Jason Isaacs is “not good” at taking compliments.
The 58-year-old star – who is known to audiences around the world for playing Lucius Malfoy in the ‘Harry Potter’ film series - admitted that the idea of praise is “alien” to him and only chooses a role if he can “get away with [it]” without coming across as an “absolute turd.”
He said: “I am not good at compliments. They are so alien to me. It is anathema for me to tape a scene and think, oh, I was good in that. Everybody I respect has impostor syndrome.
“My criterion for choosing something is: can I get away with this? Will I look like an absolute turd? If I can’t stand in front of the camera and make a scene halfway believable, I don’t want the job.
“I like people to think that I’m a much better actor than I am. I choose parts, if not projects, where I feel I can hold my end up.”
Jason – who can next be seen playing a grieving parent in independent film ‘Mass’ – thinks it would be “great” if his latest project could win awards because it would prove that audiences enjoy films other than the blockbusters where stars “wear capes.”
He told Times Weekend: “I’m embarrassed sometimes that I get to do a job that brings me satisfaction. Awards for Mass would be great because it means that people can watch films with people that don’t wear capes in them. Don’t get me wrong. I like playing in the sandbox; I like a cape. I just don’t want independent films to go away.”
