Brenden Gleeson
Concord Monitor - December 2, 2005
In the fourth Harry Potter book, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, J.K. Rowling introduced fans to the latest Hogwarts Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher, Mad-Eye Moody. Mad-Eye was a former Auror (a specialized wizard) who had lost an eye and a leg in his battles with the dark side and "He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named."
Moody possesses a swivelling blue eye that seems to have a life of its own and is always on the lookout for evil forces.
Bringing Mad-Eye vividly to life in the new film is burly Irish actor Brendan Gleeson, 50, a former teacher who has given memorable performances in such films as Braveheart, Michael Collins, Artificial Intelligence: AI and Gangs of New York.
A graduate of the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in London, he was a member of the Royal Shakespeare Company. He recently finished Robert Zemeckis's production of Beowulf in Los Angeles.
Did you feel like you were returning to your teaching days?
It was kind of bizarre because I found myself kind of playing teachers I had myself, rather than -hopefully - myself as a teacher.
Did you teach the same age students as Harry, Ron and Hermione?
I did, actually. It was all boys from about 12 to 18. You know, that interesting time of life! You kind of make great friends with some of the kids too. It is a time in their life they prefer to forget, but if you like them to begin with, it kind of helps.
Weren't you acting while you were teaching?
Acting was something I wanted to keep separate. I didn't want to have to make money on it to live. In one way, maybe there was a lack of confidence, but I didn't think it was a kind of life that was destined for me. It never really dawned on me until I started working with a chap called Paul Mercer in the 1980s. We started packing larger halls and then started moving into established theaters and going for, like, 10-week runs.
Were you familiar with the Harry Potter books and movies before being cast as Mad-Eye?
I have four boys. The youngest is 16 now. But they were mad for the books. There was a big shout when they heard there was a possibility of it, even. When I got the script I went to the boys, and they more or less told me what he was (about in the book). It was a real help that their impression of him had been so much fuller than what I read in the script.
He's kind of a father figure, and he's that kind of mad lunatic on your side, and he always seems to be there whenever you are in very bad trouble.
Your mad eye was just a hoot.
There were so many different ways to go with that. I always felt from discussions with Mike (director Newell), we kind of wanted this man to be the man of the road, and he had his various wars with the dark side and he had been out in the wilderness and had gone slightly barking mad.
Will you be doing the next Potter film?
The experience was great, and I hope to be back.
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