Oscar Isaac in collaboration with Paul Schrader on ‘The Card Counter’ – The Hollywood Reporter

Oscar Isaac, new from HBO’s Scenes in a marriage and the big screen of Sand dunes, focusing on another new project, Paul Schrader’s Card counting machine, during a recent Q&A after the American Cinematheque’s gambling television screening at Santa Monica’s Aero Theater.

The 42-year-old actor teased 75-year-old Schrader, saying: “You’re old – he’s up there. And not the healthiest. Some sounds came from him, [makes you wonder], is that a sparrow? “

Jokes aside, Isaac said he was grateful to experience the precision of a Schrader set. “The guy is very energetic and razor sharp. He only knows what the movie is and what the movie doesn’t. We shot it in 20 days, and we didn’t have all three shots. It’s basically one, two and done. The combination of the faith he had in us and at the same time, the accuracy, it was really amazing,” explains Isaac. “Working with a guy who’s punk rock, he’s old fashioned but he’s unconventional in the way he approaches these things. He made love to an audience. He knows what you want and he’s like, ‘Won’t give it to you.’ For me, being a part of that show is really exciting and really enjoyable, and it sounds dramatic, like breathing again. ”

To play the traumatized ex-prisoner new from the military prison turned to gambling, Isaac met with gambling experts, took a skill course, and read a Schrader-recommended book called The body keeps the score: Brain, mind, and body in wound healing. “[The role] Isaac said. [Trauma] really the center of this whole story. ”

A version of this story first appeared in the December 1 issue of The Hollywood Reporter. Click here to sign up.