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SmartLess

"Oscar Isaac"

with Oscar Isaac

Published October 27, 2025
View Show Notes

About This Episode

The hosts talk with Oscar Isaac about his winding path from playing in Florida ska and hardcore bands to training at Juilliard and becoming one of Hollywood's most versatile actors. He shares stories about nearly joining the Marines, his immigrant family background, his deep collaboration with Guillermo del Toro on Frankenstein, and how grief, family, and theater intertwined during his Hamlet run. The conversation also covers his sci‑fi work in Ex Machina, Dune, and Star Wars, his views on acting craft and decision-making, and his life as a husband and father who still makes music at home.

Topics Covered

Acting craft Filmmaking Music career Science fiction Religion and spirituality Parenting and child development Personal narrative Identity Fame and celebrity culture

Disclaimer: We provide independent summaries of podcasts and are not affiliated with or endorsed in any way by any podcast or creator. All podcast names and content are the property of their respective owners. The views and opinions expressed within the podcasts belong solely to the original hosts and guests and do not reflect the views or positions of Summapod.

Quick Takeaways

  • Oscar Isaac started out in ska and hardcore bands in Florida, nearly joined the Marines, then pivoted into theater and Juilliard after spontaneously picking up an application on a trip to New York.
  • His immigrant family story, with a Cuban father who was a doctor and frustrated filmmaker, shaped both his early exposure to movies and his frequent moves around the U.S. as a child.
  • Working with Guillermo del Toro on Frankenstein was a joyful, highly collaborative experience in which del Toro emphasized heightened, non-naturalistic acting, precise visual language, and listening to what the film itself 'needs'.
  • Isaac and del Toro reshot a crucial emotional close-up late in the shoot when Isaac felt his earlier take was not believable, leading to a more sober, less premeditated performance that ended up in the final film.
  • He openly discusses memory quirks common among actors: easily retaining lines and monologues while forgetting faces, events, or names in overstimulating social situations.
  • Isaac's wife, documentary filmmaker Elvira Lind, quietly filmed an intensely personal documentary around the time of his mother's death, their marriage, the birth of their first child, and his demanding Hamlet production.
  • He remains musically active at home, improvising songs and now using a looper and drums to make music with his two young sons, even though they went through a phase of asking him not to sing.

Podcast Notes

Pre-guest banter and host dynamics

Hosts joking about terminology for podcast recording

How they refer to podcast sessions in their schedules[2:48]
• Jason and Will say they call it a 'record' or say 'I have to record a Smartless'
• Sean admits he has said 'pod' a couple of times and immediately regretted it because it sounds terrible

Upcoming in‑person dinner and playful friendship dynamics

Planning a Sunday dinner together[3:16]
• They tease Sean that he 'better be there' even though Amanda may not attend
• They joke about Jason picking one of them up, opening the car door, and wearing something special requested in the past
Mini debrief of a prior dinner Sean missed[3:47]
• Will mentions having had a 'quick bite' with Jason the previous night and that Sean was missed
• Sean is surprised there were about six to eight people at that dinner and feels a bit left out

Technology thought experiment and social behavior

Discussion of a thought‑to‑audio AI device concept

Description of a device that translates thoughts into audio[4:42]
• Sean explains an 'alter ego' style AI device that sits behind the ear and turns what you think into audio text
• Will calls it a nightmare and likens it to having a microphone in your brain
Ethical and social implications of broadcasting thoughts[5:08]
• Will imagines people would pay thousands to remove such a device if they were stuck with it, because most thoughts being vocalized would get people in trouble
• Jason notes that it's a voluntary device, but Will thinks it's still a hard sell as a product

Sex differences joke and grandfather humor

Sean's dinner‑table scenario about sexual propositions

Hypothetical about an attractive stranger at the door[6:30]
• Sean describes asking women at a table if they would accept a sexual advance from the best‑looking man in the world who appeared at their door in a robe and exposed himself
• He reports that all the women unanimously said they would find it disgusting and bizarre and would refuse
• By contrast, he says all the gay and straight men present said they would go for an equivalent proposition from a woman

Grandfather desert island joke

Bateman shares a long joke from his grandfather[7:36]
• In the joke a man stranded on an island is visited by a woman in a wetsuit who offers him a beer, a cigarette, then asks 'when was the last time you played a round?' and he expects golf clubs
• They characterize it as a 'grandfather joke' and use it to pivot the conversation

Cat steak 'rare' dad joke

Sean's very short cat/steak joke[8:28]
• The punchline is that a cat likes its steak 'rare', which they all agree is not actually funny and only works as a corny dad joke
• They note that doing small claw hands helps sell the joke despite its weakness

