Will Hux ever be happy?
Gleeson is horrified when I even consider such a thing, but I can’t help somehow feeling sorry for the guy. Perhaps that really is just the mark of a great actor.
We meet to talk about his latest movie, the atmospheric psychological thriller The Little Stranger from Lenny Abrahamson, the director of Oscar-winner Room.
It is a far cry and another galaxy away from Star Wars but Gleeson, yet again, is playing a tortured, repressed character who desperately wants what is always just out of his reach. He tells me about both movies.
Whether it’s a crumbling posh country mansion or to rule the galaxy as the new leader of the First Order, Gleeson is a master of conveying all-consuming desperation and longing.
Doctor Faraday in The Little Stranger actually starts out as the seeming hero, but his motives and actions become increasingly murky and disturbing as the movie progresses.
In a finely acted drama with a stellar cast including Ruth Wilson, Charlotte Rampling and Will Poulter, a happy ending for anyone concerned seems more and more unlikley.
What about Hux? What does Episode 9 hold for him? Will he get what he wants? Will the final Star Wars movie change everything?
It’s pretty clear from The Last Jedi that Hux wouldn’t shed a tear if Kylo Ren was lightsabered in front of him.
Gleeson, like all Star Wars actors, is very wary of giving anything away. He recently confessed to a fear that he will sleep talk on a flight and spill secrets to whoever is sitting next to him, and didn’t rule out bribery as a way of dealing with that.
I confess to him that I feel rather sorry for Hux, always watching as someone seems to get the final glory, always chasing Snoke’s approval while constantly overshadowed by Kylo Ren.
Gleeson stares at me in horror: “He’s a war criminal, we have to take that in. So, I don’t feel too bad for him given his actions.”
He laughs as I tell him it’s his fault for making me care and admits: “Now thats an acting job.”
When I continue my Hux adoration by saying Gleeson turned a monster into man, he adds: “I’m not sure about that, but I’ll take it!”
He reveals that working on Episode 9 is a complete change from The Last Jedi: “Between the Star Wars films, there’s a different energy between JJ Abrams and Rian (Johnson). I’ve been really lucky with the people I’ve worked with. That’s the joy, getting to change it up.”
Many fans were not so happy with The Last Jedi and hope that Abrams can restore the early promise of The Force Awakens. They will be pleased to hear Gleeson confirm that each director brings his own vision and “energy” to the climax of the Skywalker saga.
THE LITTLE STRANGER IS OUT NOW IN UK CINEMAS