Domhnall Gleeson is no stranger to epic fantasy worlds, but only one of his earlier roles helped prepare him for later life as an intergalactic superstar…
Speaking to Entertainment Weekly, Gleeson revealed that his role as Bill Weasley in the Harry Potter franchise was “the best possible training” for playing General Hux in Star Wars.
“I felt a little worried about fan reaction, but you can’t control that – all you can do is your job,” he said.
“General Hux is ridiculous in lots of ways, but not in a hilarious way. But just anything to do with that level of… what’s the word? Pomp and all the rest of it, the higher reigns of military, all the badges and the medals.
“At a certain point you say, ‘Why is that man wearing that hat? That doesn’t make him more powerful.'”
Gleeson went on to detail his commercial breakthrough in JK Rowling’s Wizarding World, describing how his dad Brendan Gleeson (Mad-Eye Moody) helped get him an audition.
“I was a massive fan. When they asked my dad to play Mad-Eye, I was so incredibly excited,” he revealed.
“I said, ‘Listen, if one of the other brothers’ parts comes up, you need to get me in for an audition.’
“I met some amazing people on that set. I loved how they all handled themselves; they were all good, generous people – that thing about art requiring suffering was just kind of dispelled.
“Then there was about a year between shooting and the movie’s release where I was going into meetings and people didn’t know I only had two lines in [Harry Potter], so I probably got auditions for things that I may not have otherwise.”
Star Wars Episode IX will be released in the UK on December 19, 2019 and in the US on December 20, 2019.
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