Domhnall Gleeson Discusses His “Very Good Year”
By Ani Bundel
Domhnall Gleeson discusses his luck this year in starring in several blockbusters, including Star Wars, his second major franchise role since Harry Potter.
One of the hallmarks of having “made” it in Hollywood is when you find yourself starring in multiple blockbuster franchises. The list of those who have managed it is a short one, but this year once more name got added to that list: Domhnall Gleeson, who now can chalk up both the Harry Potter franchise and the Star Wars franchise to his resume.
As Bill Weasley in the Potterverse, Gleeson was one of the more moderately lucky Weasleys in the Wizarding War–he survived, but always seemed more wolfish with a fondness for raw meat after his brush with a werewolf attack. As General Hux in Star Wars, he’s far less luck in love, but so far more lucky in facial scarification–his frenemy in arms Kylo Ren was the one who walked away with a large mark, while Hux was sent to go rescue him, with plans for both of them to find themselves in Star Wars Episode VIII “No We’re Not Telling You the Title Yet.”
But Star Wars wasn’t Gleeson’s only big role this year. As his interview in The Daily Beasts recounts, this year has been very good to him. He also starred in the romantic immigrant story Brooklyn, which is a current Golden Globe and Oscar contender. He also was in Ex Machina, a sci fi thriller more in the dystopian vein than the fantasy realm. And then there’s The Revenant, which you’ve probably seen commercials for as “starring Leonardo Dicaprio and Tom Hardy.” But as the leader of the expidition the two of them are on, Gleeson has a major supporting role. Whether or not it also has Oscar buzz contention is still to be determined.
Gleeson insists he just got lucky. He’s been lucky before–when he was cast as Bill Weasley, he got to share the set with his real life father who played Mad-Eyed Moody. But this time his choices brought him to work with a lot of different talent.
“First, you just do what you’re offered. Then when you get a little bit of choice you do what interests you. Oftentimes, you don’t really know why you make choices until you start talking about them, so you don’t know how much of this is true, or how much you’re putting reason on things that actually had no reason to it. I’m a very lucky guy in terms of the people I’ve gotten to share sets with, and that’s really the reason for the good year.”
When asked about his next projects, including Episode VIII, Gleeson declined to give anything away, for fear of running afoul of the very strict rules put in place by Disney.
“It was a pretty simple document that just made very clear very quickly that you would be in a hell of a lot of trouble if you said anything—and rightly so,” he said of Disney’s fearsome Star Wars NDA. “But at the same time, I didn’t need to sign the document not to tell anybody. I understand that if I just wandered up to somebody and tell them the ending that wouldn’t be a good thing.”
“His fascist relationship with Kylo Ren was great fun,” he said, as fond as audiences are of the pair’s adversarial adolescents-on-the-playground dynamic. “And it’s Star Wars, so you don’t want to leave anything at home.”
But one thing he’s certain of–Hux is not an terrible person because he’s a ginger. Like all those who played Weasleys, he carries a self depreciating ginger pride. “I have found gingers to be very welcoming, and very lovely, in my brief time on this planet.” Arthur Weasley would be very pleased.