Fans of the 2003 movie Peter Pan, look away now, as star Jason Isaacs has revealed some pretty shocking truths about a movie that is often regarded as one of the most nostalgic childhood films from the 00s.
Whilst discussing his time on The White Lotus, Isaacs said he advised his younger co-stars to never “over-invest” in a project. This is something Isaacs learned whilst playing Captain Hook in PJ Hoban’s reimagining of Peter Pan.
“It was a big, expensive production with multiple studios. We filmed for 14 months. The film tanked,” Isaacs told Vulture. “I think it’s a masterpiece, but people looked at the poster and went, ‘Oh, fuck it. I’ve seen Hook with Robin Williams, and I’ve seen the cartoon. Why do I need to see another one?'”
Despite the movie holding a special place in a lot of ’90s babies’ hearts, Peter Pan grossed $121,975,011 at the worldwide box office, which sounds impressive, but is a small profit when compared to the film’s budget of $100,000,000. Peter Pan’s apparent flop is thought to be down to The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King releasing the week before, and Disney’s Cheaper by the Dozen being out on the same day.
Issacs believes that his involvement in the movie hurt his career immensely. “It was a catastrophe professionally for me, a huge fall from grace. I couldn’t get a walk-on role. And I changed my agent, and I almost changed my job, frankly, because I didn’t think I’d work again,” said the star. “The lowest I’ve ever been was after Peter Pan. I was really in despair but not as bad as I would have been had I believed any of the bullshit that had been whispered in my ear.”
Aside from the Peter Pan curse, Isaacs continued to play Lucius Malfoy in the Harry Potter film series in the following years.
Starring Jeremy Sumpter as the titular character, the 2003 version of Peter Pan follows the boy who never grows up as he takes the Darling siblings from 1900s London and transports them to Neverland to fight against evil pirate Captain Hook. Peter Pan sits at a respectable 77% on Rotten Tomatoes.
For more, check out our list of the best fantasy movies, or keep up with upcoming movies.
