After Frankenstein, we’re rediscovering Oscar Isaac’s brilliant early roles

When I last watched Oscar Isaac on the small screen, it was in 2021, in the remake of the iconic Scenes From a Marriage. It was impossible not to project onto him everything I was feeling toward my former partner at the time. That intimate, brutally honest, emotionally exposed series mirrored the collapse of a relationship cracked open by betrayal, guilt, and a kind of love that tangles with disgust. After Oscar’s Jonathan, I couldn’t even imagine what his Victor Frankenstein might look like.

In most Frankenstein adaptations (and there have been hundreds since the first film based on Mary Shelley’s novel premiered in 1910), the spotlight traditionally belongs to the Creature. He’s the one who learns to feel, who uncovers the inhumanity of humans, who breaks our hearts. The creator, on the other hand, usually functions only as a narrative device, with due respect to the legendary actors who’ve taken on the role. But in Guillermo del Toro’s Frankenstein, especially in the first half, it’s Oscar Isaac who builds the film’s atmosphere as the unnerving Victor Frankenstein. “I think our version, this Victor, carries a lot of rage,” he said. “We kept using the word defiance, it’s one of the main things addicts have. Defiance toward circumstances, toward themselves, toward their past. So I played Victor as an addict, even though all you ever see him consume is milk, like he’s trying to reclaim his mother’s milk.”

Although he began acting in the late nineties, Oscar Isaac didn’t gain broader recognition until the early 2010s, becoming one of today’s most compelling actors with an impressive list of films and TV roles. He spent years taking on smaller parts before landing his first leading one as Joseph in The Nativity Story. From there, he secured supporting roles in bigger projects like Robin Hood and Drive, before breaking through with Inside Llewyn Davis in 2013. Over the past decade, his portfolio has expanded to include standout works such as Spider-Man, Dune, and Star Wars, yet it feels like his strongest era is only now beginning.

Below, we highlight seven films and series starring Oscar Isaac that we’re revisiting after Frankenstein.

Drive (2011)

Alongside Ryan Gosling’s unforgettable performance, Drive is a slow-burning drama that unfolds with bursts of explicit violence as a mysterious Hollywood stuntman starts moonlighting as a getaway driver, all while falling for his troubled neighbor who’s raising her young son alone. Violent at times and unrelenting in others, the film is also tender and quiet. For Oscar Isaac, it’s a meaningful supporting role. He shines as Standard Gabriel, Irene Gabriel’s (Carey Mulligan) husband, recently released from prison, who hires Gosling’s character to help him pull off a robbery. Though not one of his largest roles, every scene he appears in shows just how strong and precise his acting really is.

Inside Llewyn Davis (2013)

Directed by the Coen brothers, Inside Llewyn Davis follows its title character as he tries to find success as a folk singer while keeping the rest of his life from slipping apart. Set in 1961, over the course of one week, the film offers an intimate look into Llewyn’s world and the struggles that shape him. Both wryly funny and deeply sad, it’s a quiet masterpiece. And although Oscar Isaac had already shown he was a serious actor, Inside Llewyn Davis was the moment that truly put him on the map.

A Most Violent Year (2014)

Set in New York in 1981, A Most Violent Year follows the owner of an immigrant-run business as he tries to protect his family and company during one of the most dangerous years in the city’s history. The film is tough, precise, and thoughtful, exploring capitalism and greed in a sharp and compelling way. After Inside Llewyn Davis, Isaac’s career only climbed higher, and A Most Violent Year became one of the first major leading roles of his rise. He plays Abel Morales, the head of a heating-oil company fighting to hold on to his principles in a world ruled by violence and corruption.

Ex Machina (2015)

Ex Machina follows a lonely programmer invited to the remote home of his company’s CEO to conduct a Turing test on a humanoid AI robot he has created. The film is a striking piece of science fiction and one of the strongest thrillers of the past two decades. As the story unfolds, the atmosphere shifts sharply, and the ending lingers long after the credits roll. Oscar Isaac appears as Nathan Bateman, the CEO of Blue Book and the creator of Ava, played by Alicia Vikander. It’s one of his most unsettling performances; as Nathan’s true intentions surface, he becomes increasingly disturbing. The film also features one of the best dance scenes ever put on screen, with Oscar Isaac absolutely owning the dance floor — proof he can do everything.

Scenes From A Marriage (2021)

Produced by HBO, Scenes From A Marriage had big expectations to meet, given that it’s a remake of the iconic 1973 miniseries directed by Ingmar Bergman. And for the most part, it succeeds, even if it never fully reaches the emotional power of the original. Centered on an American couple and the slow collapse of their marriage, it’s a moving and difficult study of love — or rather, how love changes and fades over time. The greatest strength of the new version lies in Jessica Chastain and Oscar Isaac, both delivering some of the finest performances of their careers.

Dune (2021)

There had been many attempts to adapt Frank Herbert’s monumental science-fiction novel, but it wasn’t until Denis Villeneuve’s 2021 Dune that everything finally came together. Although the film covers only the first half of the book, the result is stunning from start to finish, with some of the best production design (created by a team from Serbia) and visual effects in modern blockbuster cinema. Patient and detailed but never boring, Dune laid flawless groundwork for the franchise. Oscar Isaac is brilliant as Duke Leto Atreides, the head of House Atreides, ruler of Caladan, and father of Paul Atreides, who is tasked with taking over the governance of Arrakis at the Emperor’s command.

Moon Knight (2022)

When Marvel Studios announced it would be producing MCU-set TV shows for Disney+, it was the perfect chance for certain characters to finally get their moment. Moon Knight was one of Marvel’s most anticipated series, and it delivered, giving this popular street-level hero space to shine. With its focus on Egyptian mythology, the show introduces yet another layer to the MCU and opens the door for the character to appear in future films. But all of it works largely thanks to Oscar Isaac’s committed performance. With Moon Knight’s multiple identities, Isaac had a lot to work with, switching seamlessly between Marc Spector (Moon Knight), Steven Grant (Mr. Knight), and Jake Lockley.