Ethan Hawke Felt "Apprehensive" About Playing Villain, Arthur Harrow In 'Moon Knight'

Marvel Cinematic Universe has introduced fans to the live adaptation of one of their many super-powered fictional characters. Known to many as Moon Knight, the Marc Spector alter ego had only lived in the comic world and is finally getting its debut on the screen.

While "The Nativity Story" actor Oscar Isaac takes on the caped crusader role, the showrunners picked the "First Reformed" star, Ethan Hawke, for the iconic villain. A recent trailer showed that the actor plays a villainous role in the live-action series, making comic fans excited about his character.

Astonishingly, Hawke almost changed his mind about starring in the upcoming Disney+ series despite having much love for the franchise. Read on for more details about his reason.

Hawke recently had a sit down with Entertainment Weekly to herald his upcoming debut as an antagonist in the highly anticipated Disney+ series. He revealed that the comic book world had a place in his heart from an early age.

However, when the opportunity came for him to embody the role of one of such characters, the four-time Oscar nominee had a case of shaky nerves. "I was always a little apprehensive; there is a certain kind of actor that really excels in that universe, and I'm still not sure I'm one of them," Hawke admitted.

The actor only agreed to the part after his co-star and lead actor of "Moon Knight" asked him to star in the series. Apart from respecting Isaac's achievements in the industry, Hawke cited another reason while he chose to do the role.

"I knew that if he[Isaac] went in, he was going to go all in, and it's fun to do any genre with people who are all in," the actor added.

The upcoming series had the award-winning screenwriter and director Mohammed Diab directing the affairs behind the scenes. During the interview, Hawke revealed he loved watching Diab's films and called him "a special director."

Hawke then disclosed that after he decided to join the cast, he became vested in the role as he learned about the origin of the superhero character and the many possibilities that could spawn out of the storyline.

"And with Moon Knight, we get to create a world and a character. The fan in me always enjoys the first movie," Ethan Hawke explained. "I love learning about how the hell Captain America came to be — those are my favorite parts of the story."

Although fans had known that Hawke would star in the "Moon Knight," they only confirmed his actual character when Marvel dropped a recent trailer. The clip revealed that the actor portrays Arthur Harrow, a cult leader who tried to convince Oscar Isaac's character, Steven Grant, to embrace the voices and chaos in his head.

Looking at the comic universe, Moon Knight and Harrow's paths crossed when the cult leader stole papers from a secret Nazi experiment about "pain theory." The vigilante then went after Arthur to destroy his findings and rescue the innocent people he used to restart the experiments.

Despite this pre-existing notion from the comic book, Marvel did not confirm it as the storyline for the series. In the meantime, fans have started making speculations as the premiere date draws nearer.

Many fans believe that Harrow will portray the Sun King – one of Moon Knight's infamous adversaries. However, the only sure detail now is the character's representation as a cult leader.

Hawke told Entertainment Weekly how he drew his inspiration for the role. The actor revealed that he researched psychiatrist Carl Jung and cult leader David Koresh to help embody the script's concept.

"Your gut leads you," Hawke said. "The uber-rich villain mastermind isn't interesting to me. I love the ones who believe that they are a good person, and that's why they have to kill you. I find that really terrifying."

The action-packed series premieres on March 30 on Disney+.