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We are Oscar Isaac and Domhnall Gleeson of EX MACHINA, ask us anything!
We are actors. We're in the new movie EX MACHINA, in theatres now (http://exmachina-movie.com/). Ask us your questions! We have to go guys, but thanks so much for having us. Check out Ex Machina in theaters nationwide this weekend.
https://twitter.com/ExMachinaMovie/status/590231325392707585
amasa657106 karma
Oscar, you must be very excited to perform with such a talented artist as Mr. Gleeson; what's it like working with such a legend?
captainrothigans83 karma
Oscar, I'm really looking forward to seeing you play Poe Dameron in The Force Awakens (X-Wing pilots were always my favorite).
How were the scenes in the X-Wing cockpit set up/filmed? Also, what's it like being in one?
Oscar_Isaac181 karma
the cockpit was on a gimbal that moved around. made me a little nauseous. but it was f@#%ing awesome.
shinjiikari9639 karma
Oscar, I'm such a huge fan! You're a great and versatile actor. Inside Llewyn Davis has been my favourite role of yours. So what has been your favourite experience(s) working on a film?
Oscar_Isaac80 karma
Llewyn Davis is pretty high on the list. The Co bros are some very special human beings and taught me so much.
Oscar_Isaac68 karma
It was fun being one dude in a sea of women. Zack was very cool and incredibly down to earth and a great visual artist.
HRLMPH34 karma
Hey guys! I’m just curious about what it’s like to go back and forth between smaller movies (like Frank, A Most Violent Year, and now Ex Machina) and the huge franchises you’re both part of? Also, from interviews I’ve read from both of you, it seems like you’re dealing with constant Star Wars questions to a maybe annoying degree. Are you going to be relieved when you don’t have to deal with that anymore or do you think you might miss some aspect of that, being on the inside of something so huge that people are so excited for?
Oscar_Isaac52 karma
Very exciting to be part of something so culturally enormous that its hard to comprehend. And also a little fun to have it secret and feel the anticipation. Will be relieved though when the cat is finally out of the bag. Going between big and small movies is fine. I try and approach them in the same way
BlueAnnapolis29 karma
Oscar, Your beard in Ex Machina is a thing of beauty.
My girlfriend has never seen me without a beard. And she always asks me to shave it. She doesn't realize that I'm doing her a favor by keeping it, unless she wants to be dating a chubby infant-man. Plus it is a source of so much poder.
Pray tell, what should I do?
Oscar_Isaac90 karma
it feels great, i have been a huge fan of that character and the xmen universe since i was a young boy. I am excited to crush the puny xmen forever.
daredevil201524 karma
I'm a big fan of both of yours. I think you're both fantastic and incredibly talented actors. Two of my favourite movies are Calvary and Inside Llewyn Davis. Question for Domhnall, can you tell us anything about your character in Star Wars? Question for Oscar, how would you describe Apocalypse in X-Men?
HRLMPH24 karma
Recently, people like Bill Gates, Elon Musk, and Stephen Hawking have publicly spoken about the dangers of artificial intelligence, warning that it could be responsible for ending human life. How do you feel about the future of AI?
jackschroeds20 karma
Huge fan of both of your recent work, guys. For Oscar, do you feel that A Most Violent Year was snubbed with the Academy Awards? I thought it was one of the best movies of the year and really felt like an "anti-Godfather" kind of movie. For both of you, since the "Turing Test" plays a pretty large role in Ex Machina, how do you think Sir Turing would react to the situation in the film?
Oscar_Isaac34 karma
Thank you, I like that movie a lot too. As for awards who knows why things turn out the way they do.
JimPenola19 karma
Hi, Oscar! I’m a huge fan, so thank you for taking the time to answer some questions. I was wondering how you developed + contributed to the Standard Gabriel character from Drive since, to me, that performance epitomizes the adage/cliché of “no small roles, just small actors” – in just a handful of scenes, your role becomes the emotional access point for me as a viewer.
What were your personal goals with Standard?
In lesser hands, I think that part would have easily been a forgettable & easy foil for Driver, but you, Refn, etc. craft a complex portrait. Thank you for that!
Oscar_Isaac37 karma
Thank you very much! It was written as a stereotypical latin thug role. You wanted him dead so the white people could get together to Refn's credit he allowed us to change the role into someone who made a mistake and was trying to make amends and I think it made it more dramatically interesting to make him a tragic character instead of a villain.
