There are plenty of acting families out there who have taken over our screens and infiltrated our lives. It seems that any child born into superstar fame is destined to become an artist themselves and acting is a talent that has filtered down from the brilliant and blossomed into their babes. Timothy Spall and Rafe Spall, Don Johnson and Dakota Johnson and heck, even Benedict Cumberbatch is the product of two 1970 acting legends. The cinematic bug is hereditary, seeping through genes and ensnaring the youthful children, leading them to a life on screen and stage.
But you’d have to be ballsy bastard to follow the legacy of Brendan Gleeson (ballsy bastard really works well if you say it in Gleeson's accent). Luckily, that’s exactly what his son, the superb Domhnall Gleeson, is doing.
For those out of the Gleeson loop (and it’s advised to get involved now because this man is genuinely exploding into the Hollywood scene in a massive way), you’ll recognise him as a small scarred face in one of the biggest book to movie franchises in the world; Harry Potter. Yes, keen eyed Potterheads will remember him as the, albeit stripped down, Billy Weasley. Annoyingly, Bill didn’t get much of a role in the film series, save for his wedding that was promptly attacked by Death Eaters. But even then, there was a spark of ingenuity in Gleeson that caught the eyes of those who nodded to themselves and went; “this boy is going to be huge.”
That’s not to say this was his first role, Gleeson had bounced around theatrew, short films and television for a while. Yet this was the one that made you sit up and pay attention. As around the same time of Harry Potter, Gleeson found himself in a lot of supporting roles but in really great movies, which is usually the sign of something promising. He appeared in Never Let Me Go opposite Andrew Garfield and Cary Mulligan as Rodney who lends advice to our heroes when they fall in love. In True Grit, he was fatally stabbed by Jeff Bridges as he played outlaw Moon and appeared as Clan Techie in the amazing reboot Dredd.
But on a personal level, I feel his prominence into the film industry truly began when he gave the charming, hilarious and rather emotional performance in Richard Curtis’ About Time. As Tim, a young lad who finds out that he can time travel to crucial moments of his life, he gives an astute and charismatic performance as the naïve, clumsy but delicately visceral character. Rather than making this a sycophantic love story of boy chases girl wildly, About Time is rather more about responsibility, fatherhood and family love which all come through with Gleeson’s performance.
This year, Gleeson proved that he can submerse himself in different yet stirring films, showcasing a wide range of diversity. In John Michael McDonaugh’s Calvary, there’s a roughly five minute scene, opposite his father, wherein Gleeson gives an outstanding glimpse into the mind of a murderous young man. In a completely chilling role, the young Gleeson as Freddie Joyce pulls at the robe strings of elder Brendan’s troubled Father James. He also led the way in the quirky instant cult movie Frank as hopeful musician Jon who wishes to be an acclaimed superstar but finds himself trapped in the weirdest music group around (the lead singer has a Frank Sidebottom paper mache mask). The excellent that Gleeson gives here is to be the conduit between Frank, played effortlessly by Michael Fassbender and the audience. Whilst promoting that voice of reason against the randomness of the band, Gleeson cleverly transforms his character into this arrogance that is understandable but not liked confronting the big headed face of the naïve Frank.
Oh…..and a little hipster small film called FLIPPIN STAR WARS (I’ve used this joke twice now, never fails).
Domhnall Gleeson is heading for the stars, literally. He has showcased this talent that can sublimely flit between different genres, comedies to dramas and acutely convey the emotions that character is going through. The roles he choose are vastly different, and therefore showcases an array of nuances that the talented director has. Gleeson the younger is certainly heading for awards, praise and critical acclaim.
Unbroken is out in cinemas on Boxing Day! Read Anne's review now!