Oscar Isaac Once Said He Wanted the Freedom to Take on Any Role. ‘Beef’ Shows He’s Earned It
I don’t think we appreciate Oscar Isaac enough.
That thought lingers while watching Season 2 of Netflix’s “Beef,” which arrives to positive reviews and, once again, widespread praise for its performances. It’s safe to say that creator Lee Sung Jin has built a knack for giving actors rich and layered material. But even within an ensemble primed for Emmy attention, Isaac stands apart.
And yet, somehow, this evokes a feeling from the industry and on social media that this is “business as usual” – another great Oscar Isaac performance, another moment that will be admired. Still, it doesn’t seem like a collective “unanimous” sentiment that the industry must reward.
Hollywood has no shortage of actors we collectively agree are underappreciated. Bring up names like Ben Foster, Margo Martindale, Paul Giamatti, Keith David, Nia Long or James McAvoy (and hundreds more), and you’ll find near-universal consensus: How are they not bigger? How are they not more awarded?
Isaac is among those names, too.
It would be easy to reduce this to a familiar truth: Latino actors remain undervalued in Hollywood. That’s part of the story, but it’s not the whole story.
I keep thinking back to a Variety Awards Circuit Podcast conversation I had with Isaac in October 2021, when he was promoting Paul Schrader’s “The Card Counter.” It was still the height of COVID-19, and like many conversations at the time, it drifted between the personal and the philosophical — life, art and representation.
At the time, Lin-Manuel Miranda’s “In the Heights” was rolling out in theaters and on streaming, in the hybrid format that studios adopted during the height of the pandemic. Naturally, it prompted a broader discussion about visibility and Isaac offered a perspective that didn’t make the cut. Still, I went and revisited, and it has stayed with me ever since:
“It’s a challenging time because representation is important,” he said at the time. “But for me, what I found really moving wasn’t necessarily my personal story being represented. What moved me was seeing someone Latino being allowed to do everything. That meant everything to me. Like when I found out Raúl Juliá originated ‘Betrayal’ on Broadway as an Englishman — Harold Pinter’s play. The first time it premiered in the United States, a Puerto Rican actor played that role. That meant so much to me — much more than seeing a play about Cuban refugees, which is important, too.”
That idea — the freedom to do everything — is the key to understanding the true representation that the underrepresented seek, and to Isaac’s career.
Yes, Latino stories matter. Latino characters matter. They are not mutually exclusive. Isaac’s artistry has never been confined to identity. His career has been defined by range and a refusal to be boxed in.
For many, the first real jolt came with Nicolas Winding Refn’s “Drive” (2011), where Isaac played Standard, a recently released ex-con who could have easily been reduced to a one-note archetype. Instead, Isaac infused him with vulnerability and desperation, turning a small supporting role into something memorable.
Then came Joel and Ethan Coen’s underrated masterpiece “Inside Llewyn Davis” (2013), where Isaac delivered what remains one of the greatest unrecognized performances of the 21st century — a portrait of artistic failure that felt so raw and lived-in. By any reasonable metric, it should have earned him an Oscar nomination, if not the win.
He followed with J.C. Chandor’s crime drama “A Most Violent Year” (2014) and Alex Garland’s sci-fi flick, “Ex Machina” (2015), the latter reinventing the “mad scientist” archetype into something seductive, terrifying, and killer dance moves.
Still, the Oscars looked away.
Television tried to correct the course. In HBO’s 2015 miniseries “Show Me a Hero,” Isaac portrayed Yonkers Mayor Nick Wasicsko, who fought to desegregate public housing. He steered the man with an aching humanity, earning a Golden Globe trophy. The Emmys, however, would shut out the series entirely.
And yet, Isaac has continued to adapt. He moved fluidly between prestige and blockbuster fare — from Poe Dameron in the contemporary “Star Wars” trilogy, beginning with “The Force Awakens” (2015), to the villainous turn in “X-Men: Apocalypse” (2016), to Marvel’s “Moon Knight” (2022) on Disney+. His only Primetime Emmy nomination would come in 2022, alongside his longtime friend Jessica Chastain in the miniseries adaptation of “Scenes From a Marriage.”
The resumé is there. The respect is there. But the awards, consistently, are not.
Which brings us back to “Beef.”
The first season of Lee’s anthology series swept the 2023 ceremony, winning eight Emmys, including outstanding limited or anthology series, along with acting prizes for Steven Yeun and Ali Wong (the first Asians to win their respective categories). Season 2 enters the year with similar ambitions.
