Anyone who has seen Domhnall Gleeson in an interview or on screen will already know just how utterly amiable the Irish thespian is.
Having now spoken to him for both “A Futile And Stupid Gesture” and “Peter Rabbit” in the space of just a few weeks I can attest that he is polite delight.
But even Gleeson has a breaking point. That arrived after my slightly probing question regarding the potential dynamic between Kylo Ren and General Hux in “Star Wars Episode 9,” to which he responded, “Oh come on, there’s just no way that I could even guess.”
“And it is J.J. writing it. There’s no idea for anyone to know what’s going on. I’m not going to try and have a guess. I’m not going to speculate. I don’t want a letter from Disney. Or even worse a knock on the door.”
But after scolding me for trying to enquire about the future of the “Star Wars” franchise, Gleeson then immediately underlined his cordialness by breaking down exactly why General Hux is now so terrified of Kylo Ren.
“He’s scared of him. Kylo Ren has something that Hux doesn’t understand. His ability to Force choke him, that’s something that he can’t quite understand. This other thing. And he’s terrified of it. And as a result he hates it. You are terrified of what you don’t understand. I think that’s the deal with Kylo. But Hux also knows that he is very formidable, too.”
Gleeson then made sure to insist that’s just where General Hux was at the end of “The Last Jedi,” though, and in no way does that mean that’s where he will be come the start of “Episode 9.”
“That’s where he is at at the end of ‘The Last Jedi.’ But that does not mean that’s where he will be at the start of the next one.”
We’ll finally find out whether General Hux and Kylo Ren have become best buds, or if their relationship has deteriorated beyond all repair when “Star Wars 9” is released on December 20, 2019.
In the meantime, make sure to check out Domhnall Gleeson’s most comedic turn yet in “Peter Rabbit,” which arrives on February 9.
