This week has been a little bit crazy at the GIFF offices, but also extremely exciting. Oscar Sunday started the week off strong. GIFF was thrilled to see SPOTLIGHT win Best Picture, since we kicked off our Fall/Winter programming with a screening of the film. Tuesday, March 1st, marked 100 days out from the festival, and we could not be more excited to share with you soon some of the amazing things our team has been working on in the past couple of months.
Yesterday, I took a quick trip across the pond, to join a friend in Dublin to see Adele in concert. Scrambling at the last minute to pack, I got to thinking about one of the most underrated actors of 2015. An Irishman, Domhnall Gleeson, made a lasting impression in 2015, appearing in four films that were critically acclaimed.
Most recently, I watched him in BROOKLYN, and while he was only in the film for a short period of time, he makes me excited to visit Dublin.
So in a way, this is my love letter to Domhnall Gleeson and the beautiful country he comes from. I shall drink a pint in his honor while I am in Dublin this weekend.
Gleeson made a couple of appearances in smaller films and then starred opposite Rachel McAdams in the British romantic comedy ABOUT TIME, showing his ability to carry a film rather than a small supporting role.
Gleeson then found himself filming 2014’s UNBROKEN in the waters off of Australia with director Angelina Jolie. While the film did not receive as much critical attention as anticipated, it proved that Gleeson was more than capable of taking on a more demanding role and playing Phil, a World War II prisoner of war.
All of these roles gave him experiences with fantastic actors and directors, which helped to pave the way for his stellar 2015 year.
First up for Gleeson in 2015 was a role in BROOKLYN, a film which gained attention at Sundance Film Festival before picking up several nominations throughout award season. While in a smaller role in BROOKLYN, Gleeson could not be ignored as a potential suitor for Saoirse Ronan’s Eilis.
Next, in a much bigger role, is the sci-fi, psychological thriller EX_MACHINA, which paired him up again with Alicia Vikandar. The film took home the Academy Award for Best Visual Effects, but a lot of critics believed that it should have received recognition in more categories at the Oscars.
Cue the Imperial March because Domhnall Gleeson played the ruthless General Hux in STAR WARS: THE FORCE AWAKENS, the highest-grossing film of 2015. This role sky-rocketed Gleeson onto the radar of movie goers across the world and helped him become more recognizable in other roles.
As if Box Office success was not enough, Gleeson also made a memorable appearance in Alejandro G. Iñárritu’s Academy Award-nominated THE REVENANT. While Leonardo DiCaprio gained the most attention during award season for this film, Gleeson’s role was definitely memorable.
Gleeson has already attracted serious attention from his 2015 film roles. At the end of 2015, Gleeson was featured in a Vogue Magazine spread with model Gigi Hadid.
With amazing pedigree and killer acting experience in the last couple years, we expect to see great things from Domhnall Gleeson in the future. Next up on his agenda:
- Starring in Academy Award-nominated Editor Kevin Tent’s directorial debut CRASH PAD, co-starring Nina Dobrev, Christina Applegate and Thomas Hayden Church.
- Co-starring with Tom Cruise in Doug Liman’s upcoming crime drama-thriller MENA
- He returns! Gleeson is signed on to reprise his role as General Hux in episode 8 of the STAR WARS series, due out late next year.
