Domhnall Gleeson on his Beard and Star Wars Episode 7.

star wars


Domhnall Gleeson attended The Wizarding World of Harry Potter Diagon Alley Grand Opening at Universal on June 18, 2014 in Orlando, Florida. In an interview the star spoke about his beard, Episode VII and more…


From MTV:

Gleeson’s self-imposed gag order is so intense, in fact, that when asked at a press conference about “Star Wars,” the actor started laughing as soon as one member of the media got halfway through the word “star,” merely shouting, “No! No! I can’t.”

“I’m a pessimist by nature, so it’s always the worst things that come to mind first, whenever you make a decision, or have a decision to make,” Gleeson said. “So of course, yeah, you worry the way it will disrupt the way you live your life.”

“The truth of the matter is, I was in ‘Harry Potter’ and I can walk in the street and no one bothers me,” Gleeson continued. “It’s totally fine. The only reason I’m doing ‘Star Wars’ is because the script is great, because J.J. [Abrams] is great, and because the cast are great. And that’s what you look for in any movie. So in a way, it’s just another job.”

“I could destroy my life if I gave away one of the secrets (about Episode VII), really quickly,” Gleeson said. “I’m just always with a no-talk policy about it.”

“I enjoy going to a film and being surprised, maintaining that is an important thing generally,” Gleeson noted. “I’m going to keep my mouth shut until the movie is all the way out and on DVD. So I don’t upset anyone.”

“No,” Gleeson said when asked if he was sporting a perhaps Jedi-inflected beard, “but I haven’t been on set for a couple of weeks, so that doesn’t give anything away.”


And looking at his beard I can’t help but think about this:

star wars


Well we’ve heard all kinds of rumors about Gleeson’s character. From Luke’s son to a character unrelated to anyone. But you have to agree that his latest appearance with that beard really suggests Obi Wan descendant. Of course it could be just a coincidence. One thing is sure Domnhall is a remarkable actor and we all should be happy that he was cast in Star Wars.

Website | + posts

Founder of SWNN, MNN and The Cantina forums.

Born on April 24, 1980.

Val Trichkov (Viral Hide)

Founder of SWNN, MNN and The Cantina forums.Born on April 24, 1980.

66 thoughts on “Domhnall Gleeson on his Beard and Star Wars Episode 7.

  • June 19, 2014 at 11:49 am
    Permalink

    He will be Dash Rendar

    • June 19, 2014 at 12:10 pm
      Permalink

      I don’t think he’ll be Dash. They haven’t said it is canon, but I really do expect them to eventually include Shadows in the new canon. I really don’t see what they would gain from not including it in the new canon. There are so many other places and time periods to go that surely they can leave the established storyline between TESB and ROTJ alone. That being said, Dash would be about as old as Han, so I don’t think Gleeson makes sense. However, if Harrison makes an exit after ep7, they could always bring another old guy on board (not that they should, just saying…). Dash would be perfect (given the right actor portraying him) to fill this spot (not that it necessarily needs to be filled). I know the whole idea of Ep7 is to do an out with the old in with the new type story, but Dash would help bridge the gap between the OT (since he was around then), the EU (his appearance would please many fans of SOTE), and the new trilogy (since he is a character never before seen on film). So in saying that, I don’t think they’ll disband the continuity of SOTE. Back on Gleeson: there is nothing that says that a “Ben” Skywalker character can’t have a killer beard 🙂 – and if his name is “Ben” and he is Luke’s son, the physical similarity between Luke’s son and his namesake would be a neat added bonus.

      • June 23, 2014 at 3:39 pm
        Permalink

        I doubt they will just take story lines like Shadows and add it to the new canon. The people behind the franchise seem keen on taking the EU making slight changes and then treating it as something they created.

    • June 19, 2014 at 12:18 pm
      Permalink

      Your little comment about Dash Rendar has me reminiscing of the glory days of the Nintendo 64. Shadows of the Empire remains my favorite SW game of all time. Even though Dash was a minor character in the SOTE comic and novel, he was the central character in the game. Seeing him included in a Han Solo spin-off or something of the sort would be really cool.