Introduction of Oscar Isaac

Sean's detailed intro of Oscar Isaac's background and roles

Early life and musical background[9:12]
• Sean says Oscar was born in Guatemala and ping‑ponged around the U.S. while his father finished medical residencies
• He notes Oscar nearly joined the Marines before pivoting to Juilliard, and spent his teens in Florida playing bass and singing in ska punk bands, including one that opened for Green Day
Range of acting roles[9:36]
• Sean lists roles such as a folk singer, mad genius tech guy, rebel pilot, superhero, and Shakespearean royalty, calling Oscar one of his favorite actors of all time

Oscar's initial reaction to joining the show

Oscar's nerves and perception of the hosts[9:57]
• Oscar jokes his heart is pounding and says the hosts' speed of wit is intimidating
• He mentions he had tried to come on during the pandemic but it didn't work out, and says he's happy to finally be there
Earlier encounters between Oscar and Sean[11:28]
• Oscar recalls first crossing paths via a Lin‑Manuel Miranda street performance promotion where cast members had to appear
• They also recall an awkward awards dinner where nominees ate on stage in front of an audience, and Sean came over to fanboy Oscar while both were doing plays on Broadway in neighboring theaters

Musical background, Inside Llewyn Davis, and guitar technique

Playing music and landing Inside Llewyn Davis

Coen Brothers' requirement for real musicians[14:00]
• Oscar confirms he is really playing in Inside Llewyn Davis and that the Coen Brothers initially auditioned mostly musicians
• He says he hadn't played folk in that style before, so he intensely studied and practiced for the audition
Explanation of Travis picking[14:22]
• Oscar describes Travis picking as similar to ragtime piano or stride, where the thumb plays a bass line and the fingers play the melody
• He notes it's difficult because it requires separating rhythmic patterns, similar to drumming independence

Hosts briefly praise Jason's work in Black Rabbit

Oscar comments on Jason's drumming and acting[14:56]
• Oscar mentions seeing Jason drumming in a music video and calls him 'amazing' and 'so effortless' as an actor in Black Rabbit
• Sean relays that Bradley (Cooper, though last name is not stated) binge‑watched Black Rabbit and sent glowing messages about Jason's performance

Memory, line retention, and cognitive quirks

Actors' selective memory

Oscar on anxiety and memory gaps[16:04]
• Oscar says he has a notoriously terrible memory, especially in overstimulated situations, and that even slight doubts about a memory can cause it to vanish
Face blindness and social recall[17:11]
• Sean describes mild face blindness where he often fails to recognize people he's met many times, which he calls horrible
• Will says he has a good memory overall but shares the specific issue of not recalling shared experiences people say they had with him

Will's extraordinary date memory and VO copy recall

Concrete examples of Will's memory[17:09]
• Will can recall that he auditioned for Arrested Development in February 2003 and traveled to England for six days in November 2018
• He also remembers dialogue and specific ad copy from voiceover campaigns he did decades ago

Bands, near‑miss with the Marines, and Juilliard

Florida ska and hardcore bands

Band names and genres[19:56]
• Oscar played in bands including The Worms (ska), The Blinking Underdogs (ska punk), and Closet Heterosexuals (hardcore)
• He notes The Blinking Underdogs mostly toured within Florida and were part of the waning 'third wave' of ska

Spur‑of‑the‑moment application to Juilliard

Getting the overdue application accepted[20:48]
• While in New York for an off‑off‑off Broadway play, Oscar walked past Juilliard, went in for an application, and learned the deadline had passed the prior Friday
• He charmed the staffer into giving him the form, filled it out that night, and returned it the next day, and she accepted and processed it anyway
Audition process and dance belt mishap[21:14]
• Oscar did monologues plus movement and dance components for the Juilliard audition
• He misunderstood early instructions and wore a dance belt on the first day of school when no one else did, making him feel set up

Nearly joining the Marines via buddy system

Motivation to enlist and training[24:21]
• Oscar and the sax player from The Worms, whose father was a Navy SEAL, decided to enlist together on the buddy system to get fit and go through basic training as pals
• They did weekend pre‑training with Marines, went to a hotel for medical exams, and even took the first oath
Why he ultimately didn't enlist[25:32]
• Oscar originally wanted to be a combat photographer inspired by Full Metal Jacket, but learned that role was only available full‑time, not as a reservist
• When he asked about alternatives, they suggested 'anti‑tank', which he jokes is 'against the tank', and he decided to think about it
• His sax‑player friend quit the band and drifted away, Oscar lost his 'buddy', and at the same time his band got enough money to record a CD that summer, so he chose not to enlist

