Oscar Isaac has been named GQ’s Leading Man of the Year, adding another milestone to a career built on range, intensity, and a constant willingness to take risks.
The honor coincides with his latest role in Guillermo del Toro’s adaptation of Frankenstein, in which he portrays the complex and emotionally charged character of Victor Frankenstein.
In del Toro’s version, Jacob Elordi plays the creature, while Isaac brings a raw, volatile energy to Victor—one shaped by grief, ambition, and questions of legacy. Speaking with GQ, Isaac explained that the role required him to examine emotional inheritance, noting, “We started talking about our fathers, and the pain and the joy and forgiveness.”
The conversation, held over Cuban food in del Toro’s kitchen, led to the director telling him directly that he saw Isaac as Victor.
Del Toro had been developing his take on Frankenstein for years, long before either actor was attached to the project. After that initial meeting, he sent Isaac two books: Mary Shelley’s original novel and the Tao Te Ching, offering a sense of how layered and introspective the project would be.
Isaac recalled reading early pages of the script aloud with del Toro in New York, describing the experience as emotional and grounding.
The performance itself leans into theatricality and physical presence. Del Toro encouraged Isaac to approach Victor like a performer, someone who moves through the world with a heightened sense of self. Isaac drew inspiration from archival footage of Prince, particularly in how the musician commanded a stage through effortless motion and precise confidence.
The dramatic core of the film is rooted in the relationship between Victor and the creature—one shaped by longing, disappointment, and the hope for forgiveness.
Isaac spoke about how the character confronts inherited patterns, saying the story examines “the blindness of what gets inherited” and the difficulty of breaking painful cycles.
While Isaac is widely recognized for his roles in Star Wars, Ex Machina, Inside Llewyn Davis, and Moon Knight, his recent work reflects a shift toward more personal and emotionally driven characters. He also revisited the period when he performed Hamlet in 2017 in a documentary directed by his wife, filmmaker Elvira Lind.