Interview: Con O’Neill On Izzy’s Emotional Journey on ‘Our Flag Means Death’

The tale of Izzy Hands across the first two seasons of Max’s Our Flag Means Death is one that needs to be seen to be fully grasped. Somehow the character finds a way to make us angry, mirthful, fearful, delighted, giddy, downhearted, inspired, moved, and heartbroken across just 18 episodes. Impressively, those are only some of the feelings viewers experienced as we watched the often gruff Izzy transform from perhaps the least approachable characters to one of the most beloved on the series.

To accomplish such a feat is no easy task. It requires an actor who can not only act, but one who is connected with the soul and internal conflicts beneath the character’s hardened exterior. During my conversation with Con O’Neill (video below) it quickly became clear why he was selected to play the first mate to the infamous Blackbeard (Taika Waititi). O’Neill carries Izzy Hands in his heart, head, and spirit.

Warning to new fans, this is a conversation I highly recommend you enjoy after finishing the season two. If the song La Vie En Rose doesn’t strike a chord and the idea of a unicorn in a pirate comedy feels out of place, not only will Con’s beautifully insightful responses spoil key moments but they will also lack the emotional resonance when connected to the Izzy’s journey. Proceed with caution.

Below are some excerpts from my conversation with Con O’Neill that touch upon his work. Watch the video of our talk in its entirety (below) for the full breadth of discussion that covers everything from Stede’s effect on Izzy, to shooting his moving last scene of the season, and even into a little talk about his love of cooking. Enjoy!

On becoming The Unicorn:
“This season is about Izzy coming out. It’s, in many ways, he comes out. But that moment, that breath, that beautiful piece of writing, again, the writing, where the crew embrace him and it just releases him. It releases him from his own concept of who he is. It releases him from his own concept of who he has to be to be a First Mate, and a brilliant First Mate, it releases him of the concept that he’s alone. None of this would have been possible to Izzy pre-season one.

He only realizes he’s in love with Blackbeard when he sees Blackbeard lose Stede (Rhys Darby). The reveal is he’s heartbroken because the man he loves is broken. And he doesn’t know what to do with any of that. He’s not emotionally capable. And the crew giving him the leg and calling him the new unicorn and releasing him from all the stuff that he’d done, all that pain that he’d suffered and anger that he’d raged upon them. It’s a really accepting moment.

Izzy and Blackbeard (and Stede’s) Love Triangle:
In contemporary language we always associate love with romance. And that isn’t the case here. The love that Blackbeard and Izzy have for each other is deep, man. It’s deep, and it’s rooted in years of working together, loving each other, saving each other’s lives, being constant. This is probably the only constant they both had in their lives, is Blackbeard is Izzy, Izzy is Blackbeard.

And then you have this buffoon (Stede) come in and steal Blackbeard’s heart. It’s not that Blackbeard falls in love with someone else. It’s Blackbeard falls in love with this guy. That Izzy just can’t comprehend.

Izzy’s Final Scene:
I was getting quite unsettled by the amount of cacophony of noise and people. And then we rigged it all up and it was still just… And then suddenly it was just me and Taika. And just saying goodbye to a character we’d both fallen in love with. And it was, I’m saying profound a lot, but it was a profound experience doing that scene because everything else disappeared. It was just me and him. It was just Izzy and Blackbeard. And it was a lovely, lovely moment.

If that doesn’t move you, check your pulse you may have no heart. These excerpts are just the tip of the iceberg. Watch the full conversation with the delightful and thoughtful Con O’Neill. And be sure to watch all of his fantastic work on Our Flag Means Death seasons one and two streaming exclusively on Max.

Be sure to also enjoy my interviews with show creator David Jenkins, Rhys Darby, and Ruibo Qian.

Quotes are edited for brevity and clarity, but can be heard in full below.

(And, if I ever get to share a meal with the gentleman actor you can be sure I will share it here.)