Jason Isaacs Reveals His Biggest Hollywood Regret From Armageddon

Jason Isaacs once came close to landing a much more prominent spot in one of the most memorable blockbusters of the late '90s. While Armageddon is now often seen as a wild, over-the-top sci-fi adventure, it dominated the box office in 1998, becoming the highest-grossing movie of the year. Despite its far-fetched premise, the film boasted a star-studded lineup, with Isaacs appearing before he became widely recognized as Lucius Malfoy in the Harry Potter series.

Armageddon, written by future Star Wars director JJ Abrams, centers on a massive asteroid hurtling toward Earth, threatening global destruction. NASA recruits a team of oil drillers to blast into space and save the planet. The cast included Ben Affleck, Bruce Willis, Steve Buscemi, Owen Wilson, and Michael Clarke Duncan, among others. Affleck, who played AJ Frost, famously questioned director Michael Bay about the logic of training oil drillers to be astronauts instead of the other way around, only to be told to drop it.

Missed Opportunity and a Smaller Role

Isaacs, already an established actor at the time, was initially considered for a much larger part as one of the astronauts. However, as he shared with The Guardian, scheduling conflicts forced him to turn it down.

“I was offered a bigger part as an astronaut, but I was just about to start shooting Divorcing Jack, and my American agents couldn’t understand why I wouldn’t drop out to star opposite Bruce Willis,” Isaacs said. “So I ended up playing a consolation prize, and had to stand on set near Bruce Willis for six months as the astronauts strutted past, thinking: that could have been me in one of those jumpsuits.”

Instead, Isaacs took on the role of Dr. Ronald Quincy, the scientist who first spots the looming threat. While his screen time was limited compared to the film’s action heroes, his character played a crucial part in setting the story in motion.

Looking Back: Gains and Losses

Although Isaacs missed out on the chance to play a hero in Armageddon, the path he chose led to other meaningful opportunities. Divorcing Jack, while not a box office smash, earned critical praise and allowed him to work alongside David Thewlis—an actor he would later reunite with in the Harry Potter franchise.

Armageddon remains a fan favorite, celebrated more for its outrageous action and spectacle than for its performances. In hindsight, Isaacs may have dodged being typecast as a hero, instead carving out a niche as a memorable villain in films like The Patriot, Harry Potter, The Death of Stalin, and, more recently, The White Lotus.