Brendan Gleesoncan’t stop speaking. Appearing on my laptop screen, the Oscar-nominated star ofThe Banshees of Inisherin and Harry PotterGlides through sparkling-eyed stories and fervent digressions on raising children, the peace agreement in Northern Ireland, and harmful gender norms. He apologizes for “rambling a little,” only to ramble even more. It’s fantastic.
Unlike the grumpy or unpleasant characters he frequently portrays, Gleeson is kind and sociable. We’re discussingH is for Hawk, Philippa Lowthorpe’s thoughtful adaptation of Helen Macdonald’sbestselling memoir, where Gleeson’s patriarch passes away early but remains present in every scene. It has led us to explore the contrast between the Irish and English perspectives on death. This brings the Dubliner back to the funeral of a friend –Anthony Minghella, who directed Gleeson inCold Mountainfive years prior to his passing in 2008.
At an Irish funeral, if the individual has lived a full life, what you mainly hear is people laughing and sharing memories,” Gleeson explains, his Gaelic accent soft but not allowing any interruptions. “It’s all about the life they’ve led and how they embraced it.
But that was truly not the atmosphere when the director ofThe English Patientwas buried, Gleeson says. “I recall attending his funeral and being completely shocked by the absence of…” He stops, then starts again. “I would share humorous anecdotes about Anthony, about events on set, and how, you know, he mentioned he’d do Beckett with me and I’m still waiting.”
Instead, the 70-year-old adds, “it was all about respect. It was all formal. It was beautifully emotional in its own unique way.” In Ireland, on the other hand, “there is always talking, and much more direct interaction with the person who was present, and you can sense their presence, even during the wake. It’s a remarkable, shared acceptance of death, something that doesn’t occur in Britain.”
In H is for Hawk, Claire FoyHelen deals with her father’s passing by training a goshawk named Mabel. The narrative takes place in Cambridge and the Brecklands, located on the border between Norfolk and Suffolk. The father in question is the well-known real-life photojournalist Alisdair Macdonald. He often documented The Beatles’ live performances and captured the iconic image of Princess Diana and Prince Charles sharing a kiss on the balcony of Buckingham Palace.
What attracted Gleeson to the role was the opportunity to portray a virtuous father. “I had grown weary of the stereotype of the toxic father becoming completely relentless in the scripts I was coming across,” he explains. “At first, I found it boring, then I became quite annoyed by it, and eventually, I realized there was a lack of positive examples for young men regarding fatherhood, as this theme kept appearing in script after script.” According to him, young men are already uncertain about societal expectations. “So, I believed the chance to play a good father was extremely significant.”
It is Alisdair who sparks Helen’s passion for nature, taking her on trips where she discovers birdwatching. Following his passing, she becomes deeply devoted to Mabel—a bird that is more than ordinary, possessing a coldness yet to be softened. She keeps Mabel on her wrist constantly, even while working as a lecturer at Cambridge, making her appear unusual as her life spirals and her home descends into disarray.
Foy received thorough training to work with the birds, and her scenes show genuine authenticity – it’s evident that she is fully committed, balancing what one critic described as “an Apache gunship-like killing machine attached to her arm” with an exceptionally genuine performance. “She’s incredible,” Gleeson remarks. “She possesses a lot of depth; you can sense a tremendous intensity in what she’s going through.”
Just as Foy fully embraces the physical challenges, Gleeson brings a sense of dignity to his scenes that prevents any overly sentimental moments. He intentionally chose to portray Alisdair with a Scottish accent instead of the London one that the real Macdonald would have had. “I don’t look like him anyway,” he states. “So I decided that I couldn’t portray this person as he was in life, visually. Therefore, it had to be a form of creative freedom.” He found that he could communicate more authentically with a Scottish accent. “We’re kind of cousins,” he explains, referring to the Scots and the Irish. “There’s more restraint in how Londoners express their emotions.” Helen Macdonald approved; she mentioned her father would have appreciated it.