Auditioning for major directors and rejection stories

Mike Nichols audition for Betrayal

Attempted Harold Pinter accent and Nichols' reaction[27:31]
• Oscar says his last audition was for Mike Nichols' Broadway production of Betrayal, around 2014, during his divorce
• He came in using an accent he built by listening to Harold Pinter, and Nichols asked bluntly, 'Where'd you get that accent?', then commented that English people sound different from one another
Emotional honesty backfiring[28:05]
• Nichols asked if doing the play nightly would make Oscar sad, and Oscar answered honestly that he was going through something similar and it would be painful material to revisit
• Juliet Rylance, reading opposite him, tried to help by adding 'but also fun too, right?', highlighting that the production ultimately played the piece as more of a comedy
• Rafe Spall got the role and the play was done as a comedy, leading Oscar to conclude the 'right' answer to Nichols' question would have been the opposite of his honest response

Family background, immigrant story, and early film influences

Cuban‑Guatemalan family and moving around

Parents' origins and relocations[29:23]
• Oscar's father is Cuban, born in Cuba but raised in Washington, DC, and went to medical school in Guatemala where he met Oscar's Guatemalan mother
• The family lived in Virginia/Baltimore, Louisiana (for LSU residency), and Florida, staying with his grandmother at one point, all before Oscar was six
Father as frustrated artist and movie nights[30:46]
• Oscar's father and uncles made movies on 8mm cameras when younger, and his father brought home 'mystery movies' every Friday for family movie night
• He later bought a camcorder so the family could make home movies, which Oscar cites as the initial spark for his interest in filmmaking and acting

First actor influence: Tim Curry

Realizing one actor could embody radically different roles[31:25]
• Oscar recalls seeing Clue and Legend and being stunned when he realized the same actor, Tim Curry, played radically different characters
• He says he noticed it was the same person because of the distinctive way Curry's lip curled at one point, which blew his mind

Religion, Christian denominations, and Frankenstein's Catholic imagery

Comparing Catholic and evangelical upbringing

Overview of Christian denominations[33:40]
• Sean mentions growing up 'super super Catholic' and notes there are also evangelical Christians and other branches like Episcopalian, Protestant, Methodist, and Lutheran
• Will explains that many are under the umbrella of Christianity, with differences like the Episcopal Church coming from the Church of England, itself an offshoot of Catholicism started partly so Henry VIII could divorce
• They discuss how Catholicism has more intercessors such as saints, more pageantry, and different emphases than some Protestant denominations

Frankenstein as a Catholic, crucifixion‑infused vision

Deliberate crucifixion imagery in Frankenstein[35:40]
• Oscar says Frankenstein is 'a very Catholic Mexican' take and that Guillermo del Toro talked about it in those terms, including the forensic focus on the crucifixion
• They mention the metal 'thorns' on the creature's head and the near‑cross cruciform pose, which Oscar confirms is intentional rather than accidental

Working with Guillermo del Toro on Frankenstein

Del Toro's personality and directing style

Joyful collaboration and Spanish‑only communication[36:40]
• Oscar describes working with del Toro as 'like a kid' with 'so much joy' and says they spoke only Spanish to each other on set
• Del Toro directed largely through jokes, often dirty Mexican jokes, and was extremely open and unpretentious, never whispering behind monitors
Vivid metaphors and performance direction[37:40]
• Del Toro would say he needed 'a lot of ham with mustard and mayonnaise to make it go down easy', meaning he wanted larger, more melodramatic choices on certain shots
• He referenced specific telenovela moves like the 'Maria Christina', asking Oscar to hit stylized profiles and turns to camera, urging him to 'make this one Mexican happy'

Production scope and locations

Length and geography of the shoot[37:46]
• The shoot spanned nearly eight months with about a two‑month break, filming in Toronto, the UK, and Scotland while del Toro also shot miniatures in London

Tone of performance and listening to the movie

Non‑naturalistic, heightened acting brief[38:51]
• Del Toro told Oscar the performances should not be naturalistic but heightened, with fast language, minimal pauses, high camp, high melodrama, and 'all heart'
Del Toro influenced by Bradley Cooper collaboration[38:59]
• Oscar says del Toro credits making Nightmare Alley with Bradley Cooper for opening him up and teaching him to 'listen to the movie'
• When Oscar worried he wasn't taking enough risks, del Toro reassured him that how he was honestly responding was what the movie needed at that moment

