We talked with jury fiction member Jason Isaacs about tv series, cinema, theater and much more.

J: Acting is 99.9% about things you don’t say. And the audience can talk about the things they see but they can’t put into words the feelings they felt at that moment.

C: Do you prefer playing the bad guy?

J: No, I like playing what I recognize as human, even in fantasy, otherwise I don’t take the part because I’d look like a crumpy actor. Let’s talk about Harry Potter for example. He is a racist who thinks the time was better when people like him were ruling the world. I don’t play villains if I don’t see a tridimensional way to be. Like in The OA. I think Netflix did an outstanding job there: you can watch it as a thriller, you can watch it as a mystical experience,…each episode you think you’re understanding which kind of show it is and with the next episode you go…oh, well, it’s a completely different kind of show from the one I thought it was. Part of the joy in it is the surprise. All is fresh for me. There is nothing like it in the history of TV series. Real stories from the Red Cross, for example, can make a difference, and whose stories can inspire people all over the world.

C: Would you like to play again Lucious Malfoy?

J: Oh, I’d love it but not for the reasons that you think. My job has actually nothing to do with what you see. I love doing the job, I love hanging out with the people, I love to understand what other people think in the process of telling stories. And the result at the end has really nothing to do with it. That has nothing to do with success. My job is cooking over not heating over. My life is great: I have a wife, kids, people and friends I love. I don’t look at the box office. It’s not what I look for when I look for a new project.

C: And as a member of the jury which are your thoughts about the series nominated?

J: Oh, surprises are always just around the corner. I watched a hundred things. They were all great but I think the 16 nominated truly are the best 16 series of the year. Some opened my eyes on a bunch of things as there are nominations from every country. Some we had the opportunity to watch just a couple of episodes so I can’t wait to go back and watch the rest. These things remind you that there are so many different ways to see things, different perspectives from other countries in the world. Too much stuff to watch. I could spend my entire life staring at a screen and I love the jury meetings. And I was forced to watch 20/30 hours of quality TV so a wonderful job that sent me in a wonderful fairytale city so…what can I wish more?