GetFreeCash18 karma
Hey guys, thanks for doing this AMA today! I would like to ask if there any books that you two are currently reading, and what are your favourite books of all time?
Thanks again for spending some time with Reddit today, I'm definitely going to watch Ex Machina ASAP!
Oscar_Isaac31 karma
Oscar here. One book I've read recently that has become a personal favorite is Memoirs of Hadrian by Marguerite Yourcenar.
crizzcrozz15 karma
Afternoon Gents!
Oscar, can we ever expect a full album out of you? I bet it would be a thing of beauty!
bfsfan10110 karma
Domnhall:
I'm a huge fan of Frank. It was my favourite film of last year, and one of the most purely entertaining films I've seen in a long time. What was it like acting opposite Michael whilst he was wearing the Frank head?
Oscar:
I really admire your vocals on the Inside Llewyn Davis soundtrack, especially your duet with Marcus Mumford. What bands/artists inspire you when it comes to singing and performing?
Domhnall_Gleeson31 karma
So glad you liked Frank. Love it if more people saw it, I was disappointed it didn't do better at the box office. Michael is phenomenal. He was always alive and present, and very unpredictable. He's one of my favourites.
bfsfan10111 karma
Thank you for answering. I've spent the last year recommending Frank to everyone I know, I'm sure it's destined to become a cult classic in a few years.
Oscar_Isaac20 karma
Thank you, singers that I love are Marvin Gaye, Van Morrison, Antony Hegarty.
HRLMPH9 karma
Did you have any input for the use of Inner City Blues in A Most Violent Year?
Oscar_Isaac11 karma
working in norway was pretty spectacular and getting to say garland's words was pretty great too
ShadyCrow6 karma
Oscar -- What's JC Chandor like? He seems to have come from nowhere to make 3 spectacular films, each better than the last. People seem to really speak well of working with him, what do you attribute that to?
Oscar_Isaac12 karma
I like him a lot, he has a very sharp and detail oriented mind, he's a very good filmmaker.
etacarinae5 karma
Oscar, I first discovered you in the film Pu239. Great performance. Incredibly underrated film and I love its score by Abel Korzeniowski. You mentioned in your last AMA that you were in punk and ska bands growing up. What's some of your favourite punk and ska bands?
Oscar_Isaac6 karma
thank you, i've been waiting for Scott Burns to direct another movie. Some of my favorite ska bans are operation ivy, pie tasters, toasters, hepcat.
irrsinn5 karma
You've both gotten to work with some amazing filmmakers in the past; which directors or screenwriters would you still like to work with?
ndphillips5 karma
Good afternoon, gentlemen. First, both of you are my favorite younger actors. From Inside Llewyn Davis (folk music for the win) to Black Mirror, both of your work is great! Thanks for being a talisman for good films.
Questions: 1) Ex Machina seems to be exploring ideas about personhood and deals with some themes from the philosophy of the mind. In reading the trailer, I’ve wondered your views on the human mind? Have you read much in regards to these issues?
2) How hands on are you about shaping the story you’re acting in? Do you ever get to tinker with the plot in certain ways?
3) Seriously. How pretty is Alicia Vikander? Is she as distracting in person as it seems she’d be? A polyglot, great actress, and looks like that? Too much.
Thanks! I’m seeing the movie this weekend. I have to drive 2 hours to do it, but I’m going to do it! Hope it releases well and we can have more films like this in the future.
Hope you’re well.
Oscar_Isaac12 karma
Yes I not only read but watched many clips of Dan Dennett speaking about consciousness. I was particularly intrigued by "quaila" and the subjectivity of consciousness. How one can never know if their experience of existence is completely alien to someone else's.
ajespe3 karma
The film is very much a two-hander, between the actors. How much rehearsal went into the process if any?
Oscar_Isaac8 karma
we didn't have much rehearsal although Alex and I got together a few times to read through the script and then we had one full cast read through before shooting.
liamquane3 karma
Mr. Isaac (maybe a bit of a silly cliche question but:) Do you think Standard Gabriel deserves a spin off?
Frajer161 karma
How excited were you two to learn you would be in Star Wars ?
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