5 days ago
- Entertainment
- Sunday World
Domhnall Glesson says he'd ‘love to' act alongside his dad and brother again
FAMILY MATTERS |
As he plays his darkest character in new film Echo Valley, Domhnall Gleeson looks back over the highlights of an incredible career.
But the actor reckons sharing the stage with famous father Brendan and equally successful actor brother Brian at Dublin's Olympia Theatre has been his proudest moment in the spotlight.
Treading the boards together at the start of 2015 in Enda Walsh's comedy The Walworth Farce, the trio were critically hailed for their comic timing and chemistry.
Domhnall as Armitage Hux in Star Wars: Episode VII The Force Awakens
'I did a play with my dad and my brother in Dublin in the Olympia about ten years ago and I thought the work was stunning,' Gleeson said.
'The play was absolutely insane — it was bananas and it was amazing working in Dublin every day. But getting to go out and do that with my dad and my brother every night was a very, very proud thing in my life.
'I still when I think about that; I think it's amazing that we did it. And I'm proud of the work I did in that one as well.'
The thespian dynasty, led by legendary patriarch Brendan (70) who was nominated for an Oscar in The Banshees of Inisheerin — has since reunited on the small screen for hit TV series Frank of Ireland in 2021, written by Domhnall and Bad Sisters' star Brian.
Domhnall as Bill Weasley in Harry Potter
And Domhnall admits the family are due another performance because he 'always wants to work with them'.
'We've done it a few times and if the right thing came along, I'd always want to work with them. They're amazing. I'd love to work with them again.'
It's full circle for Domhnall, who enjoyed one of his first screen roles opposite his dad in Martin McDonagh's short movie Six Shooters while barely in his early twenties.
Now 42, the star has taken the opportunity to reflect on his impressive, more than two decades on the stage and screen while promoting his latest role in Apple TV+ thriller, Echo Valley alongside Julianne Moore and Sydney Sweeney.
Speaking to Magazine+ from London, Domhnall cuts a relaxed figure in jeans and a navy cardigan just before the film's release.
While pondering some of his most memorable roles, including turns in Lenny Abraham's The Little Stranger and in Enda Walsh's play Medicine, the actor admits some of most physically punishing roles belong to Angelina Jolie's WWII epic Unbroken and Leonardo DiCaprio's blockbuster The Revenant.
Domhnall with Rachel McAdams in About Time
But playing Irish icon Bob Geldof in 2010's When Harvey Met Bob left the deepest impression.
'I mean, I lost weight for a role in Unbroken, and that was challenging, and The Revenant was a really, physically tough shoot.
'Then I also played Bob Geldof in a thing years ago and so that was a different sort of physical transformation, but also fun to do. And, you know, doing somebody who exists trying to get their voice down, and the look down, that was all different.'
Did Geldof see his performance? 'No, I met him and he was very nice, but I don't think he ever saw the thing. And maybe that was for the best.'
Married to longtime partner, producer Juliette Bonass, since 2023, the actor has enjoyed a spectacularly diverse career, including the aforementioned turns in the Star Wars franchise as malevolent Genera Hux, to fan favourite Bill Weasley in the Harry Potter universe.
But when I ask him about a role that audiences and critics had misunderstood, he offers a surprise response with 2013 About Time with Bill Nighy and Rachel McAdams, which was one of Gleeson's first forays into romantic comedy.
'About Time, when it came out, it wasn't like critically reviled or anything like that. I think it did fine with the critics, and it actually did okay at the box office. But it's been really heartening and amazing to see how over the years, it's sort of grown and grown in stature. That's been like, amazing to see. I guess as time has gone on, the reception to it has warmed comparative to how it was when it came out. And so I think that's always a good I always remind myself of that.
'If you're in something and it doesn't find an audience when it comes out, that doesn't necessarily mean it'll just never have an audience forever, you know.'
Brian, Domhnall and Brendan in The Walworth Farce
A sci-fi romance about a young man with the ability to time travel who tries to change his past in hopes of finding his true love, About Time was initially criticised for a lack of coherent storyline and gaping plot holes. However, the British production went on to make over €76m at the global box office and Gleeson admits he'd love to see a sequel down the line.
'I could do scenes with Rachel McAdams and Bill Nighy and all those amazing people again. So maybe I'd pick that and I'd get to hang out with Richard Curtis again, which would be nice.'
After his character — spoiler alert! — ends up happily ever after with McAdams' character, does he think they'd still be together in the follow-up?
'When we finished the film, that's what I felt. Yeah. When I finished the film, I thought, this is a guy set up for happiness. And that made me very happy for him.'
In Echo Valley, Julianne Moore plays a lonely rancher who covers up a murder to protect her addict daughter, played by Hollywood It Girl Sydney Sweeney.
In a brooding turn, Gleeson is Jackie, a scheming lowlife who stumbles on the truth, and becomes hell bent on destroying the family.
And the actor relished the chance to play nasty in the thriller, which also stars Irish acting legend Fiona Shaw.
'He's a guy, he was pretty dark. He was a pretty, you know, a pretty awful character. And it's nice to do something as a reactionary against that.'
With an upcoming role in TV series The Paper, a highly anticipated offshoot from Ricky's Gervais' iconic comedy, The Office, Gleeson has worked tirelessly non-stop for the past two decades. But the actor has learned the important lesson to slow down.
'I've done roles where I end where I had been working so much that I went into it tired. And it's not good to start a job tired, you know what I mean? I've done jobs where I entered into it tired because I've been working too closely up before.
'But then again, if you have something locked in that you have to do and then, you know, Paul Thomas Anderson comes calling, it's not like you're going to say, 'no, sorry, I need time to rest for the right opportunity'.'
