Isaac is seeing his lifelong dreams come true after winning the leading role in the Coen brothers' new music-filled drama, "Inside Llewyn Davis."
"I wanted it so bad. I was ready for it. And I knew that I could do it if I got the chance," said Isaac. "I've auditioned for a few big parts before and never gotten them. But these guys, the people I admire more than any filmmakers, said, 'Yeah OK, we'll give you the shot.' It was the most amazing feeling."
Isaac plays a struggling folk singer and songwriter in the early 1960's New York music scene and he's just looking for that one big break.
"This guy, Llewyn Davis, he's having a really rough week. And you can imagine it's probably been longer than a week that things have been going badly. And he's trying to make it and he's got something to say, he has a song to sing, but people aren't really that interested in listening," said Isaac.
He says he absolutely can relate.
"It's rare that you actually get the job. So that's something, especially when you're starting out, it can just feel devastating. You just feel crushed, especially when you feel like you really did a good job and somehow this person didn't see it. That can be demoralizing and you have to find a way to let it roll off your back and to fill up the well again and go back into it," said Isaac.
Isaac is a graduate of The Julliard School, and counts his lucky stars that he was able to find a film that allowed to utilize all his skills: acting, singing and playing the guitar.
"I could not have imagined a better project for me to be part of. I feel like the 34 years that I've been alive have been in preparation for this role in a movie just like this," said Isaac.
"Inside Llewyn Davis" opens in limited release this weekend.