Reshooting the final emotional close‑up

First attempt: heavily prepped emotional state[40:21]
• For the last scene on the ship in the Arctic, Oscar spent the day in a sad zone, listening to 'sad sack music' and looking at painful memories to fuel his performance
• After seeing the cut the next day, he felt he didn't 'buy' his own close‑up and suspected they'd used the wrong take
Second attempt: less preparation, better result[42:21]
• Del Toro noticed Oscar's insecurity and, after initially reassuring him, reset the scene to reshoot the close‑up, joking that if it failed he'd make fun of Oscar forever
• With almost no time to prepare emotionally, Oscar lay down and did four takes that were more sober and severe, which he and del Toro agreed were stronger and which ended up in the film

Watching oneself, acting craft, and directing ambitions

Debate over watching one's own performance

Learning from dailies vs. avoiding self‑consciousness[46:54]
• Oscar says he has often learned from seeing when he is bad on screen, adjusting future choices based on how things actually come across
• He cites Christoph Waltz's opposing view that the real danger is when you watch and think you're good, potentially leading to self‑consciousness if the final edit says otherwise

Considering directing and fear of indecision

Early interest in directing[47:03]
• Oscar notes he originally came into acting through making movies with friends and had thought about directing from early on
Indecisiveness as an obstacle[47:32]
• He describes himself as incredibly indecisive, even about things like choosing a shirt, which makes the idea of having to answer countless questions as a director intimidating
• He reframes the problem slightly by acknowledging that many decisions can be conversations rather than binary choices

Saying 'I don't know' and taking time for answers

Jason and Sean on life skills around uncertainty[49:06]
• Sean shares that being told it's okay to say 'I don't know' freed him up, and he now gives himself time to think before answering when people ask for quick decisions
• He also notes he doesn't have to answer on someone else's timeline and has become more comfortable admitting he doesn't understand a word or concept and asking for clarification

Personal life, grief, Hamlet, and documentary 'King Hamlet'

Elvira Lind and the Hamlet documentary

Intense year of loss, marriage, birth, and Hamlet[50:47]
• In 2017 Oscar's mother died in February, he and Elvira married in March, their first child was born in April, and he began rehearsals for a four‑hour Hamlet that same April
• Elvira, a Danish documentary filmmaker, felt overwhelmed and started filming with a camera because she didn't know how else to process everything
Agreement about potential invisibility of the footage[51:36]
• Oscar told her he would only be comfortable if it were okay that the footage never see the light of day, and she agreed, saying she didn't even know what she was making yet
• She filmed rehearsals, home life, and even hospice visits with his mother, then stored the material away after the period ended
Reviving the project years later[53:30]
• About a year before the podcast recording, Elvira pulled out the hard drives, worked with her editor, and started assembling a film that became King Hamlet
• Oscar watched an early cut, wasn't sure how he felt, but encouraged her to keep going, and he now describes it as a beautiful movie about how life and work intertwine
• He says watching the footage was very intense and vulnerable, especially seeing his mother and family again, but he is proud of Elvira's work

How Oscar and Elvira met

A party, a manager's push, and a non‑smiling warmth experiment[53:07]
• Oscar's manager convinced him to attend an after‑party for a film Elvira worked on, despite Oscar wanting to stay home to prepare for the Coen Brothers project
• He went in dressed in a brooding outfit, experimenting with projecting warmth without smiling or laughing at his own jokes
• Elvira, ever the documentarian, noticed the 'little brown weirdo' in fingerless gloves eating when nobody else was, and approached him out of curiosity
• At one point she asked if he was flirting with her and he answered plainly, 'Yeah, I am', which helped define their connection

Cats, Ex Machina, Dune prank, and Star Wars fandom

Oscar's childhood belief he could talk to cats

Backyard meowing ritual[54:57]
• Oscar says he used to go to the backyard and meow, believing he could communicate with cats, and cats would come to him

Ex Machina and AI prescience

Alex Garland's accurate predictions[56:19]
• Sean notes Ex Machina came out in 2014 and feels incredibly relevant today given AI developments and data collection practices
• Oscar says Alex Garland deeply researched current literature and built the script around concepts like harvesting signals from cell phones, which mirror current realities

Dune set prank with the modesty sock

Leaving a costume piece in a co‑star's pocket[57:29]
• After a nude scene on Dune, Oscar left his bright modesty sock in Jason Momoa's jacket chest pocket
• He later received a photo of Momoa at dinner holding it in confusion, and relays that Momoa said he wanted to keep it

