Oscar Isaac, the star of Disney+'s Moon Knight, reveals a difficult romantic situation that is unique to the character with Dissociative Identity Disorder.
When asked about the different relationships Marc Spector and Steven Grant -- Moon Knight's separate personalities -- have with the character Layla, Isaac told Games Radar, "It was interesting because [director] Mohamed [Diab] and Sarah [Goher], his wife and creative partner, took the role of Layla and found a way to deepen it by making much stronger connections. So, for instance, the fact that you find out that Marc and her were married, or are married."
While revealing that Marc and Layla are married, Isaac indicates that Steven will be none the wiser, and has an opposite struggle. "The important thing that came out of all our conversations with Mohamed is creating a character with Steven that is desperate for connection and love, but just doesn't have the social skills for it. Because of the blackouts and because of his lack of history, that creates an introverted personality, and yet all he wants is to connect," Isaac continued. "When Layla comes into his life and seems like the only person that can help him, his life suddenly starts to both fall apart and light up, because he has someone and she's saying that they're supposed to be married, but she's mistaken him for someone else."
This leads to a complicated relationship between Layla and the two alters of Marc and Steven. While one wants her to stay away, the other will want her in his life more. "On the other side is Marc, who is pushing everyone away, particularly Layla. And we come to find out that that's because, in his mind, he's trying to protect her. There was that push and pull and this budding romance that Steven has with her, and Marc, who is filled with regret and shame and just wants to push her away for her own safety," explains Isaac.
Each of Moon Knight's alters has a distinct voice and personality and there are even scenes in Moon Knight where they converse with each other. Luckily for Isaac, he was able to call on family to help. "The first step was to hire my brother, Michael Hernandez, to come in and be the other me," he shared. "He came in and he would play either Steven or Marc, even do the accent and everything, both accents."
In the comics, Moon Knight is based in New York, but the TV show made the choice to relocate to London to avoid the multitude of Marvel characters already in NYC. This is part of the reason why Steven Grant speaks with an English accent in the series. "That voice is about where Steven's from, where he's living now, and some of his believed heritage," Isaac revealed.
Moon Knight debuts on Disney+ March 30, 2022.
Source: Games Radar