Irish star Domhnall Gleeson’s career is set to skyrocket thanks to a little movie called Star Wars: The Force Awakens. The actor, who will be seen in Brooklyn in November, will play the villainous First Order commander General Hux in the sci-fi sequel in December, but his big break came with the role of Bill Weasley in the last two Harry Potter films.
He credits his experience playing the eldest Weasley brother with keeping his cool on his first day on the set of JJ Abrams’ Star Wars sequel.
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“On my first day on the set of Harry Potter, I nearly had a heart attack at the sheer scale of it, at the number of people behind the camera and at the number of people who could hear me talk,” Domhnall told Yahoo Movies about his upcoming film “Brooklyn,” which opens in theaters on November 6.
Above: Domhnall Gleeson in “Brooklyn”
“So, my first day on Harry Potter, I was really scared and that helped me for the future. It did. I walked out on my first day on Star Wars (The Force Awakens) and of course I was nervous, you’re nervous about any job, but I didn’t freak out and go ‘Holy shit!’ because there were like 300 people behind the camera and I’d been in that situation before. That definitely helped.”
Above: Domhnall in “Harry Potter”
Gleeson’s role in Star Wars 7 was shrouded in mystery until the veil was lifted at the film’s San Diego Comic Con panel in July. In Hall H, it was revealed that the Frank star would play First Order commander General Hux, a villain in an Imperial-style suit and with a wicked English accent. He told us that using his native accent was not discussed, as they only decided to go with an English accent for franchise continuity reasons.
The actor was also coaxed to reveal the name of the First Order base – Starkiller Base – during the Comic-Con Q&A, which seemed like a brief secrecy slip-up, but he told us it was all carefully staged.
“This was a conversation we had just before our performance about whether it was OK or not. So, how to describe it. I had heard this said and I think we agreed that it was OK (for me to say it), and then I walked off the stage and suddenly when I opened my mouth I was like this (feigns shock).
Above: Domhnall takes the stage at Comic Con
“You have to realize that I didn’t say any of those words for a year. So as soon as one comes out of your mouth, you think, ‘Oh my God! What have I done?!’ So I think it was fine. I don’t think it was anything too unexpected or anything, it was fine.”
“It’s like accidentally telling someone what their Christmas present is,” we joke.
“Yeah, but it’s like when Disney bought them their Christmas present and they’re facing a million dollar lawsuit if something goes wrong or something,” he replied with a grin.
In closing, he told us that walking onto the set of Star Wars: The Force Awakens was “pretty epic” and that trying on his uniform for the first time was no different from any other job he’s done before.
Above: General Hux in “Star Wars: The Force Awakens”
“Every job you try on a costume and it’s like you’re doing it to find out who your character is, you know what I mean? It helps and all those things, so you’re actually just working when you’re doing it. And you’re full of zeal and you’re like, ‘So, is that me? And is that what I want to be? Is there anything we want to change?’ All those things, so there were those conversations.
“But then when you feel like you’ve found it – and this is true of any job, really – when you feel like you’ve found it, you say ‘okay, let’s go’ – then there’s this excitement because you know that part of you is ready to get to work.
Above: Domhnall and Saoirse Ronan in “Brooklyn”
“And that was brilliant. That was brilliant, but that was the whole process. And the reality – which is probably not that exciting because people want to know about Star Wars more than anything else – is that that’s the process for most jobs.
“That’s your job as an actor, to go from job to job and work as hard as you can on each and every project.”
Stay tuned for more from Domhnall Gleeson about Brooklyn and his work on The Revenant, so keep an eye on Yahoo Movies UK.
“Brooklyn” hits theaters on November 6. Watch the trailer below.
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Photo credit: Lionsgate/Disney/Warner Bros.
