Oscar Isaac Defends Moon Knight’s British Accent

February 15, 2022

When the first trailer for Disney+’s Moon Knight released earlier this year, Oscar Isaac’s surprising British accent was one of the first things people noticed. While it might shock fans at first, Isaac said he is adamant that everything will make sense when the show releases.

“I stand by the sound of Steven 100%,” Isaac said in a recent interview with Empire Magazine. “It’s cool [the accent] got people excited, and some were like, ‘That sucks!’ and others were like, ‘That’s great!’ But there are reasons…”

He didn’t give any specific reasons, but he did hint that it’s not supposed to be an entirely convincing British accent.

“That voice is about where Steven’s from, where he’s living now, and some of his believed heritage,” he teased. “It’s not an idea of what Brits actually sound like.”

For those unaware, Moon Knight in the Marvel Comics is often portrayed as a man with multiple personalities, something that the Disney+ series is trying to accomplish. According to writer Jeremy Slater, however, it was Isaac himself who came up with the idea of having more than one accent to differentiate the roles.

“In the initial script, the difference between Steven and Marc was in attitude,” said Slater. “It was Oscar who said, ‘What about an accent?’”

Director Mohamed Diab also said that answers are on the way.

“Anything Oscar does is deliberate,” he promised. “I won’t comment any more than that…” In the meantime, we’ll be over here trying to tell the difference between our waking life, and our dreams.

Marvel Studios’ upcoming Disney+ series Moon Knight will feature the introduction of Golden Globe winner Oscar Isaac in the titular role of Marc Spector, which marks the iconic superhero’s live-action debut and is expected to be featured in future Marvel Cinematic Universe films.

Head writer Jeremy Slater (The Umbrella Academy) is also writing and developing the series.Egyptian filmmaker Mohamed Diab and Synchronic duo Justin Benson and Aaron Moorhead are directing. In addition to leading the series, Isaac is also serving as an executive producer. The series also stars Oscar nominee Ethan Hawke, Gaspard Ulliel, and May Calamawy.

Created by Doug Moench and Don Perlin in 1975 for “Werewolf by Night” #32, Moon Knight is the alter ego of Marc Spector, a Jewish-American rabbi’s son who grew up to become a heavyweight boxer and then a U.S. Marine. Spector is a mercenary with numerous alter egos such as cabbie Jake Lockley and millionaire playboy Steven Grant in order to better fight the criminal underworld.