Review: Jason Isaacs at FanX Salt Lake Comic Convention Fall 2019
Jason Isaacs, known for his portrayal of Lucius Malfoy, was one of many celebrity guests at FanX Salt Lake Comic Convention Fall 2019 in Salt Lake City, Utah. During his spotlight panel and Q&A, he spilled a few secrets, which we can’t help but share with our MuggleNet followers.
Isaacs didn’t meet JKR until nearly the end of the book series.
Isaacs told us a story of how he was in the United States at the time of the book release for Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince. He was invited to a bookstore to sign some books, and he only found out afterward that Lucius Malfoy didn’t even make an appearance. At a later time, he met JKR at an event.
“I’d never met J.K., but we were both at this event and they asked if I wanted to. I was thinking to myself ‘Don’t ask her if you’re going to be in Book 7.’ I get up there and she says, ‘You’re in chapter 1’ And I said ‘and then what?’ And she looked at me like…”
— @jasonsfolly pic.twitter.com/NsJKkClqUn— ᴍᴜɢɢʟᴇɴᴇᴛ ʟɪᴠᴇ (@MuggleNetLive) September 6, 2019
He will be doing voice work in the new Scooby-Doo movie.
Isaacs told the audience how much he enjoys doing voice work.
“Every now and then I get a mustache-twirling evil character. I’ll be voicing Dick Dastardly in the new Scooby Doo movie.’”
— @jasonsfolly#fanxfall19 #jasonisaacs— ᴍᴜɢɢʟᴇɴᴇᴛ ʟɪᴠᴇ (@MuggleNetLive) September 6, 2019
He originally auditioned for the part of Gilderoy Lockhart.
I’m not sure that I can even picture it, but Isaacs mentioned that he hadn’t even originally auditioned for the part of Lucius Malfoy.
“I got the part [of Lucius Malfoy] because I went to audition… for Gilderoy Lockhart.”
— @jasonsfolly#fanxfall19 #jasonisaacs— ᴍᴜɢɢʟᴇɴᴇᴛ ʟɪᴠᴇ (@MuggleNetLive) September 6, 2019
He actually had a lot of input on his part.
Jason Isaacs took advantage of the magic of the wizarding world, and it shows. Rather than closing a door as he left a room, he asked to wave his arm and have the door shut with magic.
“My favorite scene was my first day.
[Chris Columbus] told me to shut the door when leaving Dumbledore’s office, and I asked him ‘Can I just wave my hand and close it with magic?’ He said yeah and that’s why I loved this job.”
— @jasonsfolly#fanxfall19 #jasonisaacs— ᴍᴜɢɢʟᴇɴᴇᴛ ʟɪᴠᴇ (@MuggleNetLive) September 6, 2019
That infamous Lucius wand/cane combo? Yeah, he came up with that idea.
Is there any wand more iconic in the Harry Potter movies than Lucius’s wand/snake cane? Not only did he accidentally injure Tom Felton with the snake’s teeth, but also, it was his idea to have the cane to begin with.
“I asked for the cane. It wasn’t in the script or anything. I said ‘I want to pull my wand out of it.’ And [Chris Columbus] said, ‘I think the toy guys are gonna love you.’”
— @jasonsfolly#fanxfall19 #jasonisaacs— ᴍᴜɢɢʟᴇɴᴇᴛ ʟɪᴠᴇ (@MuggleNetLive) September 6, 2019
He wouldn’t mind being Hermione.
He praised Hermione Granger, but he praised Emma Watson even more.
What other character would you be and why?
“I have daughters. Hermione, because she’s the brightest witch and turned into an amazing woman. Just as Emma [Watson] has.”
— @jasonsfolly#fanxfall19 #jasonisaacs— ᴍᴜɢɢʟᴇɴᴇᴛ ʟɪᴠᴇ (@MuggleNetLive) September 6, 2019
Overall, Isaacs was a very charming, witty, and genuine guy. You could tell just how much he is grateful for his Harry Potter opportunities and the people he worked with. It’s amazing to watch his continued success in other roles, and I don’t know about you, but I can’t wait to hear him in the new Scooby-Doo movie!
Check out more of our live tweets of Isaacs’ panel here.
