How Mark Jackson Evokes Emotion As A Robot In The Orville

For those of us who work outside the profession of acting, it may seem that the toughest roles involve a heavy amount of emotion. Whether it's sadness, anger, or joy, such strong feelings have to be the most difficult to accurately portray, right? While we're still pretty sure those are no walk in the park, Mark Jackson pointed out that the opposite can also be true.

According to Jackson, it can sometimes be challenging to remember that Isaac doesn't have emotions. "He thinks logically. He only does anything because it makes sense to him, and he is not emotionally driven," Jackson said. "To take the emotional heart out of a performance is very difficult because we're all humans, and we want to communicate in the most efficient way possible."

Notably, Jackson also recently enjoyed the opportunity to portray a uniquely emotional iteration of Isaac. In "The Orville" Season 3, Episode 7 ("From Unknown Graves"), Isaac is gifted an emotion chip, a technological advancement that allows him to feel, rather than just think. This is a great relief to Claire, who revels in the brief opportunity to enjoy a true heart-to-heart moment with Isaac. 

Jackson was also thrilled, as the abrupt alteration to the character allowed him to tackle something quite different. "He was experiencing everything for the first time — love, fear, loneliness and shame ... it was intense," Jackson said. "It was a great challenge as an actor, but also, I got to take my safety breaks off as an actor and go for it. That was great fun."

You can catch all three seasons of "The Orville," including the Season 3 finale, on Hulu. The entire series will also be available on Disney+ starting on August 10.