    • June 19, 2014 at 12:47 pm
      Permalink

      Loved that game too! Miss the N64!!

    • June 19, 2014 at 12:47 pm
      Permalink

      I whole-heartedly agree with your statement here, Hard Case. I truly hope they include the events from Shadows in the new canon. They’ve already integrated Black Sun in the Clone Wars series, which would set up the events in Shadows perfectly by the time epIV ends.
      I remember playing Rouge Squadron and Shadows on N64 as a kid and loving every second of both games.

    • June 19, 2014 at 3:21 pm
      Permalink

      He will be Kyle Katarn. One can dream…

    • June 19, 2014 at 11:48 pm
      Permalink

      I could easily see them reworking major projects like “Shadows Of The Empire” and the first “The Force Unleashed” storylines into the new continuity. Lucasfilm as a whole poured a ton of resources into making those.

      – Pomojema

    • June 21, 2014 at 9:16 am
      Permalink

      @ Hard Case – Dude, I spent HOURS on the Hoth level practising flying through the legs of three AT-ATs in one run. So much fun. ^_^

  • June 19, 2014 at 12:02 pm
    Permalink

    Trio of young leads = Daisy, Domnhall, Boyega.

  • June 19, 2014 at 12:04 pm
    Permalink

    Love Domnhall. Hopefully he has a big part and is in the main trio. Would be great if he was Luke’s son too.

  • June 19, 2014 at 12:06 pm
    Permalink

    Where would a descendant of Obi-Wan come from excactly?? Can’t quite get my head around that…

    • June 19, 2014 at 12:49 pm
      Permalink

      It seems much more likely that Obi-Wan had a nephew he never quite nknew about than for him to actually have a son of his own.

    • June 19, 2014 at 12:50 pm
      Permalink

      Yeah, there has to have been more than one Kenobi.

      Although, it’s also possible that things got a bit lonely out in the desert all those years, sparking a trip into town and a night at the Cantina…

    • June 19, 2014 at 9:24 pm
      Permalink

      What if Domhnall Gleeson was Obi-Wan Kenobi’s nephew? What if Max von Sydow was his father – and Kenobi’s brother?

    • June 19, 2014 at 9:44 pm
      Permalink

      I like it.

  • June 19, 2014 at 12:17 pm
    Permalink

    Clone…

    • June 19, 2014 at 6:53 pm
      Permalink

      I won’t argue whether or not that’s a good idea (but probably not) though it’s certainly plausible to retcon that into the story. Obi-Wan did visit the cloning facility so they could’ve easily swiped some DNA to use. The difficult part would be 1. explaining their motivation for cloning him and 2. Why would the clone be so young so long after Obi-Wan’s death? I personally want Ben Kenobi to appear in every Star Wars movie, cartoon or book but I don’t think my enthusiasm for the character is grounds for writing a clone into the ST.

  • June 19, 2014 at 12:20 pm
    Permalink

    I thought that Owen Lars was the step brother of Anakin, not Ben’s brother…. Please correct me if I’m wrong…

    • June 19, 2014 at 12:31 pm
      Permalink

      Anakin’s step-brother. Anakin’s mother married Owen’s father some time after Episode I

    • June 19, 2014 at 12:54 pm
      Permalink

      I never really cared for this relationship. It makes me wonder why Darth Vader didbn’t simply go to the Lars homsetead long before Episode IV to find his son.

    • June 19, 2014 at 12:59 pm
      Permalink

      That’s because Vader thought his offspring was dead.

    • June 19, 2014 at 1:03 pm
      Permalink

      He didn’t know he have a son. He thought that Padme died before burn them

    • June 19, 2014 at 1:04 pm
      Permalink

      BORN* AZAZAZAZA

      Btw YOU REBEL SCUM

    • June 19, 2014 at 9:45 pm
      Permalink

      In the pre-prequel EU, Ben and Owen were brothers. This fact also mentioned in the ROTJ novelisation.

  • June 19, 2014 at 12:41 pm
    Permalink

    Are there hipster doofii in space?

