Oscar Isaac explains how he was cast in ‘Dune’

As one of the most in-demand actors in the business, you’d imagine that Oscar Isaac doesn’t have to go to many auditions anymore, when casting directors and high-profile filmmakers alike are banging down his door in an attempt to secure him for their next project.

Isaac has been enjoying a very productive 2021, delivering accomplished turns in The Card Counter and Scenes from a Marriage, while he’s also shot the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s Disney Plus series Moon Knight, which is one of the most hotly-anticipated small screen releases of 2022.

On top of that, he and his magnificent beard lent stellar support in Denis Villenueve’s Dune, and it turns out that Isaac actively sought a part in the epic literary adaptation. In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, the star admitted that he asked Denis Villenueve to consider him for the movie, before settling on the role of Duke Leto Atreides.

“I wrote to him when I heard he was doing it, and I said, “Hey, I’m a big fan of the book, just letting you know,” and he said, “Oh, interesting. Okay, good to know.” Then, years later, he sent me the script. I was familiar with it. I’d read the book. Obviously, I didn’t know what the script was going to be like. Funny enough, when he sent it to me, he wasn’t sure what part exactly. I think he had a sense, but then I looked at it and it just was clear that that was a role for me.”

As hilarious as it would have been for Villenueve to simply say “no” and move on, nobody in their right mind would turn down the opportunity to work with Oscar Isaac at this stage in his career. His contributions to Dune may have been restricted to a supporting capacity, but he still delivers yet another memorable performance.