Domhnall Gleeson almost turned down his role in ‘Star Wars’.
The 34-year-old actor has just returned for his second outing in ‘Star Wars: The Last Jedi’ as General Hux – one of the most notorious villains in the space opera franchise – but he has admitted he was in two minds about accepting the part when he was first approached in 2015 because of the pitfalls of fame he experienced after he portrayed Bill Weasley in the ‘Harry Potter’ movies.
Speaking on ‘The One Show’ last night (13.12.17), he said: "I think everybody is [unsure], really. It’s not like I didn’t want to be in it. I wanted to do the job, but I was a little bit concerned about the impact it would have on my life.
"I’d already been in ‘Harry Potter’ a tiny bit, right at the end of that, and things changed a little bit in terms of being out and about.
"So, I was a little bit reticent [for ‘The Force Awakens’], but then I read it and I was really good. I just decided I didn’t care anymore."
Gleeson’s comments come just days after Daisy Ridley – who plays Rey in the franchise – admitted she was nervous for ‘The Last Jedi’ because she didn’t have close pal John Boyega – who played Finn in ‘The Force Awakens’ – on set with her.
She said recently: "I was nervous going in, because John and I were no longer together, and John is my peanut. So I think more than anything, [I learned] to put your trust in those around you and it’ll all turn out pretty well. Putting my trust in Mark and Rian [Johnson, the movie’s director] mainly, was wonderful."
The 25-year-old actress also admitted that she felt "more nervous" going into her second ‘Star Wars’ venture than she did in 2015, because she wasn’t sure how to replicate her past performance.
Asked if she found it any easier the second time around, she said: "I actually felt more nervous because I didn’t know what I was doing the first time around, and you kind of think, how am I supposed to do something again when I didn’t know what I did the first time? And I think because people responded so well to John and I together that was a big thing too, thinking how are people going to respond when we’re not together. So it was nerve-wracking. But again, as relationships grow and you start to get comfortable, it settles into a wonderful six months."
Domhnall Gleeson almost snubbed Star Wars role
