Mark Jackson Interview: 'The Orville' Actor Discusses Bringing Humanity to his Robotic Role and Representation in Science-Fiction
Known as the stoic and faceless ‘Isaac’ in Hulu’s ‘The Orville: New Horizons’, Jackson can’t help but show his emotion when he realizes how powerful the shows’ messages have become.
As the halls of San Diego Comic Con begin to fill, there’s one specific fanbase that is hoping beyond hope that their favorite show simply uses its forum, mere hours from now, to announce a fourth season.
The Orville: New Horizons has matured tremendously over three seasons. Originally almost parody-like, the show was created as a loving and funny tribute to one of the shows creator Seth MacFarlane adored watching in his youth, Star Trek: The Next Generation. Since that time (which was more than 3 years ago due to delays in production, the global pandemic, and the show’s mother network, Fox being bought up by Disney) MacFarlane has chosen a newer, more dramatic direction. Not completely forgetting his comedic routes, the show balances hilarious one-liners and awkward physical gags with tremendously important and topical issues. Season three in fact opened with the attempted suicide of one of its main characters.
Granted that character was an artificial life form, Isaac, played by Mark Jackson, and so perhaps hid the full impact under the guise of science-fiction subtext, but that’s what good science-fiction does. That’s what The Next Generation does. If you ask Jackson if it lessens the importance of these issues being addressed in mainstream media, the answer is emphatically “no”.
“On a personal note, when you're talking about the themes that The Orville tackles, it's an absolute honor to be able to be part of that” says Jackson. “Some of our episodes of changing people's lives. I remember saying to my husband when we watched ‘A Tale of Two Topas’ that this is going to be the first time that a kid or even an adult watches it and thinks ‘That's me. That's, that's who I am. That's, where I am right now’. I just think that's such a powerful thing to be part of. It's still surreal.
Isaac’s character arc in this strong third season has had the lion’s share when it comes to the heavy drama the show has dealt with, something the actor does not take lightly. What’s impressive about Jackson’s performance is what he has been able to do considering the limitations the character design of Isaac forces upon the performer. The character, being an artificial life form, is literally a blank slate. His face only identifiable by the shape Jackson calls the ‘eggshell’ and two illuminated eyes. To be able to deal with complicated dramatic story lines and convey humanity without a face is a challenge many actors could not contend with.
When they first met, Jackson and creator MacFarlane actually bonded over their avid love of TNG, and Jackson compares his challenges to what Levar Burton must have gone through as Geordi Laforge. Geordi, a blind character, had his trademark visor which took away the actor’s ability to use his eyes to connect and convey emotion (until the later Next Generation movies). Jackson says it was some time in the first season he realized his way of thinking about the performance had to change. He wasn’t a typical television actor, he was more of a puppeteer. “When you put a visor in front of an actor's eyes or you take away their face, I felt constrained. [But] when I realized I was a puppeteer when I'm in a suit, it gave me the opportunity to really focus on what puppeteers do best, which is all about physicality. It's all about expression through another object. So I find that incredibly helpful. It gave my ego a break”.
The irony of this particular actor talking about his ego might be lost on those who haven’t spoken with him. The man is a consummate ambassador for the show, gladly engaging with the fan base whenever he can, and he wants the fans to know that he and the cast have noticed how much support the show has received. “ The fan response to this season has been so wonderful. It gives me great joy to go on Twitter, or Instagram and just and just see how much the fans are enjoying this season. It's all ultimately for them”. Jackson, as mentioned, is also a strong proponent for representation within the arts, and has grabbed hold of this platform to promote LGBTQ issues within sci fi fantasy. On the first day of Comic Con for the Orville group, he and other cast members took part in a Gays in Space panel to bring awareness on how the medium can be used in a powerful way. “I do think it's a really important frontier to be part of. It's a huge honor to be part of anything that can change people's lives in a positive way”. The same group of cast members will be attending a screening in New York to support the non profit organization and speak about the episode “A Tale of Two Topas” which deals, in part, with transgender rights.
To purchase tickets for the GAYS IN SPACE screening and panel (with Mark Jackson and Orville cast mates) CLICK HERE
Check out the complete interview with Mark Jackson, below:
