HE IS one of Hollywood's hottest stars, a position likely to be reinforced this Christmas when Liverpool-born Jason Isaacs stars in the big Christmas movie Peter Pan. He is playing Captain Hook.
But to meet Isaacs you meet one of the least-assuming men in movies.
He has had major villainous roles in The Patriot, Black Hawk Down and Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets. And that's just a sampling.
But when I suggest to Isaacs that he can now choose his roles he is instantly dismissive.
"I wish!", he laughs. "Go on, put that notion out and maybe it will come true if it is in print."
Back in Britain for the premiere, he explains what the film actor's life is really like. "You know, you live this life of a glamorous movie star but when you come home you find your washing machine, dishwasher, dryer and oven have all committed mechanical suicide. Half your things have been cut off because you didn't leave your direct debit it place.
"But I just want to be home for Christmas with the people I love and next year will be time enough to go off wandering again. Hollywood star? I can tell you that does not carry much favour around out dinner table. You still have to fight for your space at the table!"
The Isaacs career has been on the rise ever since in the late 1980s when he starred in a television series Capital City about dodgy financial traders.
From television via series like Taggart and one-off television films like The Fix, in which he played real-life shamed Everton footballer Tony Kay, Isaacs gradually made his way into films.
For some reason - it may have something to do with his weasel-like features - he ended up playing a lot of villains, recently described by Empire magazine as "Hollywood's Brit villain du jour".
