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TL;DR:

  • Oscar Isaac received criticism for his accent in Moon Knight.
  • Giving Steven Grant a British accent was the actor’s idea.
  • There’s a “deliberate” reason behind the decision.
Oscar Isaac at the premiere for Marvel's 'Moon Knight.' He's wearing a light brown jacket and smiling.
Oscar Isaac | Axelle/Bauer-Griffin/FilmMagic

Moon Knight has made its debut on Disney+, and the Marvel series spends most of its first chapter in Steven Grant’s (Oscar Isaac) head. The character speaks with a British accent that stirred up a bit of controversy when the show’s trailer first premiered. And apparently, giving Steven Grant a British accent was Oscar Isaac’s idea.

Oscar Isaac received backlash for his ‘Moon Knight’ accent

When the first trailer for Moon Knight dropped, the internet was surprised to hear Oscar Isaac’s Steven Grant speaking with a British accent. Despite an otherwise exciting first look, the response focused heavily on that. Many fans didn’t love how the accent sounded and questioned the choice to include it.

On Reddit, some suggested Isaac’s accent could be “deliberately bad.” After all, Steven is one of Marc Spector’s identities. And although Steven believes he’s from Britain, that backstory is likely fabricated. Marc speaks with an American accent, suggesting he comes from the United States.

That theory seems to have a kernel of truth to it. Apparently, Isaac himself came up with the idea to differentiate between his character’s identities using an accent.

Oscar Isaac suggested Steven Grant’s accent

During an interview with Empire, Moon Knight writer Jeremy Slater addressed Steven Grant’s British accent. According to him, Oscar Isaac came up with the idea for it. The show’s early scripts originally depended on mannerisms alone to distinguish between Steven and Marc.

“In the initial script, the difference between Steven and Marc was in attitude,” Slater explained. “It was Oscar who said, ‘What about an accent?’”

Series director Mohamed Diab added that all aspects of the actor’s performance are “deliberate.” So, yes, it looks like the Redditors speculating about Steven’s accent were onto something after all. Perhaps that’s why Isaac defended the choice, even after fans began questioning it: because it serves a greater purpose.

The ‘Moon Knight’ star stands firm in his decision

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Empire spoke with Oscar Isaac about his Moon Knight accent in the same interview, and the actor stood by his suggestion despite all the backlash. He added that it’s not meant to be a genuine depiction of a British accent — just what his character thinks one should sound like:

“I stand by the sound of Steven 100 percent. It’s cool [the accent] got people excited, and some were like, ‘That sucks!’ and others were like, ‘That’s great!’ But there are reasons… That voice is about where Steven’s from, where he’s living now, and some of his believed heritage. It’s not an idea of what Brits actually sound like.”

It seems like we’ll get more insight into why Steven adopted this backstory and manner of speaking once Moon Knight returns on Disney+. For now, viewers can have confidence that there’s a reason behind it — and be grateful that it’s so easy to tell the difference between Steven and Marc.

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