Star Wars and family fandom

Family as lifelong Star Wars fans[57:59]
• Oscar says he personally wasn't a huge Star Wars fan as a kid, but his family were massive fans and collectors, especially an uncle
• He loved calling his uncle to tell him he'd been cast and later brought him to set as an extra, where the uncle ended up hanging out in Carrie Fisher's trailer

Fatherhood, music with kids, and closing reflections

Roommate quirks and affection

Oscar's hypothetical roommate traits[1:00:03]
• Oscar says one quirk that might annoy Sean if they were roommates is that he doesn't cook much despite being able to, but notes he is very affectionate and likes giving hugs

Improvised lullabies and home studio with kids

Singing for his sons and their evolving reactions[1:01:03]
• Oscar used to improvise lullabies with a guitar for his sons, but at one point they asked him to stop whenever he played or sang
• Recently that resistance faded and he bought a looper and has drums at home, so they now enjoy making music together
Kids' ages and exposure to his work[1:02:16]
• His son Mads is about to turn six and Eugene is eight, and they have seen some of his films, including Star Wars
• Oscar jokes that kids are tough critics and can be a bit harsh with their notes on his work

Hosts' closing praise and Juilliard speculation

Appreciation of Oscar's range[1:03:06]
• After he leaves, the hosts marvel at how many of their favorite movies Oscar is in and how good he is in each one
Juilliard as possible talent filter[1:03:44]
• They speculate that Juilliard does a strong job vetting students, and jokingly imagine doing an episode with Juilliard alumni who didn't 'make it' and including themselves in that group

Lessons Learned

Actionable insights and wisdom you can apply to your business, career, and personal life.

1

Life and career paths can pivot dramatically when you stay open to small opportunities and signals, like walking into Juilliard on a whim or choosing music over a risky military role at the last moment.

Reflection Questions:

  • • What seemingly small opportunity in your life right now might be worth taking more seriously and acting on quickly?
  • • How could you build a habit of revisiting major commitments before they become irreversible, the way Oscar reconsidered the Marines when circumstances changed?
  • • What is one past moment where you made a last‑minute pivot that turned out well, and how can you recreate the mindset you had then for current decisions?
2

Creative work is often strongest when you 'listen to what the project needs' rather than clinging to preconceived ideas of how a performance or outcome should look.

Reflection Questions:

  • • Where in your current work are you forcing a particular approach instead of paying attention to what the situation or audience actually needs?
  • • How might you build checkpoints into a project where you deliberately step back and ask, 'What is this trying to become?' before deciding your next move?
  • • What is one current task where you could experiment with letting go of your original plan and instead adjust based on emerging feedback or results?
3

It is powerful and freeing to admit 'I don't know' and give yourself time to answer, rather than being trapped by the pressure to respond instantly on someone else's timeline.

Reflection Questions:

  • • In what situations do you most often feel pressured to answer immediately, and how could you start inserting a pause there?
  • • How would your decision quality change if you routinely allowed yourself even a few minutes to think before committing to an answer?
  • • What phrase or signal could you use this week to buy yourself time in conversations without feeling guilty or unprepared?
4

Allowing your personal life and emotions to inform your work can create deep, resonant art, but it requires clear boundaries and trust with collaborators to feel safe.

Reflection Questions:

  • • Which parts of your personal experience could, if handled carefully, add authenticity and depth to the work you're doing right now?
  • • How can you set explicit boundaries with collaborators so that sharing more of your real life feels secure rather than exploitative?
  • • What is one concrete way you could channel a current or past emotional challenge into a constructive creative or professional project?
5

Vulnerability and honesty in relationships-like openly admitting you're flirting or letting a partner document difficult moments-can create stronger, more meaningful connections over time.

Reflection Questions:

  • • Where in your key relationships are you currently holding back something honest that, if shared respectfully, might deepen trust?
  • • How might you safely invite a partner, friend, or colleague into a part of your life that you usually keep private, in a way that feels mutual and considered?
  • • What is one small, truthful statement you could share this week that feels slightly risky but could lead to more authentic connection?
6

Being willing to reassess and redo work-even after you thought it was finished-often leads to better results than rigidly defending an earlier version out of pride.

Reflection Questions:

  • • Is there a recent piece of work you're not fully proud of where a small redo could significantly improve the outcome?
  • • How can you create a culture for yourself or your team where revisiting and reshooting, rewriting, or reworking is seen as strength rather than failure?
  • • What is one area of your life where you've been reluctant to revisit a decision or product, and what low‑risk experiment could you run to improve it?

Episode Summary - Notes by Sawyer

"Oscar Isaac"
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