'Harry Potter' star Jason Isaacs sports yellow ribbon at British film awards

In his red carpet interview, Isaacs did not comment on the pin.

By RAQUEL GUERTZENSTEIN FROHLICH DECEMBER 11, 2024 14:06

Illustrative image of Jason Isaacs. (photo credit: Jeff Spicer/Getty Images for The National Lottery, REUTERS/PETER NICHOLLS)

British Jewish actor Jason Isaacs, known for playing the character of Lucius Malfoy in the Harry Potter films, wore a yellow ribbon to the 27th British Independent Film Awards (BIFA) in London on Sunday, Kveller reported. 

In his red carpet interview, Isaacs did not comment on the pin, and the Jewish parenting website noted it was possible the actor was showing support for those impacted by sarcoma or brain cancer, which is represented by a yellow ribbon. 

Following the October 7 attacks and the kidnapping of more than 250 people from Israel, the yellow ribbon came to represent the campaign to bring the hostages home. Today, 100 hostages remain captive in Gaza, about half of which are believed to be alive.

Isaacs also donned a yellow ribbon while attending The National Lottery New Year's Eve Big Bash event in London on December 4.  

When asked by an interviewer at the event to complete the sentence, “2025 is the year that …,” Isaacs said, “2025, I hope, is the year that peace breaks out.”

Jason Isaacs. (credit: Wikimedia Commons)

The actor, who also narrated the Holocaust documentary "Out of the Darkness” and starred in the television show Dig created by Israeli filmmaker Gideon Raff, has family members who made aliyah from England in the 1980s. 

Dig was filmed in Jerusalem until  Operation Protective Edge broke out in 2014, and Isaacs previously talked about how magical it was to be shooting in Jerusalem. 

“The fact is the story’s about Jerusalem. Everyone knows that it’s the most controversial piece of real estate in the history of mankind,” he said. “And if you don’t know that before you go there, you know that as soon as you get there. And that’s what our story’s about. It not only affected how we shot, it defined what our story is.”

Filming in Israel

While filming in 2014, Isaacs previously tweeted that if people don’t think he should be in Israel telling stories, they don’t know the story or why he’s telling it and that he does this work not for money or to oppress others, but always to connect. 

Isaacs said residents would be curious about their filming, as the actors would shoot chase scenes running across peoples’ rooftops or courtyards.

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“We’d be shooting early in the morning, and a door would open, so you’d be worried you’d woken a resident, and people would come out with trays of mint tea and biscuits,” he said. “Anywhere we went, we were welcomed.”

Maya Shwayder contributed to this report.