series, feeling they were properly represented and that he was moved by their reactions. See what Isaac said below:
"I've heard from quite a few systems actually… which is the term for people with DID and the system that holds the alters, and they feel really seen and represented specifically. And then also people that don't necessarily have Disassociative Identity Disorder, but have suffered different traumas through their life, different battles with mental health that… we could use a platform this massive to tell a story about that… I've been very moved by some of those responses and really gratified because that was the goal."
In the lead up to the show's release, Isaac and the various creatives behind Moon Knight frequently emphasized their efforts to appropriately depict Marc living with DID, hoping to shine a respective lens on the topic. Isaac's dual performance wasn't the only thing that scored positive reviews in regards to DID as many responded favorably to the show's appropriate vocabulary when discussing DID. Additionally, many reacted positively to each episode of Moon Knight featuring a message in the credits encouraging viewers to the visit the website on the National Alliance on Mental Illness in the hopes of spreading better awareness of DID.
With his scoring rave reviews in his debut outing, many audiences are eager for Isaac's Moon Knight return in the near future. Though Isaac's Marvel contract only extended to one season of the MCU series, he has expressed an interest in coming back to further explore the character, with Kevin Feige also confirming that Moon Knight would crossover into MCU films following his introduction in the series. In the meantime, audiences can revisit the entirety of Moon Knight available to stream on Disney+ now.
Source: Gold Derby
