Oscar Isaac is asserting his prominence with plenty of new significant roles in Hollywood, but his perfect casting already happened, though in an unideal fashion. Isaac rose to elite fame in 2015 for his role in the Star Wars sequels as Poe Dameron, the bad-boy Resistance X-wing pilot with a trusty droid companion. Before his blockbuster roles, Isaac gained momentum as a notable dramatic actor, having been featured in award-winning films like Inside Llewyn Davis, A Most Violent Year, and Ex Machina. His influence in Hollywood for his diverse roles and acting range hasn’t gone unnoticed, with Isaac being ranked #14 on The New York Times’ 2020 list of The 25 Greatest Actors of the 21st Century.
After receiving such high praise, Oscar Isaac isn’t slowing down in his career any time soon, where he’ll be playing key roles in several highly anticipated upcoming movies and TV shows. One such film Isaac will be featured in is Denis Villeneuve’s Dune, in which he’ll play Duke Leto I Atreides, father to Timothee Chalamet’s Paul Atreides. He’s also in the middle of promoting his HBO drama series co-starring Jessica Chastain, Scenes from a Marriage, where an intimate video of the two leads on the red carpet has gone viral (via Twitter). Superhero franchises are also tapping into Isaac’s talent with upcoming roles in Moon Knight and Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse 2, though his persona and talents have already been cast perfectly for a beloved character, it just happened in the wrong way.
With the Casanova charm, grace, and humor of Isaac, his perfect casting has already been used in voicing Gomez Addams in The Addams Family, it just didn’t work the right way with the role being animated. Gomez was previously played by John Astin in the original TV series and Raul Julia in the 1990 movies to perfection, and Isaac brings all the same lovable charm and attributes implemented by the live-action actors. The Addams Family animated movies obviously saw this connection and Isaac’s flawlessness in the role, the problem is that the movies don’t actually show Isaac as Gomez. Imagining Isaac with Gomez’s iconic slicked-back hair, mustache, and suit as he swoons over Morticia in a live-action context feels organic, revealing how an animated form makes his casting such a missed opportunity.
The only thing close to Oscar Isaac showing a live-action Gomez is in the video of him kissing Jessica Chastain’s arm that went viral, which is eerily similar to when Gomez lustily kisses Morticia’s arm in The Addams Family (1991) and ditto in the original TV 1960s series. Isaac’s video is essentially an audition for Gomez, and the people would definitely not object. The video also shows the miscasting for Netflix’s upcoming Wednesday series by Tim Burton, where Luis Guzman will play Gomez. After seeing Isaac exude Gomez's energy on the red carpet, it signals that no other modern actor with such prestige could iconically portray Gomez. Then again, Tim Burton’s Wednesday will have Gomez on the backburner as it focuses on The Addams Family daughter Wednesday, and Isaac's iteration of Gomez would need to be in a much more prominent setting.
Additionally, The Addams Family’s animated movies haven’t been that well-received, holding only 44% on Rotten Tomatoes. It’s obvious that what makes The Addams Family special is seeing them in a more realistic fashion, and that’s where Isaac’s Gomez could really see its full potential. If Burton’s Addams Family series is a success, Hollywood will likely be interested in rebooting the movies, which could give Oscar Isaac the opportunity to really bring Gomez to life.