Regardless of the perspective, training a goshawk is an unconventional way to cope with loss, yet it stems, in part, from how Helen was allowed by her father to be different. This connects with Gleeson, although he is cautious about the boundaries of that allowance. His four sons with wife Mary Weldon –Domhnall, who has established a remarkable professional path inEx Machinaand Star Wars, and Brian (Peaky Blinders) are actors, whereas Fergus is involved in film production and Rory is a writer – all of them were given comparable freedom, yet within certain boundaries.
There’s a line that covers everything in parenting,” says Gleeson. “If the oddity isn’t going to bring them happiness, in the sense that there’s too much solitude,” he adds, you need to discover methods to assist a child in connecting with others, “because you don’t want to become entirely separated from your surroundings. We are, by nature, social creatures.
His generation challenged uniformity and sought individuality. “However, once you break free from it, if you suggest that it doesn’t matter how you interact with your surroundings, you end up creating many individuals who believe they are the only ones in the world and that their issues are the only ones that matter.” He observes that the pandemic has exacerbated this issue – isolating people, making them fearful of communication, and unsure how to interact with others. “If everyone is allowed to do whatever they want, everything centered around children, and it’s all structured that way, they lack a method of engaging with the world that makes sense to others, as they’re all focused solely on their own interests.”
You don’t need to be a wellness machine, but we are better off being compassionate.
Gleeson is cautious about the present trend of informing children that they are exceptional at everything. “The last thing you want to do as a parent is pushing people into their own corner and saying, ‘You’re unique, and everyone really should stand up and acknowledge how brilliant you are.'” His generation dealt with the opposite issue—being told “You’re nothing,” and that they shouldn’t attempt things. “But now, having to cope with the pendulum swinging to where people are given unrealistic expectations of what’s possible—I don’t think it’s benefiting them.”
Gleeson entered the world of acting later in life, beginning his professional career at the age of 34. Prior to that, he worked as a teacher, instructing in Irish and English at a secondary school located in northern Dublin. He also took on additional roles with local theatre groups, such as Paul Mercier’s Passion Machine, which focused on presenting modern Irish narratives to working-class communities. At the time, pursuing acting professionally seemed unattainable. “I genuinely believed that the professional stage was something reserved for other people,” he shared.The Guardianin 2022. However, he would then watch theatrical performances and believe he could improve upon them. He was capable of doing so.
For over three decades, Gleeson has effortlessly transitioned between independent films and major Hollywood productions. Reviewing his West End debut in Conor McPherson’ssublime revival of The Weir, TheTelegraphHe mentioned that his performance was evidence that Gleeson is “one of the best.” He chuckles when I share this with him. “I would be very cautious, having had to deal with certain anger about what people weren’t noticing on stage, to fully embrace something that’s so incredibly boosting for the ego.” However, the critic was correct. Gleeson possesses a unique ability to blend threat with surprising kindness, and his talent for portraying grumpy characters—whether for humor or for more serious tones—remains unmatched.
There’s a continuous thread beginning with his standout performance inThe General(1998), John Boorman’s depiction of Dublin gangster Martin Cahill, where Gleeson discovered both allure and underlying menace in a genuine criminal. This carried on to his career-changing performance oppositeColin Farrell in Martin McDonagh’s In Bruges(2008), as a professional assassin dealing with remorse within the historic buildings of Belgium. And then his powerful performance inCalvary (2014) as Father James, a clergyman destined to be killed who spends his last days exuding a fragile sense of honor.
Reconnected with Farrell and McDonagh forThe Banshees of Inisherin(2022), he received his initial Oscar nomination for his injured, quiet portrayal of a fiddler concluding a friendship. Then there’s the anxious, mystical Mad-Eye Moody he portrayed in four Harry Potter movies, and Knuckles McGinty, the prison enforcer who becomes gentle due to marmalade inPaddington 2(2017). He has portrayed Churchill and Trump, assassins and spiritual figures; he has collaborated with the top performers –Spielberg (AI: Artificial Intelligence), Scorsese (Gangs of New York), Ridley Scott (Kingdom of Heaven), and the Coen brothers (The Tale of Buster Scruggs) – and even shouted defiance towards the English inBraveheart (1995).
