General Hux never looked like someone having a good day in The Last Jedi. Domhnall Gleeson gave the First Order general a face that could turn any conversation into an argument. But one of his memories of returning to the role is far less intimidating. Nearly nine years after the film’s release, he shared a behind-the-scenes story that makes that scowl a lot harder to take seriously.
A Very Unwelcome Start To Filming
During his October 7 appearance on The Drew Barrymore Show, Gleeson was asked what first came to mind when he thought about Star Wars.
His answer was immediate: “Bedbugs.”
The problem started before he had even arrived for his first day shooting his second Star Wars movie, The Last Jedi. He had been staying in a hotel, and the night before work did not go well.
“I got eaten alive by bedbugs,” Gleeson recalled.
When he raised the problem, he remembered getting a response that only made things worse. The hotel denied having bedbugs and suggested he was imagining it. Gleeson was not buying that explanation.
“And that was a lie,” he added.
Then came the proposed fix. Rather than the response you would hope for after being bitten overnight, he was given a wardrobe suggestion.
“They suggested that I wear pajamas,” he said. “That was the solution to not being bitten.”
“That’s Why I Look So Angry, I Think”
The memory came straight back when Gleeson looked at a picture of himself in character during the interview.
“I just think I was probably really itchy that day,” he said.
Then, laughing, he offered his explanation for Hux’s expression: “That’s why I look so angry, I think.”
He followed it with: “That’s why I played it like that.”
Hux already had plenty to be furious about on screen. He was leading the First Order’s pursuit of the Resistance, answering to Snoke and dealing with Kylo Ren. Gleeson’s memory adds a much less grand problem to that imposing uniform: trying to get through work while itching after a miserable night in a hotel.
The Resistance could run from General Hux. Apparently, Gleeson could not get a peaceful night away from something much smaller.