    • June 19, 2014 at 1:10 pm
      Permalink

      They colonized space before it was cool.

  • June 19, 2014 at 1:32 pm
    Permalink

    Doesn’t Mark Hamill have a similar beard now, one that he’s grown for SW7?

    • June 19, 2014 at 4:00 pm
      Permalink

      Yup. I’m thinking it’s in one part to make him look the part of the mentor, and another part to hide the part of his face that got scarred years ago.

  • June 19, 2014 at 1:38 pm
    Permalink

    If he has a ‘major’ part in SW7, then why is he in Florida at the Harry Potter do instead of doing scenes at Pinewood or rehearsing with the other cast members?

    • June 19, 2014 at 2:49 pm
      Permalink

      Good question. It’s really looking like JJ is turnin SW into the TV show Lost, with an ensemble. No one has a really big role except one-legged Harrison Ford.

    • June 19, 2014 at 3:45 pm
      Permalink

      lol you hardly ever rehears on films. You just show up on set when you have to and do a bunch of takes till you get it right. Obviously he doesn’t have to be there right now. I’m sure he can skip a few days of shooting to be in Florida even if he is in a big role.

    • June 19, 2014 at 4:02 pm
      Permalink

      They probably scheduled this in advance – and I get the feeling he’ll only be there for a day or two before he heads back to the set. Not every scene necessitates his appearance, so they’ll shoot his scenes later.

    • June 19, 2014 at 4:12 pm
      Permalink

      Seems to me if you have a lot of scenes in a movie, you need to be there most of the time (Hamill and Ford as well). Maybe, contrary to what we’ve been told, the big 3 don’t have lots of screen time, and it is the young generation and the villain/s whom EpV11 is mainly about.

  • June 19, 2014 at 2:50 pm
    Permalink

    Mark Hamill was just in FL too.

    • June 19, 2014 at 3:27 pm
      Permalink

      Maybe JJ’s doing away with lightsabers and landspeeders and introducing magic wands and flying brooms!

  • June 19, 2014 at 3:09 pm
    Permalink

    Would be awesome yes !

  • June 19, 2014 at 5:52 pm
    Permalink

    He could also be Kyle Katarn, and the main bad guy could be Jerec (play by Sydow) in a totally re-imagined Kyle Katarn story arc.

    Just my $0.02.

  • June 19, 2014 at 6:59 pm
    Permalink

    He’ll be voicing a droid, I bet

    • June 19, 2014 at 9:56 pm
      Permalink

      That’s what I was thinking of as a possibility. He sort of reminds me of his own version of Anthony Daniels. They’re going to need to introduce new droids eventually.

    • June 19, 2014 at 10:14 pm
      Permalink

      Yeah, as much as I like 3PO and R2-D2, I’d really like to see some new droid heroes instead of dragging them along yet again. Or even a role for an assassin droid or bounty hunter droid.

  • June 19, 2014 at 8:48 pm
    Permalink

    This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

  • June 19, 2014 at 8:53 pm
    Permalink

    This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

  • June 19, 2014 at 9:50 pm
    Permalink

    “The only reason I’m doing ‘Star Wars’ is because the script is great, because J.J. [Abrams] is great, and because the cast are great.”
    Because the script
    is great ..
    the script is great..
    *whispers* Thank you Domhnall. Thank you.

    • June 19, 2014 at 11:45 pm
      Permalink

      ALERT – THE SCRIPT TO THE NEW “STAR WARS” MOVIE DOESN’T HAVE CORNY DIALOGUE! STOP THE PRESSES, PEOPLE NEED TO HEAR THIS!

  • June 19, 2014 at 10:21 pm
    Permalink

    Really curious if Obi Wan(McGregor) will be in 7 as a force ghost? I mean it’d be easy to do Yoda, but with Obi Wan it’s different. IMO, it wouldn’t bother me. Going from having Guiness w/ Hamill to McGregor w/ Hamill but I’m curious to see other fan’s opinions?

