‘Harry Potter’ Star Jason Isaacs Knows Exactly Which ‘Star Wars’ Character He Wants to Play
Hollywood is no longer ruled by movie stars. Instead, it’s now beloved franchises that climb their way to the top of the box office charts. Yet, despite just how many movie series are out there, only a few a fan base as rabid as that of Harry Potter.
J.K. Rowling’s seven-part saga of “The Boy Who Lived” has inspired such a devoted following. In fact, Harry Potter is one of the only movie series to spark a phenomenon on the level of something like Star Wars. The George Lucas-created space opera persists even today, after all.
Few actors are lucky enough to land a role in just one popular franchise. But Jason Isaacs — who played Lucius Malfoy in the Harry Potter movies — has his sights on joining the “galaxy far, far away.” And the actor knows exactly who he wants to play too.
Jason Isaacs played Lucius Malfoy in the ‘Harry Potter’ movie series
In Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, fans meet Lucius Malfoy, the devious father of Harry’s nemesis Draco (Tom Felton). A longtime supporter of Lord Voldemort (Ralph Fiennes), Lucius provides loyal service throughout the movies. And Isaacs leans into every deliciously evil moment of the role.
Although fans might recognize him best from Harry Potter, the actor has also played a number of other memorable roles. In 2003’s Peter Pan, Isaacs stars as Captain Hook. He played the villainous Col. William Tavington opposite Mel Gibson in 2000’s The Patriot. And he played Captain Gabriel Lorca on Star Trek: Discovery.
But besides his live-action work, Isaacs has a long-running career as a voice actor. Most recently, he provides the voice of Dick Dastardly in Scoob! His other recent voice credits include Castlevania, The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance, and Robot Chicken. But one of his favorite roles could also be his ticket back into Star Wars. Yes, you read that right.
The actor wants to reprise another of his major franchise roles
While Isaacs has never played a live-action role in Star Wars, he did provide the voice of The Inquisitor, the season one villain of the Star Wars: Rebels animated series. Also known as the Grand Inquisitor, the character leads a group of Jedi hunters at the behest of the Empire. Asked which of his previous roles he’d like to reprise, Isaacs called out the Star Wars baddie.
“I don’t know. I’ve done so many animated (roles),” Isaacs told Collider. “I was in Avatar, the series of [Avatar: The Last Airbender]. Oh, I know who I’d be. I’d be The Inquisitor [from] Star Wars: Rebels because he has the coolest lightsaber in the entire Star Wars Universe.”
In his last appearance, The Inquisitor was killed in a battle with Kanan Jarrus (Freddie Prinze Jr.). However, Star Wars has surprised fans with villain revivals in the past. Darth Maul popped up in Star Wars: The Clone Wars after being sliced in half. Emperor Palpatine reappeared in The Rise of Skywalker. And Boba Fett is on his way to The Mandalorian, after all.
Jason Isaacs also plays the Man of Steel in ‘Superman: Red Son’
By that logic then, perhaps there’s a good chance Isaacs could get his wish. His Harry Potter days may be over (for now), but the Star Wars universe continues to grow. If Lucasfilm could figure it out, bringing The Inquisitor back could be a fun arc for a future project. But Isaacs is certainly keeping busy with a ton of other projects.
For instance, fans of Isaac’s voice work can hear him playing another iconic character in the animated movie Superman: Red Son. Based on the comic book arc, the film explores an alternate universe in which the Man of Steel lands in the Soviet Union instead of Smallville. Isaacs voices none other than Superman himself. Not bad for a former Harry Potter villain.
