Ethan Hawke is playing the antagonist Arthur Harrow in the upcoming Disney+ original, Moon Knight, which is set in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. This role is Hawke’s first venture into a superhero project, wherein he’ll be sharing the screen with Oscar Isaac, who plays the titular cult vigilante from the Marvel Comics. While Hawke is known for his eccentric roles in several independent films, as well as is a prolific writer; however, in surprising revelation from Moon Knight director Mohamed Diab, it turns out the actor never read the show’s script. And for an actor who goes into depth about his characters, it’s pretty much an unexpected move.

Mohamed Diab (via ScreenRant) opened up about how he approached Ethan Hawke with the idea wherein the latter would have had to sign up for the project without having a written script. Diab was aware of Hawke’s indie approaches to his characters, and that an actor signing up for the grand project backed by Marvel and Disney would be a big thing. Speaking on the pitch he gave to Hawke, the director said:

I want to say that Ethan and Oscar, when it came to the signing, Ethan is someone that is -- everyone sees him as this great, legendary, independent film actor, and joining the superhero world is something big. So when Oscar first approached him, and then I talked to him about it, we pitched him the idea, but I told him please don't read the script. Not that the script is bad, but when you work with him, you have to get from him.

The idea was to write Harrow’s character while in direct discussion with Hawke. It was Diab’s approach to getting all the attributes for Harrow from the actor’s mind itself, making his portrayal more personal, thorough, and methodological. On Hawke’s contribution to the character’s inception, Diab said:

Like, I think Harrow is his son, in a way, it's a ping pong between us all but definitely his son. So to trust us and sign without -- he told me this was the first time in 35 years that I signed something without reading a script. And he did it.

Ethan Hawke is a four-time Academy Award nominee, out of which two are for his writing work on Richard Linklater’s Before Sunset and Before Midnight. Given that he is an acclaimed writer and a believer in shaping up characters thoroughly in the script, his agreeing to not read the script for Moon Knight firsthand must have been a big leap for him, requiring immense passion and interest in Marvel Studios from his end.

Ethan Hawke Goes Evil In Moon Knight

Moon Knight will follow a Jewish-American mercenary, Marc Spector, who suffers from Dissociative Identity Disorder, causing him to struggle with his alternate selves. The trailers of the show already put him in a worse condition, where he’s suffering hallucinations, horrific fits, and blackouts. The man also loses all recollection of his actual self when his alternate identity, one of which is Steve Grant (a gift shop attendant), takes over. And to add to it, the man would have to face troubles caused by his adversary, Arthur Harrow (Hawke).

Hawke’s character, Arthur Harrow is a character the actor has based on several cult personalities such as David Koresh and is on an evil mission. He is depicted in trailers as a religious cult leader, who somehow can summon demons from hell. There’s no telling why he will take on Isaac’s vigilante and what demonic-anarchist plot he has derived. However, fans are more than eager to watch Hawke’s true character reveal; and fortunately, they’ll soon be on the journey as the show is set to premiere in less than a week.

Moon Knight will be a six-episode miniseries and will debut on Disney+ on March 30.