Inquire about collaborating with figures like Spielberg and Boorman, and he turns respectful. “They’re the legends,” he mentions. “John Boorman – I participated in an event for the Cork Film Festival where they recognized him as a trailblazer. I referenced a stone in Wicklow that had Celtic patterns carved by a monk. Beneath it, it read: ‘John Boorman caused this to be made.’ And I thought, how many things has John Boorman inspired to come into existence? All the beautiful works he’s been involved in.” He takes a moment. “These individuals have dedicated their entire lives to this craft, battling against commercial interests, striving to bring forth something extraordinary.”
The same applies to Scorsese. “When I didGangs of New York, I went to meet him in Rome,” Gleeson recalls. “He handed me this script, and I was amazed – he mentioned, ‘I’ve been trying to make this for 25 years.’ I responded, you’ve captured the American experience, yet you can’t secure funding for a film about New York. How does that happen?”
When I bring up the Harry Potter movies in our conversation about raising children –Daniel Radcliffewere 16, Gleeson 49, when they first collaborated inThe Goblet of Fire– and inquire what he thought about its young actors speaking out againstJK RowlingHis negative opinions about trans women are met with a forced disagreement. However, this incident directs us toward his broader perspectives on intractable conflicts. “I think this is the best we can do as artists: demonstrate that people are better off being compassionate and more kind,” he states. “It doesn’t mean you can’t make a harsh comment about someone, because you don’t have to become some sort of wellness factory. What you must do is simply believe in the goodness of people, that individuals only desire an opportunity to lead fulfilling lives. I truly believe that’s what they want. Most people. All over the world.”
He references the fight for peace in Northern Ireland. “We faced issues there for how many years? Both groups were white, both were Christian. However, one group believed in the miracle of water into wine, while the other saw it as nonsense. And they ended up splitting into two factions.” He claims the peace process succeeded because it accepted diversity. “You could be Irish, British, or both. One passport, two passports – it’s up to you. Equal respect. You offer equal respect to others and their perspectives, and then you make decisions on laws by striving to be as fair and kind as possible to the greatest number of people.”
Even during video calls, Gleeson exudes genuine charisma. When he laughs—which happens frequently—his eyes squint and his smile broadens, completely altering those rugged features. His face is a layered reflection of all the characters he has portrayed and all the experiences he has had.
I bring up the Guardianinterview where he was quoted as saying, “I don’t have a pretty face.” Does he believe that has been freeing, not having to worry about losing his looks in the same way that conventionally good-looking actors do? Gleeson laughs. “That’s a really interesting question,” he says. The camera tells a story, he explains, and physical appearance is part of that narrative. “If you have a romantic film, and these two extremely attractive people are gazing at each other, the story is almost already told.” He’s never concerned himself with perfecting his appearance or bleaching his teeth. “I was always more interested in enjoying life, in a way that helped me grasp the experiences of people living in the world, rather than those who just take pictures of themselves living in it.”
Gleeson is intrigued by how attractive actors deal with growing older. TakeJack Nicholson, he states: “Much of it relates to his character, but he’s also an attractive man, and all of that constitutes a form of influence.” The same principle applies to women who possess an extraordinary level of beauty. “It’s quite intriguing to observe attractive women as they age, and how they often struggle to accept that the power they once had as stunning young women has now shifted into a different realm, and they can no longer command attention simply by being [beautiful]; something else must now play a role.”
Then there’s Colin Farrell. “It’s really amusing to witness how women react to him. They literally turn red. All he has to do is walk in. It’s incredible, but it’s a blessing for the world, as he’s not a jerk. He’s actually a very cool person beneath it all.”
Individuals like Farrell and Nicholson are truly exceptional in their craft. They are remarkable actors. And then there’s this other aspect that contributes.” That smile once more. “So if you don’t have that, you simply focus on the remaining elements.
‘H is for Hawk’ is now showing in UK cinemas starting Friday, 23 January.
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