The story centers on a young couple (Charles Melton and Cailee Spaeny) whose lives become entangled with their volatile boss and his wife (Isaac and Carey Mulligan) after witnessing a disturbing incident at an elite country club. What unfolds is a tightly wound spiral of power, resentment and control.
Isaac plays Josh Martín, a man driven by insecurity and status anxiety, constantly performing a version of himself for those he believes hold power. It’s a slippery, psychologically complex role and one that requires both restraint and explosion. Isaac does deliver both.
Across the sophomore season — and especially in the final two episodes, “The Hour of Separation” and “It Will Stay This Way and You Will Obey” — Isaac peels back Josh’s layers with surgical precision. And while the performance is undoubtedly funny at times and unsettling in others, it ultimately becomes deeply tragic and, honestly, redemptive.
Even in moments of dark absurdity (his sexual “activities” at the laptop), Isaac never loses the character’s core. That’s what separates him in the show. And that’s what has always separated him from his peers in the business.
Best of all, he’s a Latino actor playing a character where we can see that he is Latino, but it’s not the crux of why Josh exists in this story. He just simply — is — in the story.
And still, there’s a lingering question: Will it matter?
Because if history is any indication, Isaac’s work in “Beef” may be admired, even celebrated — but not fully recognized. Only one Latino actor has won the lead actor (limited) award – Jharrel Jerome for the 2019 Ava DuVernay crime drama “When They See Us.” Since then, the only Latino performers recognized in the category have been Lin-Manuel Miranda (“Hamilton”) and, coincidentally, Isaac with his 2022 nomination.
His final moment in the series, staring directly into the camera, is among the most compelling reasons why he’s so great. It’s as if he’s asking the audience — and the industry — to finally see him.
The truth is, Oscar Isaac has been doing this level of work for more than a decade. Since his 2022 Emmy-nominated year, Isaac has been quietly creating, and no one has noticed we hadn’t seen him on our screens for three years (he had two voice roles in between). We wouldn’t see him until he took on the titular role in Guillermo Del Toro’s monster epic “Frankenstein.” We shouldn’t have Isaac’s three-year hiatuses. This is a guy who does the work and is ready to do it, but somehow the industry hasn’t caught up.
I hope with “Beef,” that will force them to look, and realize: There’s more meat on that bone.
The Emmy Awards timeline begins with nomination-round voting from June 11–22, followed by the announcement of nominees on July 8.
Variety Awards Circuit: Emmys
That thought lingers while watching Season 2 of Netflix’s “Beef,” which arrives to positive reviews and, once again, widespread praise for its performances. It’s safe to say that creator Lee Sung Jin has built a knack for giving actors rich and layered material. But even within an ensemble primed for Emmy attention, Isaac stands apart.
And yet, somehow, this evokes a feeling from the industry and on social media that this is “business as usual” – another great Oscar Isaac performance, another moment that will be admired. Still, it doesn’t seem like a collective “unanimous” sentiment that the industry must reward.
Hollywood has no shortage of actors we collectively agree are underappreciated. Bring up names like Ben Foster, Margo Martindale, Paul Giamatti, Keith David, Nia Long or James McAvoy (and hundreds more), and you’ll find near-universal consensus: How are they not bigger? How are they not more awarded?
Isaac is among those names, too.
It would be easy to reduce this to a familiar truth: Latino actors remain undervalued in Hollywood. That’s part of the story, but it’s not the whole story.
I keep thinking back to a Variety Awards Circuit Podcast conversation I had with Isaac in October 2021, when he was promoting Paul Schrader’s “The Card Counter.” It was still the height of COVID-19, and like many conversations at the time, it drifted between the personal and the philosophical — life, art and representation.
At the time, Lin-Manuel Miranda’s “In the Heights” was rolling out in theaters and on streaming, in the hybrid format that studios adopted during the height of the pandemic. Naturally, it prompted a broader discussion about visibility and Isaac offered a perspective that didn’t make the cut. Still, I went and revisited, and it has stayed with me ever since:
“It’s a challenging time because representation is important,” he said at the time. “But for me, what I found really moving wasn’t necessarily my personal story being represented. What moved me was seeing someone Latino being allowed to do everything. That meant everything to me. Like when I found out Raúl Juliá originated ‘Betrayal’ on Broadway as an Englishman — Harold Pinter’s play. The first time it premiered in the United States, a Puerto Rican actor played that role. That meant so much to me — much more than seeing a play about Cuban refugees, which is important, too.”
That idea — the freedom to do everything — is the key to understanding the true representation that the underrepresented seek, and to Isaac’s career.
