Jason Isaacs Talks 2021 Sundance Sensation 'Mass,' 'Harry Potter,' 'Peter Pan' and More
Forgiveness is one of the most awesome capacities that human beings possess. Its capability to heal is nothing short of cathartic, but the difficulty that comes with doing it can often be staggering. This is only compounded when forgiveness is a possibility confronted in the face of unimaginable tragedy, and it is this particular type of forgiveness that is at the heart of “Mass”, the tour de force directorial debut of Fran Kranz. Starring Jason Isaacs, Ann Dowd, Martha Plimpton, and Reed Birney, “Mass” is about two sets of parents - one the parents of a school shooter, the other of their victim - meeting face-to-face years after the tragedy.
Jason Isaacs stars in the film as Jay, the father of the victim. Isaacs has spent over 30 years acting in acclaimed roles and has built a rabid following among cinephiles for his villainous turns in particular. From the scenery-chewing personification of evil Colonel William Tavington in “The Patriot”, to his famously fanboy and girled-over embodiment of Lucius Malfoy in the “Harry Potter” adaptations, right up to his recent role as the treacherous Mirror Lorca in “Star Trek: Discovery,” Isaacs has crafted such intricate and iconic bad guys that it can be easy to forget how equally capable he is of playing sympathetic and fully-realized good guys as well. We were fortunate enough to attend the 2021 Sundance Film Festival virtual premiere of “Mass” and, afterward, chat with Isaacs about his potentially awards-worthy turn in the film. His insights into “Mass” were particularly enlightening and enriched the emotional resonance of the film.
“Mass” creates a powerful statement on the human condition, and this was a vital part of why Isaacs took the role. “I do all those other [roles] for money sometimes, and sure we need a variety of entertainment,” said Isaacs, “but Mass is what stories are about. It was such an overwhelming experience to make, and that would’ve been enough, frankly, for me. It’s such a relief and so inspiring to know that other people might get out of it something like what we put into it.”
However, “Mass”, while touching on the serious and tragic issue of gun violence, isn't exactly a PSA more than it is a way to help heal. “It doesn’t have a message, we could’ve just made a bumper sticker [for that],” Isaacs said of the film's content. “It’s such a human experience watching it, and it deals with forgiveness, and how we see each other as human, how we shed the baggage of our past, how we need to see each other and hear each other. It doesn’t provide easy answers, but I just felt infinitely more human and hopeful at the end of this story. It just felt so ambitious and I was living in fear that it might not work, and it seems like it does.”
Isaacs also expanded on how true to life the film is, and how that played into the making of the film. “These meetings really happen between parents. Things like this do happen, and they’re very painful, there’s no roadmap through it. We started with the script, [and then] we had two days in a room which was supposed to be rehearsal but was really talking. And then we just got straight into filming. But what we did when we talked, and what we did every night between shooting, is build a shared history of things that have happened to us. Where things start to go wrong [in the film] is we arrive with a plan of who we think we are, what we think the other person needs to do, rules we’ve set for ourselves, and of course, it all goes to shit almost immediately.”
There's an arc to “Mass”, and it largely deals with the way our openness to others can change our perspective, which is also delivered exquisitely by the cast. “There are things our characters think about ourselves, and there are things the audience begins to realize that they don’t know about themselves. We trusted the many layers of the script to unpeel themselves. I looked at these other actors and they were utterly believable.”
Isaacs also gave some much-needed perspective on the state of our world today. There's a lot more in our full interview, but he brought up the importance of how 'Mass' ties into this, and can maybe even make a positive change. “This is a time of spectacular division. The world is not in a great place, and the ground is so fertile for people to sow hatred and turn us against each other,” said Isaacs. “[Mass] is a plea for empathy. It’s not neat and perfect, but Roger Ebert said films are a machine for empathy, and that’s never more true than of a film like 'Mass'.”
Although “Mass” was the focus of our interview, we had some extra time to dive into Isaacs’ other work. The 2003 adaptation of “Peter Pan”, directed by P. J. Hogan and featuring Isaacs as Captain Hook, was a commercial failure during its initial release, yet has been loved and fondly remembered by untold numbers of people who grew up with it. “It is [the ‘Peter Pan’ film for a generation], actually,” said Isaacs. “It’s the only version of ‘Peter Pan’ that’s ever been made. [The book’s] about a little girl who’s hitting puberty, and her mum and dad go, ‘That’s it now, you’re gonna be a woman.’ So she dreams of a world in which she won’t have to grow up. P. J. made that book into a film, [and] no one else has.”
Despite the disappointing box office run of “Peter Pan”, Isaacs has witnessed a certain vindication of the film in the years since. “People would come up [to me, at conventions] in full Harry Potter gear, wanting a signed Lucius Malfoy picture. They’d see a picture of Captain Hook and they’d go, ‘that’s actually my favorite film. Can I have one of those instead?’ And it’s because it spoke to them like nothing else had. So I truly think it’s the only ‘Peter Pan’ that anyone’s ever made. The reason it’s grown over the years is people come across it and go, ‘wow, this is really special.’ And also it looks incredible!”
“Mass” has enjoyed overwhelmingly positive reviews from its Sundance premiere. Check out our full conversation with Jason Isaacs below where we discuss “Mass”, “Peter Pan”, “Event Horizon”, the “Harry Potter” series, and more!