Keanu Reeves vs. Oscar Isaac: Ambiguous race in film

There are two actors that stand out from the crowd when it comes to playing a wide range of characters and ethnicities. Keanu Reeves, while not often lauded for his acting skill, has played major roles in several blockbuster hits. Oscar Isaac, has recently begun a career in the same vein, though with roles and skills that are often critically acclaimed. Regardless of their surface-level differences, these two actors very clearly appeal to the so-called “mass audience” that studios and producers believe to be their primary demographic. Both men somehow take on the aura of ambiguous heritage, which allows them to slide between seemingly dichotomous roles.

Keanu Reeves is best known for his role as “The One” in The Matrix trilogy (1999-2003) and Ted in the television series Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventures (1990). These two examples show the diversity of roles Reeves has been able to play throughout his career. In addition to the science-fiction/action-filled The Matrix, Reeves has also starred in several romantic comedies, as well as dramas throughout his career. Somehow Reeves has a persona or aura or something else that allows him to seamlessly play a “typical American” role such as Shane in The Replacements (2000), but also play Kai, a samurai, in 47 Ronin (2013).

Isaac’s given name is Óscar Isaac Hernández Estrada, but he uses the stage name Oscar Isaac. He is of Guatemalan-American heritage, and while he has not said as much, he likely uses the stage name Isaac to separate himself from his Latin American heritage. His stage name has probably helped him get roles that are not at all connected to a Latin American identity, such as Llewyn Davis in Inside Llewyn Davis (2013), or Nathan in Ex Machina (2015). It could be argued that without the name change, Isaac would not have gotten these roles, and instead would be typecast into the roles of his early career. Initially (and before he chose his stage name of Isaac), he was cast in small, ethnic roles, such as an interpreter or “the help”. After his official name change, and his breakout role as Joseph in The Nativity Story (2006), Isaac transitioned to roles where the ethnic background of the character was not an intrinsic part of the story. Nathan in Ex Machina is not given a full background. Instead his character is developed by the audience’s lack of background knowledge and his actions on screen. Isaac was likely cast not only due to his fit for the role and acting skills, but also because he comes across as someone with an ambiguously ethnic background. This adds to the unknown elements of Nathan as a character, and thus to the experience of the audience during the film.

Reeves’ mixed heritage (Chinese-Hawaiian) allows him to play racially ambiguous roles that require lighter skin. This is related to the time period; perhaps the Western world was ready for a white-passing Chinese person to play the main character in blockbusters during the 1990s. On the other hand, Oscar Isaac is able to play racially ambiguous roles that require brown skin. This concept is most notable in his new casting as Poe in the revamped Star Wars films. The filmmakers have been very deliberately casting people from marginalized groups. Since the franchise is now owned by Disney, it falls in line with their recent trend of casting light-skinned, mixed-race actors in prominent roles (e.g. Zendaya, Selena Gomez). Oscar Isaac is a popular actor, and fits the image Disney would like to portray.

Ultimately, both Reeves and Isaac represent a step in the right direction for better representation in film. Change doesn’t always come in huge leaps, sometimes it takes smaller steps, and both of these actors provide just enough ambiguity to open the door for others.