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Oscar Isaac Likens X-Men: Apocalypse Role To Playing God

Oscar Isaac may have shown HBO and its legions of viewers a hero in Paul Haggis' compelling political drama, but for 20th Century Fox's high-profile juggernaut X-Men: Apocalypse, the star is very much situated on the other end of the moral spectrum.

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Oscar Isaac may have shown HBO and its legions of viewers a hero in Paul Haggis’ compelling political drama, but for 20th Century Fox’s high-profile juggernaut X-Men: Apocalypse, the star is very much situated on the other end of the moral spectrum.

That’s because he’ll be embodying the titular villain – a glowering, 5,000 year old mutant primed to unleash Old Testament levels of destruction upon man and mutantkind alike. Awakening from his prolonged slumber, Isaac’s menace assembles the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse to complete his world-shaking plan, and in a recent interview with The Playlist, the actor touched upon what it’s like to portray a character who holds absolute power.

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Now that principal photography has wrapped up on X-Men: Apocalypse, we’re beginning to learn much more about the story and the film’s impressive ensemble, and here’s what Oscar Isaac had to share about how he approached his character.

“It was great because there’s an embodiment of such big ideas, you’re not working in the realm of naturalism. And just because something’s natural doesn’t mean that it’s interesting — and I think Kubrick knew that very well. Sometimes it’s fun to push performance into other places that is not just about the same kind of verité thing. You can go to heightened places in a Greek tragedy or kabuki kind of way. You have these forms that express more than just an individual’s personality. And that’s been really fun to play with in X-Men.”

Playing a god is certainly no meant feat, though Isaac understands the gravitas that his role exudes. Looking beyond X-Men: Apocalypse, the actor will be next seen in Star Wars: The Force Awakens. As two of the biggest productions on the movie calendar, Isaac reflected on his good fortune of landing the coveted parts, and why he was attracted to the mythic role of Apocalypse in the first place.

“For me, more than anything, it was about being guilty of nostalgia,” he explained. “I was a big fan of Star Wars. I was also a big fan of X-Men, particularly the villain Apocalypse, so when those parts came around and there was interest for me to do them, I was excited about it. I was excited to explore those worlds. There is something more mythical … basically, you’re playing God. It’s a challenge.”

Bryan Singer will conclude his origin trilogy when X-Men: Apocalypse stomps into theaters on May 27, 2016.