‘Moon Knight’: Ethan Hawke and May Calamawy Came Up With Episode 4’s Cliff Scene
Moon Knight Episode 4 features plenty of surprising moments, and one of them reveals what became of Layla El-Faouly’s (May Calamawy) father. The fourth installment of the Marvel series sees Marc Spector’s (Oscar Isaac) wife having an emotional conversation with Arthur Harrow (Ethan Hawke). It takes place on opposite sides of Alexander the Great’s tomb, with a huge opening between them.
As it turns out, Calamawy and Hawke came up with this scene themselves. And Calamawy recently opened up about bringing it to life.
[Warning: This article contains spoilers for Moon Knight Episode 4, “The Tomb.”]
Arthur Harrow and Layla El-Faouly share a moment in ‘Moon Knight’ Episode 4
Although Layla El-Faouly and Arthur Harrow have a few run-ins during Moon Knight Season 1, episode 4 marks the first time the characters engage in a conversation. And their discussion quickly becomes intense. During it, Harrow reveals that Layla’s father was killed by mercenaries. He also suggests Marc knows more about the situation than he’s let on.
It’s not the first time Arthur has mentioned this fact, but he gets through to Layla during this discussion. His words bring her character to tears. They also lead her to confront Marc later in the episode. And Marc’s admission creates an emotional rift between him and Layla.
However, as heartbreaking as Layla and Marc’s interaction is, her talk with Harrow stands out more. Perhaps it’s because we’ve rarely seen the two engage one another. Or it could be thanks to the huge abyss separating them.
Whatever the reason, Hawke and Calamawy gave viewers a scene they’ll remember. And it seems we can thank the actors for the memorable moment.
Ethan Hawke and May Calamawy came up with their episode 4 scene
Ethan Hawke and May Calamawy’s moment in Moon Knight Episode 4 unravels so naturally, one would assume it was always part of the plan. However, it was actually something the actors came up with themselves.
During an interview on Marvel.com, Calamawy opened up about the cliff scene. According to the actor, she saw Oscar Isaac and Hawke throwing around ideas and wanted to come up with something herself. She had trouble thinking of anything specific but told Hawke that she wanted their characters to have a scene together. To her surprise, her costar showed up with a thorough plan building on her idea:
“He came to our rehearsal and had a whole idea mapped out! I was just like, whoa, and he just looked at me and winked. We were developing the scene even more with [directors] Aaron [Moorhead] and Justin [Benson]. It’s incredible. I was like, I’m sitting with Ethan Hawke, and I’m giving him ideas about what I think he should say to Layla in this moment. That was a really special moment for me. I love that guy.”
According to Calamawy, filming their interaction in Moon Knight Episode 4 was just as exciting as brainstorming it.
“When we filmed it, it was incredible,” she told Marvel.com. “It felt like a play because we were far enough on the stage and there were two cranes. We got to do our close-ups at the same time.”
And the distance certainly didn’t take away from the conversation; in fact, it made it more gripping. So, how will Layla’s revelation impact the Marvel show moving forward?
What does this revelation mean for ‘Moon Knight’ going forward?
After Ethan Hawke and May Calamawy’s cliff scene in Moon Knight Episode 4, it’s unclear what’s next for Layla. Although she’s likely to continue fighting Ammit, it’s unclear if she’ll be able to forgive Marc. The two were already on shaky ground, and his secrecy about her father’s death may be the final straw for her.
Still, she was understandably upset when Harrow shot her husband — so there may still be hope. Only time will tell if the pair can repair the fissures in their relationship. And they’ll have to defeat Harrow and Ammit before they can even think about romance again.
The first four episodes of Moon Knight are currently streaming on Disney+.
