As one of Marvel’s more enigmatic superheroes, Moon Knight has long received a mixed response among comic book fans, but with the advent of Phase Four of the MCU, we’re finally about to see the eccentric character make his live-action debut.
From the trailers that have been released so far to the multi-episode preview we’ve received, Moon Knight manages to offer Marvel the fast-paced, action-packed sequences fans love most about superhero franchises while taking on the risk of being different and experimental in a way that a character like Marc Spector deserves. Joining us at HYPEBEAST, Oscar Isaac and Ethan Hawke run us through where they drew inspiration from for their characters Marc Spector/Steven Grant and Arthur Harrow, why an episodic format worked better than a feature film, and why Marvel is able to stand out from its peers time and time again.
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HYPEBEAST: Marc Spector is a very interesting character in the series given the multiple personalities living inside him, and there’s many scenes where you’re going back and forth between him and Steven Grant. What was that experience like hopping between such contrasting characters at such a rapid pace between scenes?
Oscar Isaac: That was definitely a challenge. When I first began, I didn’t feel that I wanted to switch a lot between the two on the same day when we were filming, so I asked if I could just start with Steven Grant and really focus on him. For the first couple of months, I mostly stayed in Steven’s character, and slowly I started to introduce Marc. When I got more comfortable with Marc as well, I got more flexible with switching between the two. By the end of the shoot I could pretty much move between them on the same day or even the same scene, so we actually changed the way we filmed based on my ease of switching between Steven and Marc.
A lot of Steve’s power dynamic with Marc reminded me of Bruce Banner and his negotiations with Hulk, whereas the interdependent relationship between Mark and Khonshu was very reminiscent of Eddie Brock and Venom. Did you look at those characters for inspiration when you were preparing for the role? What other sources of inspiration were there for your take on Moon Knight?
OI: There were inspirations on what not to do just to make it different or to feel like we were repeating the same thing. For example, it was important for Khonshu’s voice to be very different, but yes, there’s similar ideas of these different identities living within this one individual. It was also important that it wasn’t the Jekyll and Hyde thing of Hulk either – that it felt like it was an actual investigation of what living with dissociative identity disorder feels like. We used a lot of the language in those books and took a deep dive into the psychology of that.
Thanks to Disney+, many new Marvel superheroes are getting their MCU debuts with their own series like Moon Knight, Ms. Marvel, or She-Hulk. Do you think a multi-episode format works better for origin stories or would you have preferred a feature film like Iron Man or Captain America?
OI: Jeremy Slater and the writers really found an interesting way of presenting this character because it’s not a traditional origin story, it’s more of a mystery that is revealed as the episodes go on. For me, the reason why I feel that it had to be in this format is because of the experimental nature of it. I think if we were doing a film, we would have had huge pressure to have a huge opening weekend, making $200 million USD. Because of that expectation, it probably would’ve affected the risks that we took narratively with the character, and since we were free from it, we were able to play around more and try more crazy things.
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(Now to Ethan Hawke) Your character Arthur Harrow is very much a cult leader in the series, and a large part of his genius seems to come from his ability to manipulate others psychologically. Were there any real-life cult leaders that inspired your portrayal of the character?
Ethan Hawke: Definitely, I thought of a handful I tried to pinch from. He’s part David Koresh – if it was set in a different period, he’d have a Trans Am in Waco, Texas, I can see that. I also took parts from the end of Tolstoy’s life. He was a wise and benevolent leader but he also became kind of a cult figure and felt like he knew what was right for everyone on the planet. Whenever people start thinking that way, they give me the creeps. Another part I took from are the Southern Televangelists. You know, they speak nice and they say smart things but you know you’re being manipulated, so it gives me the creeps.
A good story needs a great villain as much as a solid superhero, and many people seem to be able to relate to the villains in the Marvel universe, such as guys like Harrow or Thanos, who fully believe that what they’re doing is justified and for the greater good. Do you think this relatability and nuance to its villains is what makes Marvel movies stand out from its peers?
EH: I think so. I think in general, we’re all such sophisticated movie-goers now. We’ve watched so many movies that when people start doing the mustache-twirling, cliche Bond villain where you just want to destroy people, and you have no other side, it doesn’t work for the audience anymore. I honestly believe that Harrow truly thinks he’s doing good in the world. He believes in the righteousness of his cause so much so that he will ignore anyone else’s point of view or anybody else’s thoughts on it because they couldn’t possibly be as enlightened as he is. That’s where he loses it, but you see that with so many despots and leaders. They start with an extremely idealistic point of view and they just get lost along the way.
You said in another interview earlier that you wanted to explore playing villains and that your future might lead in the direction of antagonists. Are there any iconic villains you’d love to portray or bring to the big screen?
EH: Well, someday, somebody’s going to get to play Putin. Maybe I’ll get to play Putin someday!
Moon Knight premieres on Disney+ March 30.
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