Gleeson plays a beloved father alongside Claire Foy in the new biographical drama film “H Is For Hawk.”
Actor Brendan Gleeson has stated that not all fathers are “toxic” and that he is “tired” of seeing fatherhood portrayed so badly on film.
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The 70-year-old actress, known from roles in “Harry Potter”, “In Bruges” and “The Banshees Of Inisherin”, stars alongside “The Crown” actress Claire Foy in the biographical drama film “H Is For Hawk”.
The film follows Cambridge academic Helen MacDonald (Foy) who, while dealing with the grief of her father’s death, builds an unlikely friendship with a stubborn hawk named Mabel.
During an event at the BFI London Film Festival on Sunday, Gleeson, who plays Helen’s beloved father Alisdair MacDonald, emphasized the importance of celebrating fatherhood on film.
“I think fathers have had a very hard time lately. And I don’t think that all fathers are toxic, and I don’t think anyone else does either,” Gleeson said.
“I think I suddenly got really tired of seeing fatherhood being portrayed as something that was almost an abuse, or that was toxic in a way, or kind of truncated where you had these emotionally inhibited people walking around and not being able to hug their children, or whatever it was.”
The film, which is based on Helen Macdonald’s memoir of the same name, centers around her grief for her father, which Gleeson says “says says so much more about what’s really important about fatherhood, and why the beauty of it needs to be celebrated.”
“I think young men need to see that. That needs to be reconfirmed,” he added.
“I really just want to celebrate fatherhood and how much and how deeply it affects things.
“I think this particular film is so beautiful in the way it tries to do just that. The memory of this man is that he was a proper, good man who gave love to his daughter.”
Speaking about his own experience with fatherhood, Gleeson added, “When I had my children, I realized that I no longer have the opportunity to be pessimistic. I committed myself to life. So optimism is now a duty, not a choice.”
Claire Foy also talks about the importance of showing fathers as a positive force.
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