Here's Why Oscar Isaac Couldn't Make This Iconic X-Men Villain Work

Oscar Isaac took on the challenge of portraying the iconic X-Men villain, Apocalypse, in X-Men: Apocalypse (2016). However, despite his dedication and passion for the character, the experience turned out to be less than stellar for him.

Becoming Apocalypse for Oscar Isaac wasn't a walk in the park. The heavy makeup and prosthetics required for the role were tough.

In a chat with GQ, Isaac described the experience as "excruciating," mentioning that he had to endure being slathered in glue, latex, and a hefty 40-pound suit.

This suit was so restrictive that he couldn't even move his head. To make matters worse, he had to wear a cooling mechanism at all times due to the heat generated by the suit. The suit was so bulky that Isaac had to sit on a special saddle during breaks, and the crew had to roll him into a cooling tent to avoid overheating.

The actor even mentioned that he felt isolated on set, as the suit made it difficult for him to interact with his co-stars, whom he was excited to work with.

That suit wasn't just a physical pain, it messed with Oscar Isaac's voice performance too. The materials were like a symphony of squeaks and creaks, turning every move into a noisy concert of rubber and plastic, so they had to dub all of Isaac's lines during post-production.

If wearing the suit was tough, removing it was even tougher. Isaac described the removal process as painful, likening it to scraping off old, stubborn tiling from a bathroom floor. Hours were spent just to get the makeup and prosthetics off him after filming.

In addition to the physical and emotional challenges Isaac faced, X-Men: Apocalypse faced criticism from both fans and critics, even though it had a decent run at the box office. Some pointed out the blandness of Isaac's villain, which is disheartening considering the effort and passion Isaac poured into the role.

However, when he thinks about that part, Isaac is actually pretty proud of it. He jumped into the role because he's a big fan of the character. Plus, getting to team up with some talented actors was too good to pass up. He wishes the movie had given the character a bit more justice, but he's not disowning it.

Sources: GQ on YouTube, The New York Times