Joie: For almost a hundred years the magical story of Peter Pan has enchanted children of all ages. This holiday season, Peter and his old nemesis, Captain Hook, are at it again in a new big screen adventure. Jason Isaacs plays the pirate with a bad attitude.

 Clip from Black Castle fight scene.

 Joie: Jason Isaacs, good morning!

 Jason (wearing a gray long-sleeve button down shirt and blue jeans): (smiling and scratching his arm) Morning, I was just watching that stuff thinking it looks like fun (chuckles) but it wasn’t fun at all, it was really hard work (tilts head to the side).

 Joie: Well, it’s actually very physical.

 Jason: Oh yeah (widens eyes a bit and arches eyebrows), yeah.

 Joie: But actually I was thinking, when I’m watching you in this movie, have you heard this before? You look like Robert DeNiro in Angelheart.

 Jason: (looking very surprised and taken aback, he leans back and places his hands on the arms of the chair) I’ve never heard that before. (Starts to smile) That’s the first…new thing that someone has said to me in three weeks of publicizing this movie (makes a gesture towards Joie with his hands and tilts his head, smiling). Thanks very much.

 Joie: You’re kidding. No, that is a compliment. You’re like sexy and dangerous and scary. But, at the same time there’s a very comical side to you (gestures at him)

 Jason (hands folded in lap): Oh yeah, well he’s a… ya know, we all like to laugh at people (there’s the head tilt again) more unfortunate than ourselves and he’s this sad old git who looks in the mirror all the time and wishes he was younger and just can’t keep hold (looks down and to the side) of this twelve year that is destroying his life.

 Joie:  Okay, now I go in to see this movie knowing I’m interviewing Jason Isaacs who plays Hook, plays Hook, plays Hook. Didn’t realize until days later, I’m reading the production notes that you also play Wendy’s father.

 Jason (playing with his hands): You didn’t realize when you were watching it? (Arches eyebrows in surprise and smiles).

 Joie: I didn’t realize you were Mr. Darling.

 Jason: Oh no! I’ve done it all wrong (puts both hands on his cheeks). What a disaster (starts laughing)

 Joie: No, no, no. It just shows how versatile you are.

 Jason (adjusting in his seat): Well, the idea is it’s meant to be subliminal. It’s Wendy’s nightmare, Neverland is Wendy’s nightmare, well it’s her dream (looks up). And uh, Captain Hook is this version of her dad (kind of shakes his head) that she wishes he was. Cause her dad’s a real wimp, ya know, Mr. Darling won’t say, he’s scared of his own dog and mind his boss and when you fantasize about (hand gestures) what you wish your dad was, you wish he’s not scared of anything, you wish, ya know, in those days you wish he was a dashing pirate. (Hint of a smile there).

 Joie: Well we have a clip because I wanted to let people see how different you look from the clip we just saw you as Hook (Jason nods and folds his hands in his lap again) and the clip of you as Wendy’s dad.

 Jason: Right

 Joie: Mr. Darling

 Clip of film- Mr. Darling is yelling at the children about being Nana and informs Wendy that it’s time she grew up.

 Jason: Unfortunately (gestures at screen and smiles) that’s when he gets (starts laughing and leans forward) the only time he gets annoyed in the whole movie. Most of the time, he’s terrified. Kind of walking around very, very wimpy (scrunches his shoulders together in a timid manner)

 Joie: Right, there he’s tough, exactly.

 Jason: The dog was about to go for me. The dog trainer kept saying (leans to the side and puts his hand near his mouth, American accent), “Uh, I think he’s gonna pounce any second”. And I go, (puts on a bit of a worried look) “PJ, the dog’s gonna bite me” and PJ would go (imitates PJ Hogan) “Is that true? Is the dog gonna bite him?” And the trainer would go, “No, no, it’s cool. Carry on” (waves it off).

 Joie (laughing and puts her fingers at the pulse points of her neck): You need to put on a grievous perfume before the scene.

 Jason (smiling): Yeah, you’re right.

 Joie: But, actually the fact that you’re playing both roles borrows a page from the original production of Peter Pan.

 Jason: Yep

 Joie: when JM Barrie wrote it.

 Jason: It’s been that way for a hundred years onstage. The thing is, is that no one’s ever made Peter Pan before. Not the real story and no one’s ever put a twelve year old boy playing the twelve year old boy. So, it suddenly becomes this new thing. It’s a love story. It’s a whole rites of passage thing.

Shows clip of Peter and Wendy in the nursery when Peter becomes intimidated by Wendy.

 Jason: And all the elements that have been wowing audiences for a hundred years in England are there for the first time on film except we’ve got these magic special effects that you can do nowadays so the whole realm of a child’s imagination becomes real.

 Joie: It looks great. Now when you got cast for this role, PJ Hogan the director and the screenwriter said you were made for Hook. Did you watch Dustin Hoffman’s version of Hook?

 Jason (nods and smiles): I did see Dustin Hoffman’s version of Hook (looks down at his hands) I thought I would do it (takes a deep breath) taller.

 Clip of shirtless Hook in his cabin, screwing on the Hook as he talks with Smee. The “You Call That A Favor?!” scene.

 Joie (laughing): Did you see it in preparation for this role?

 Jason: No

 Joie: Or did you see it ‘cause you had seen it when it was out in the movies and Steven Spielberg did Hook?

 Jason: No, I’m kiddin’. The thing is, is that I’ve seen various Hook before and they’re always clowns. They’re always buffoons because he’s not a real threat and JM Barrie’s Captain Hook is a really dangerous guy. And he’s dangerous ‘cause he’s real. He’s cornered, and uh, he’s a wounded animal. He’s in pain all the time from his stump. So if he suffers, other people are going to suffer even more.

 Joie: In that scene that we just saw you’re with your sidekick, Smee.  I read that you said you were like an old married couple.

 Jason: Yeah

 Joie: It was hilarious watching the two of you. You know the scene when you’re picking out which hook to go with your outfit.

 Jason: Oh, we have so many more scenes. I’m hoping they’ll be on the dvd (laughs). We spent the whole time messing around making people laugh. Richard Briers is the funniest man on God’s earth, and I swear he could read the yellow pages and you’d need to go and change your underwear.

 Joie: And a lot of that got left on the cutting room floor.

 Jason: Well, lots of it is still in the movie as well. He keeps turning to the camera. If he can’t steal a scene enough by being in the corner of the frame, he’ll actually turn right to the lens and talk to it.

Joie: You spent how long in makeup and hair to get prepared for the role as Hook?

Jason (shrugging): Oh that was the best bit of the day. Two hours in makeup in the morning. You know, when you start doing flying, cause Captain Hook at some point, flies in this film, you’re up in the air (looks up) basically getting a giant wedgie. (you hear Joie laughing). I did it from February to June.

Joie: Well, you look like a rock star as Hook and you did a great job.

Jason: Thank you very much.

Joie: Jason Isaacs, thanks so much.

Jason: Thanks for having me.