‘Moon Knight’: Ethan Hawke Wasn’t Sure He Was the Right Actor to Play Arthur Harrow, ‘I Was Always a Little Apprehensive’
Marvel Cinematic Universe fans are excited to see Moon Knight and learn more about Ethan Hawke’s character. However, the actor almost didn’t star in the upcoming Disney+ series because he was unsure how well he could play a villain. But, thankfully, Hawke decided to accept the part in the end.
Ethan Hawke plays Arthur Harrow in ‘Moon Knight’
Moon Knight‘s trailer revealed the identity of Ethan Hawke’s villainous character in the Marvel Disney+ show. The actor plays Arthur Harrow, a cult leader who persuades Oscar Isaac’s character, Steven Grant, to embrace his dark side. In the video, Arthur tells Steven, “It must be very difficult. The voices in your head. There’s chaos in you. Embrace the chaos.”
Arthur has connections to Moon Knight in the comic books. But he only serves as a minor character who stole findings from secret Nazi experiments regarding “pain theory.” Moon Knight then tracked down Arthur after he abducted innocent people to continue the experiments.
Many fans believe that Arthur Harrow is actually the Sun King in the television show. The Sun King is one of Moon Knight’s most infamous villains, so it would make sense if Marvel wants to keep his true identity under wraps. But the audience won’t know the truth behind Ethan Hawke’s character until Moon Knight premieres.
The actor was hesitant to say yes to Marvel
During an interview with Entertainment Weekly, Ethan Hawke explained his decision process behind agreeing to be in Moon Knight.
“The comic book world meant a lot to me when I was younger,” Hawke shared. “I was always a little apprehensive; there’s a certain kind of actor that really excels in that universe, and I’m still not sure I’m one of them. But then Oscar [Isaac] asked me, and I really respect him. And I knew that if he went in, he was going to go all in, and it’s fun to do any genre with people who are all in.”
He added, “[Moon Knight director] Mohamed Diab, I really like his films. He’s a special director. So it just became about the project, and it wasn’t an intellectual decision at all; it was like, ‘Oh, let’s do something cool with these guys.’ And the more I learned about the Moon Knight, the more turned on I got because it’s so much better than trying to create something that the audience already has a big agenda with.”
Ethan Hawke explained, “And with Moon Knight, we get to create a world and a character. The fan in me always enjoys the first movie. I love learning about how the hell Captain America came to be — those are my favorite parts of the story.”
Who influenced Ethan Hawke’s character in ‘Moon Knight’?
Ethan Hawke told Entertainment Weekly that he drew inspiration from psychiatrist Carl Jung and infamous cult leader David Koresh for his performance in Moon Knight.
“Your gut leads you,” Hawke said. “The uber-rich villain mastermind isn’t interesting to me. I love the ones who believe that they’re a good person, and that’s why they have to kill you. That, I find really terrifying.”
Moon Knight, starring Ethan Hawke, premieres on March 30 on Disney+.
