Jason Isaacs Calls Lucius Malfoy a 'Tragic Loser'

Jason Isaacs is best-known for playing Lucius Malfoy in the "Harry Potter" movie series but is also memorable for being the bad guy in Mel Gibson's "The Patriot." We had him on the show this morning to talk about his new movie "Sweetwater" opening tonight.

Everybody's seen his films ("Armageddon," "Black Hawk Down," "Peter Pan" and dozens more) but everyone remembers him for his bad-guy roles, like Lucius Malfoy.

But that's funny, he says. Not only because he saved the world in "Armageddon," and was a heroic soldier in "Black Hawk Down." It's funny because he doesn't even see Lucius as a bad guy. "He's a coward and bully," Isaacs explained. "He tries to be evil, but he's just pathetic." His wife and son reject him. Voldemort emasculates and humiliates him -- even snapping his wand, which is akin to castration, he said.

"He's a tragic loser."

We asked him about being the kind of star that is so diverse he isn't usually recognized by the public. In a previous interview he said he can ride the subway to red carpet events.

Occasionally I get people who say, "Wait, do I know you?" With a heavy heart I say, "I'm an actor." And they say, "I don't know, what have you been in?" When they ask me to run through my resume and I'm standing in line at the supermarket it's always incredibly embarrassing. And I'm loathe to lead with Harry Potter. I have a look at people and if they look Army I'll lead with "Green Zone" and "Black Hawk Down." If they look like they're a gang member I'll go, "Brotherhood." If they're little kids I'll go with "Peter Pan." But it's always embarrassing to run through 25 years of films until they go, "Oh yeah," and then walk off.

He plays a self-proclaimed prophet leading a cult in his new film, "Sweetwater."

It's a sick, twisted, entertaining revenge fantasy Western."

January Jones is an ex-prostitute trying to start a normal life, but picks the wrong town. The cult leader claims to hear the voice of God that tells him to do whatever he wants. That doesn't work well for January Jones's family. An entertaining blood-bath collision course results. These are new filmmakers who don't want to tell stories the way other people tell stories, he said.