Domhnall Gleeson On The Pressures of Working on ‘Harry Potter’

We can imagine (especially in the latter films), that being a part of the Potter series as a newcomer would have been absolutely terrifying.

Domhnall Gleeson (Bill Weasley) spoke on the pressure he felt on set, displaying a relatable vulnerability which many wouldn’t usually associate with the actors behind the characters we know and love. Domhnall Gleeson (son of Brendan Gleeson, or Mad Eye Moody) is now a hugely in-demand actor, having starred in titles such as Ex Machina, Brooklyn and Star Wars, so he’s come a long way since feeling the pressure of being the eldest Weasley sibling. 

He said of his first day on Potter:

“I was a Harry Potter fan, but on my first day on set on Deathly Hallows, I had a horrible day, just a terrible day.

“There were 300 people on the set, it was absolutely nuts, I went Australian on the accent instead of English, I kind of panicked, you know, I met these amazing people whose work I had watched and loved for years, and the pressure got to me.

“I didn’t handle it well, the first day, but after that I got better, and I learnt that I’m going to be under similar pressure in the future but I’m not going to let it get to me.”

We’re glad it got better from there and didn’t put him off of acting! Read more on this his newest movie, American Made over at Her. American Made also stars Tom Cruise and is set for release on September 29th, and Gleeson will also star in Goodbye Christopher Robin, coming to cinemas on October 13th.