The cast for “Ex Machina” is really just three people—Domhnall Gleeson, Alicia Vikander, and Oscar Isaac. And if any of those three didn’t do a great job, the entire film could fall apart. Thankfully, they’re all amazing in the movie, and “Ex Machina” remains one of the best sci-fi films of the past decade. But what if Oscar Isaac wasn’t involved? What if that role had gone to someone like Jake Gyllenhaal? Would it have still worked? One of the folks working on the film doesn’t believe so.
Speaking at a Q&A at this year’s Edinburgh Film Festival (via Deadline), “Ex Machina” producer Andrew Macdonald talked about the process of casting the film. Specifically, he talked about how, for a brief time, they were considering Jake Gyllenhaal to lead the cast. However, due to the actor’s “needs,” it was clear it wouldn’t work out.
“The sales companies wanted us to cast Jake Gyllenhaal because he was bankable and they could sell foreign territories,” Macdonald said. “That would have changed the whole film.”
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He added, “I remember having a conversation with Jake Gyllenhaal’s lawyer about his needs. It was never gonna work.”
Obviously, at the time of the casting, Oscar Isaac wasn’t an A-lister. So, of course it would be more bankable if Gyllenhaal was in that role. However, you have to assume Macdonald knows what he’s talking about if he thinks the actor’s “needs” were too much. That’s probably just the cost of doing business with one of the biggest stars in the world.
That said, as mentioned above, things worked out great for “Ex Machina” with the cast that was signed. Oscar Isaac and Domhnall Gleeson became household names, and Alicia Vikander earned herself a Golden Globe nomination.