    • June 19, 2014 at 10:43 pm
      Permalink

      When McGregor was asked about this, he said no. Speculated that if they were going to have an ObiWan ghost, they would use someone who looks more like Guiness.

      Of course, it could be false. This is the type of casting that would probably try to keep as a total surprise, to avoid spoilers.

      A lot of people are hoping that they make absolutely no hint of the existence of the prequels, hoping that they’ll then drop out of canon or something. I think they won’t dwell on them, but the prequels do have fans from a certain generation. If they’re going to involve a small element from the prequels, it should be McGregor. Better than re-casting ObiWan anyway.

    • June 19, 2014 at 11:04 pm
      Permalink

      I hope not. I mean without the use of Alec it would just take everyone out of the movie and get everyone depressed because Alec is no longer around to do it. Plus we have Luke as the old Jedi. If they really need to go back then they can use Yoda as frank oz is still around.

    • June 21, 2014 at 12:22 am
      Permalink

      Alec cursed Star Wars until his death saying he wish he hadn’t done it because it cast a shadow over the rest of his filmography. He didn’t like to be recognized for it. I’ve heard that lucasfilm owned the rights to his image (now Disney). It is possible and likely that they could CGI his force ghost. Given that skywalker sound sets the standard in sound engineering, it’s reasonable to think that they could manipulate an actor’s voice that already sounds similar to sound exactly like Alec. It would be clever to cast mcgregger as the voice actor and keep it as is. However it would be costly and cheesy.

  • June 20, 2014 at 12:15 am
    Permalink

    “But you have to agree that his latest appearance with that beard really suggests Obi Wan descendant.”

    No, all that Gleeson’s beard suggests is that he has a beard in his latest appearance, period.

    • June 20, 2014 at 2:06 am
      Permalink

      Issacs and Driver were seen with beards also, quite recently.

    • June 20, 2014 at 11:30 am
      Permalink

      Apparently Ridley and Fischer were also recently spotted with beards as well.

  • June 20, 2014 at 1:21 am
    Permalink

    He might be free cos his scenes are with Han and the scenes got postponed.

  • June 20, 2014 at 1:23 am
    Permalink

    I know. With all the preoccupation with relations, he’s probably playing Threepio’s son.

  • June 20, 2014 at 2:46 am
    Permalink

    Ewan Mcgregor was the only consistently good thing in the prequels. I just don’t see how they could ignore the prequels entirely, and I suspect that Mcgregor may be the way they pay homage to episodes 1-3. I mean, how could they leave out Obi Wan Kenobi from 7-9? Just mention him, and that’s it? If so, its an injustice to the character. I don’t think that’s what is happening here – it looks to me that “the Kenobi family” and possibly Obi Wan’s force ghost (or did Obi Wan really die…?) play a huge role here.

  • June 20, 2014 at 3:07 am
    Permalink

    Do we know who his beard is playing? Maybe the Wig’s older brother?

    • June 20, 2014 at 4:03 pm
      Permalink

      Nice one. 😀

  • June 20, 2014 at 5:12 am
    Permalink

    A beard does not make someone a descendant. C’mon.
    How old was Obi Wan supposed to be when he had this mythical son? 70? Possible, yes, but not at all plausible or likely.

  • June 20, 2014 at 11:18 am
    Permalink

    the most elegant way to pay tribute to Obi-Wan is to make a spinn off with ol´ McGregor….he is still in the right age and there´s 20 years of possibilities between E3 and E4

    • June 20, 2014 at 4:43 pm
      Permalink

      That story is going to be told in Star Wars Rebels. What, you wanna see a two hour spinoff where Obi-Wan is by himself in a desert?

  • June 20, 2014 at 2:43 pm
    Permalink

    I hate to read those comments… But I haven’t got any choice!

  • June 20, 2014 at 11:40 pm
    Permalink

    I don’t think Obi-Wan has a son. I’m willing to bet he might have a relative in this movie, which would be cool. Aside from that, people are reading way too much into this. Gleeson could be playing an alien for all we know.

Comments are closed.

LATEST POSTS ON MOVIE NEWS NET