Marvel Studios' Moon Knight, the upcoming series set to premiere on Disney Plus in March, will see the introduction of many characters to the MCU, one being Ethan Hawke's portrayal as Arthur Harrow. The actor recently revealed what it was like tapping into a villainous role and how he was "apprehensive" about playing the character.
Marvel Studios' Moon Knight centers on Oscar Osaac's Marc Spector, a mercenary who suffers from dissociative identity disorder and is drawn into a deadly mystery involving Egyptian gods with his multiple identities. Spector eventually goes on to become the conduit for the Egyptian moon god Khonshu, the ancient Egyptian god of the Moon, and his journey brings him into conflict with Hawke's villain.
Hawke spoke with Entertainment Weekly about joining the MCU, also sharing the reasons why he was concerned about playing the series' main antagonist. "I've always had this theory that when you teach an audience how to see the demon inside you, they don't unsee it for the rest of your career," Hawke told EW. "Jack Nicholson can be playing an accountant and you're still waiting for him to explode like he did in The Shining. It changes your relationship to a performer, so I've always been nervous about it. But I realized I'm on the other side of 50 and it's time to put a new tool in the tool kit. Villains might be my future." For Hawke, however, his passion for the comic book genre wouldn't stop him from delving into a darker role.
"The comic book world meant a lot to me when I was younger," Hawke added. "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 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." Hawke's character is a cult leader who encourages Isaac's Marc Spector to embrace his inner darkness. Hawke shared that some of his biggest inspirations for his Moon Knight performance included psychiatrist Carl Jung and infamous cult leader David Koresh.
While this is Hawke's first time playing a villain in a comic book film, he is no stranger to delivering a darker, twisted performance. The actor will play the serial killer The Grabber in Scott Derrickson's (who directed the first Doctor Strange) and Blumhouse's The Black Phone, which is set for a theatrical release this summer. Even if Hawke hasn't had many experiences playing a villain, if his filmography is an indication, the actor will no doubt deliver one memorable performance that could rank as a new fan-favorite villain in the MCU.
The Moon Knight series was created by Jeremy Slater, with Mohamed Diab directing four episodes and duo Justin Benson and Aaron Moorhead directing the other two. The cast also includes the late Gaspard Ulliel as Anton Mogart / Midnight Man and May Calamawy in an undisclosed role. Moon Knight, like most of the series on Disney Plus, will consist of six 40-50 minute episodes. The series will also be joining other highly-anticipated series such as She-Hulk and Ms. Marvel in 2022, which all are hoping to carry the same success that was left by acclaimed works like WandaVision, Loki, and Hawkeye in 2021.
Moon Knight is set to premiere on Disney Plus on March 30, 2022.
Source: Entertainment Weekly