Yes, Latino stories matter. Latino characters matter. They are not mutually exclusive. Isaac’s artistry has never been confined to identity. His career has been defined by range and a refusal to be boxed in.
For many, the first real jolt came with Nicolas Winding Refn’s “Drive” (2011), where Isaac played Standard, a recently released ex-con who could have easily been reduced to a one-note archetype. Instead, Isaac infused him with vulnerability and desperation, turning a small supporting role into something memorable.
Then came Joel and Ethan Coen’s underrated masterpiece “Inside Llewyn Davis” (2013), where Isaac delivered what remains one of the greatest unrecognized performances of the 21st century — a portrait of artistic failure that felt so raw and lived-in. By any reasonable metric, it should have earned him an Oscar nomination, if not the win.
He followed with J.C. Chandor’s crime drama “A Most Violent Year” (2014) and Alex Garland’s sci-fi flick, “Ex Machina” (2015), the latter reinventing the “mad scientist” archetype into something seductive, terrifying, and killer dance moves.
Still, the Oscars looked away.
Television tried to correct the course. In HBO’s 2015 miniseries “Show Me a Hero,” Isaac portrayed Yonkers Mayor Nick Wasicsko, who fought to desegregate public housing. He steered the man with an aching humanity, earning a Golden Globe trophy. The Emmys, however, would shut out the series entirely.
And yet, Isaac has continued to adapt. He moved fluidly between prestige and blockbuster fare — from Poe Dameron in the contemporary “Star Wars” trilogy, beginning with “The Force Awakens” (2015), to the villainous turn in “X-Men: Apocalypse” (2016), to Marvel’s “Moon Knight” (2022) on Disney+. His only Primetime Emmy nomination would come in 2022, alongside his longtime friend Jessica Chastain in the miniseries adaptation of “Scenes From a Marriage.”
The resumé is there. The respect is there. But the awards, consistently, are not.
Which brings us back to “Beef.”
The first season of Lee’s anthology series swept the 2023 ceremony, winning eight Emmys, including outstanding limited or anthology series, along with acting prizes for Steven Yeun and Ali Wong (the first Asians to win their respective categories). Season 2 enters the year with similar ambitions.
The story centers on a young couple (Charles Melton and Cailee Spaeny) whose lives become entangled with their volatile boss and his wife (Isaac and Carey Mulligan) after witnessing a disturbing incident at an elite country club. What unfolds is a tightly wound spiral of power, resentment and control.
Isaac plays Josh Martín, a man driven by insecurity and status anxiety, constantly performing a version of himself for those he believes hold power. It’s a slippery, psychologically complex role and one that requires both restraint and explosion. Isaac does deliver both.
Across the sophomore season — and especially in the final two episodes, “The Hour of Separation” and “It Will Stay This Way and You Will Obey” — Isaac peels back Josh’s layers with surgical precision. And while the performance is undoubtedly funny at times and unsettling in others, it ultimately becomes deeply tragic and, honestly, redemptive.
Even in moments of dark absurdity (his sexual “activities” at the laptop), Isaac never loses the character’s core. That’s what separates him in the show. And that’s what has always separated him from his peers in the business.
Best of all, he’s a Latino actor playing a character where we can see that he is Latino, but it’s not the crux of why Josh exists in this story. He just simply — is — in the story.
And still, there’s a lingering question: Will it matter?
Because if history is any indication, Isaac’s work in “Beef” may be admired, even celebrated — but not fully recognized. Only one Latino actor has won the lead actor (limited) award – Jharrel Jerome for the 2019 Ava DuVernay crime drama “When They See Us.” Since then, the only Latino performers recognized in the category have been Lin-Manuel Miranda (“Hamilton”) and, coincidentally, Isaac with his 2022 nomination.
His final moment in the series, staring directly into the camera, is among the most compelling reasons why he’s so great. It’s as if he’s asking the audience — and the industry — to finally see him.
The truth is, Oscar Isaac has been doing this level of work for more than a decade. Since his 2022 Emmy-nominated year, Isaac has been quietly creating, and no one has noticed we hadn’t seen him on our screens for three years (he had two voice roles in between). We wouldn’t see him until he took on the titular role in Guillermo Del Toro’s monster epic “Frankenstein.” We shouldn’t have Isaac’s three-year hiatuses. This is a guy who does the work and is ready to do it, but somehow the industry hasn’t caught up.
I hope with “Beef,” that will force them to look, and realize: There’s more meat on that bone.
The Emmy Awards timeline begins with nomination-round voting from June 11–22, followed by the announcement of nominees on July 8.
Variety Awards Circuit: Emmys