‘Moon Knight’: Ethan Hawke Doesn’t Think Arthur Harrow Is a ‘Straight-up Villain’
Moon Knight has been one trippy experience ever since the first episode. And although we don’t have all of the answers regarding what’s happening in the Marvel Cinematic Universe show, we do know that Arthur Harrow, played by Ethan Hawke, is supposed to be the villain of Moon Knight. But Hawke teased that there’s more than meets the eye regarding his character.
Ethan Hawke plays Arthur Harrow in ‘Moon Knight’
Moon Knight Episode 1 introduced Arthur Harrow as a religious zealot and cult leader who worships the Egyptian goddess Ammit. Ammit judges the goodness of people, and she can even predict if a person is evil before they commit horrid acts.
Steven Grant came across Harrow during one of his blackouts — when Marc Spector was in control. He later learns that he has dissociative identity disorder, and Marc, the Avatar of Khonshu, is one of his personalities. Marc is trying to stop Harrow from finding Ammit’s tomb and resurrecting her.
Moon Knight fans then discovered that Harrow was once the Avatar of Khonshu, but he left the god to follow Ammit instead. Harrow wants to resurrect Ammit so that she can eradicate evil from the world, even if the evil has yet to be committed.
The actor claimed Arthur Harrow isn’t a typical villain in ‘Moon Knight’
During an interview with IGN, Moon Knight star Ethan Hawke gave some insight into his character, Arthur Harrow.
“Harrow doesn’t think of himself as a villain,” the actor shared. “And when you see the whole series, I’m not exactly sure that he is a straight-up villain. He operates in a different lane.
Hawke continued, “This is something else. This is more of a nuanced character. Harrow thinks he’s saving the world. He thinks he’s Saint Harrow. That, of course, is his problem. Anyone thinks they’re a saint? Kick them out of the room immediately. Because his great problem is his spiritual pride, so to speak.”
According to Hawke, fans won’t even begin to understand Arthur Harrow until after the Moon Knight finale. And perhaps when the last episode airs, the audience will see the villain in a brand new light.
Ethan Hawke came up with the idea for his character’s opening scene
While speaking with IGN, Ethan Hawke and Moon Knight director Mohamed Diab revealed that the actor was responsible for Arthur Harrow’s introduction. The premiere opens with Harrow pouring glass into his shoes, putting them on, and walking away.
“When Ethan came up with this scene, that’s the moment when I realized, and he realized, ‘Okay, I know that character now,'” Diab explained. “I understand him very well. He is not a trickster, he’s not a false prophet. He’s a prophet that is in the wrong, but he’s a prophet. He’s someone who believes in what he does.”
Hawke added, “Moon Knight doesn’t have a definitive, archetypal villain. And I kept trying to think of who this guy would be, and if it wasn’t a comic book, what would be his portrait? You know? Like, comic books often have one full-page drawing of the villain to introduce him. And I was like, ‘What would it be? What would it be? And what’s his secret? If you could see behind closed doors, what’s he doing?'”
“And I thought, ‘Oh, he’s pouring glass in his shoe and listening to Dylan,'” the actor concluded. “That’s a weird character. That’s a guy I want to get to know.”
Moon Knight airs Wednesdays on Disney+.
