Jason Isaacs Reveals Lucius Malfoy’s Iconic Look Was His Idea—‘He’s an Aristocrat!’
The ‘White Lotus’ actor said that while he loves the ‘Harry Potter’ films, making them was ‘boring’
When it comes to the Harry Potter franchise, there are very few looks that remain as iconic as Lucius Malfoy’s. From his long white hair to his walking cane with a snake on top, his aesthetic truly showcases just how rotten his character is. Now, more than a decade after the release of the final film—Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2—actor Jason Isaacs is opening up about where that look for his role came from and why he decided to take the costume design into his own hands after being cast. Read on for all of that and more.
Jason Isaacs on creating Lucius Malfoy’s look
First appearing in Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (2002), Lucius serves as the father of Draco Malfoy (Tom Felton), Harry Potter’s (Daniel Radcliffe) enemy. He would go on to star in five more Harry Potter films, all of which showcased his long white hair and snake-head cane.
According to Isaacs, that look was not in the original plan but was added at his request.
“They showed me sketches of a guy in a pinstripe suit, with hair like I have now,” the actor told Esquire. “They said, ‘He’s a businessman,’ and I said, ‘No, he’s an aristocrat, and he would never want to dress like a Muggle.’”
Feeling he had to take matters into his own hands, Isaacs asked them to change his character’s clothes and hair.
“There was like a tinfoil wig that you buy at the gas station, and I said, ‘Can I borrow that?’” he recalled. “I loved my long hair because it gave me character.
“The only way to keep it straight was to tilt my head back. I looked down my nose at people, and I didn’t have to do any acting.”
Finally, the actor also said that he was the one who knew Lucius needed a cane, telling Esquire, “I was thinking I could have a cane, and my wand would come out of the cane.”
Fans of the films will remember that Lucius’ wand was stolen by Voldemort (Ralph Fiennes) at the beginning of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1 (2010) in an attempt to help He Who Must Not be Named kill Harry Potter. He, of course, failed, and Lucius’ wand was destroyed as a result of the battle.
Jason Isaacs’ ‘Harry Potter’ journey
Ever since joining the Harry Potter family in 2002, Isaacs has remained open and honest about his time on the set, including sharing details on how he won the role of Lucius.
“I didn’t audition for Lucius; I auditioned for Gilderoy Lockhart. I was mightily pissed off when they asked me would I mind reading for a different part,” the actor told Digital Spy in 2017. “I was about to go play Captain Hook [in 2003’s Peter Pan] and didn’t want to do two children’s villains. I went back in and read, then went home. I said to my agent, ‘When they call, tell them no, thank you very much, I am about to go play Captain Hook.’ He said, ‘Just think about it over the weekend’. I said, ‘No, I don’t want to think about it — it’s fun and lovely and flattering, but I am not playing two children’s villains!’
“Over the weekend, everybody I knew called me—nieces, nephews, godchildren and then the parents,” he recalled. “They all tried to persuade me to take the job— not because they cared about me but because they wanted to visit the set! So I took the job, and thank god I did!”
Isaacs would go on to star in six out of the eight total Harry Potter films, and while he is grateful for the role, he did recently share on BBC’s The One Show that the films “weren’t that much fun to make. It’s quite boring, making big special effects films.
“However, the pleasures all come afterwards,” he continued. “I see and meet people for whom their lives were changed by it, and still people reading it and sharing it with their children. Some people say their lives were saved by it, and I believe it.”
Isaacs is currently starring as Timothy Ratliff in season 3 of The White Lotus. He is married and has two kids.
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