Jason Isaacs is an actor known for notable roles in The Patriot, the Harry Potter series, and more recently as Captain Lorca in Star Trek: Discovery. An actor with this pedigree should have no problem finding work, but according to Isaacs himself, taking a role in P.J. Hogan’s Peter Pan almost ended his acting career.
In a recent interview with The Guardian, Isaacs says that taking the role of Captain Hook in 2003s Peter Pan had all of the makings of a a big break for the actor. Unfortunately, the film tanked at the box office, and almost spelled doom for Isaacs blooming career:
“I’ve had a good year or two, but there have been other times… I’ve been to Sundance with eight films, and only one of them came out.
When I was in [PJ Hogan’s 2003 film] Peter Pan, it was going to be gigantic. I was told it would change my life. Be careful, they said; make sure you’ve got the right people in place. Then it came out, and it was a catastrophic flop. It killed my film career stone dead for a while.
It was a great lesson. Just have a great time and do the best you can. Sometimes I wish I was more famous; you have more choices as an actor when you are. But I tend to ask: how can I be grateful for the things I’ve got, rather than for the things I haven’t got? Moaning is a waste of life.”
Peter Pan is a property that’s lived under a stigma for a few decades now. Although Steven Spielberg’s Hook is a shining light for a lot of people, the director thinks otherwise. P.J. Hogan had his shot in 2003 and Je Wright in 2015, with both films being critical and financial failures. NBC’s live Peter Pan musical, starring Christopher Walken was atrocious.
Isaacs has a few projects on the horizon. This week, he has a small part in The Death of Stalin, and Hotel Mumbai coming later this year.
