Harry Potter and White Lotus star Jason Isaacs calls out the 'worst bully' he's ever worked with during his decades in Hollywood

Sky News AU

9 hours ago

Jason Isaacs has called out the "worst bully" he "ever" worked alongside throughout his decades in the Hollywood film industry.
The actor, best known for playing villain Lucius Malfoy in the Harry Potter film series from 2001 to 2011, shared his candid thoughts about the "bad behaviour" he witnessed on sets in an interview with Vulture on Monday.
Isaacs elaborated on a "prominent" film star who once pushed him out of a shot and said the snarky actor, who he chose not to name, "did worse".
"Oh Jesus. Did worse than that. Was the worst bully ever and a global icon," Isaacs said.
"Did all the old tricks of doing a completely different performance off-camera than on.
"Yeah, it sucked. I'd never seen anything like it. Before, I would've licked the ground that this person walked on."
The award-winning actor has seen it all after 37 years of experience in Tinseltown, where he starred in several major films, including The Patriot with Mel Gibson and, most recently, HBO's hit series The White Lotus.
While there's no way of telling who Isaacs deemed to be the offender, his prominent co-stars also include Ben Affleck and Bruce Willis from the film Armageddon, as well as Dennis Quaid and Sean Connery in Dragonheart.
In his wide-ranging interview, Isaacs described what he mostly judges on set as "bad behaviour", including "selfishness, cruelty and bullying".
"People complaining to the person who's getting them dressed, who doesn't get in a year what they earn in a day to pick their filthy underwear off the floor," he said.
"That, or not turning up, or going home early, or thinking they know better than the director, or being on crack and calling prostitutes to their trailer. I come across all that stuff."
Asked why he chose to protect the privacy of who he described as abysmal actors, Isaacs said he's "not so stupid" as even to give a "clue".
The English star said he recently interviewed an author and friend who encouraged him to write a memoir through which to spill his secrets.
Isaacs responded by saying he would never release a book, not "in a million years until everybody I know is dead" because he has "stories".
He said his fantasy of writing a tome and finally revealing the truth about the rogue stars he worked with might come true if he wins the lottery.
Until then, he said there's "no value" in naming and shaming other than creating "masochism and sabotage", adding "acting is all about secrets."
Elsewhere in the interview, Isaacs confirmed speculation The White Lotus stars get paid $40,000 per episode.
He said the "very low price" for the industry is disproportionate compared to what actors usually get for staring in big TV shows.
Nevertheless, Isaacs said the stars of the hit series "would have paid to be in it" or even "probably would have given a body part" for a role.