Jason Isaacs’s earliest role was that of his family’s black sheep. Raised in London, his siblings pursued careers in accounting, medicine, and law. Isaacs, however, chose a different path—one full of foreign accents and outrageous wigs. He swapped Captain Hook’s black, curly locks in Peter Pan for Lucius Malfoy’s platinum tresses in Harry Potter. And, after perfecting the transatlantic cadence of Cary Grant in Archie, he now transforms into The White Lotus’s fan-favorite white-collar criminal, Timothy Ratliff, Durham twang and all. To celebrate tomorrow’s highly anticipated season finale, the actor shares his key components to the good life. —Carolina de Armas
Airline: I’m a loyal and committed member of nine different loyalty programs.
Airport: Samui International Airport, in Thailand. The outdoor departure lounge is like a holiday village, full of things you actually want to buy and eat. Just stay there.
Alibi: “You went to junk mail. So weird!”
App: Perplexity. Sorry, Google. You had a good run. Keep doing no evil.
Bag: PG Tips tea.
Bedtime: Dawn.
Bike: Electric Citi Bike in New York.
Birthday: Anything without a zero.
Boyfriend/girlfriend: I married her [Emma Hewitt]. And she can read.
Breakfast, Weekday: Tea. Pills. More tea.
Breakfast, weekend: Mashed avocado, sautéed onions, and tomato, with chili-and-garlic seasoning on brown toast. Tea. More tea. And back to bed with the papers. Oh, shit, forgot my pills.
Car: Anything with dents and scratches. People let you into traffic.
Child: Not yours. Mine. Unless they like my magic tricks.
Cocktail: A fresh orange, pineapple, and lemon, and a shake of grenadine.
Cocktail appetizer: Can you tell I don’t drink? I have no idea what that is.
