Moon Knight Star Reflects On Working With Late Gaspard Ulliel
Moon Knight star May Calamawy fondly remembers her time on set with the late Gaspard Ulliel. The Marvel series, which premiered on Disney+ on March 30, 2022, is introducing a brand new hero to the MCU. Oscar Isaac plays the shy British museum gift shop employee Steven Grant, who learns he has multiple identities, including American mercenary Marc Spector, a hardened killer who channels the powers of the Egyptian moon god Khonshu to become the titular caped crusader. He must face off against the villainous cult leader Arthur Harrow (Ethan Hawke), who worships the goddess Ammit. May Calamawy also stars alongside Isaac as Spector's wife Layla, and episode 3 introduced Gaspard Ulliel as Anton Mogart, also known as Midnight Man.
Ulliel is a French actor who is best known for starring opposite Amélie's Audrey Tatou in the 2004 film A Very Long Engagement and playing a young Hannibal Lecter in the Silence of the Lambs prequel Hannibal Rising, which came out in 2007. Since the mid-2010s, Ulliel hasn't made a splash in the U.S., and Moon Knight was set to be his big return to the international stage. Unfortunately, in January 2022, the actor tragically passed away in a skiing accident at age 37 during a break while shooting the miniseries Tikkoun. Being the first episode where he appears, Moon Knight episode 3 is dedicated to Ulliel.
While speaking with EW about her role on Moon Knight, Calamawy discussed sharing the screen with Ulliel. A scene they share in the series took a week to film, so the actress had a lot of time with the late actor. She remembers him fondly, saying that even though he was quiet, he was " really funny," and "really committed to every moment that he was in." She says his death is "still such a shock" and she sends her love to his family, who he spoke of often while they worked together. Read her full quote below:
It's still such a shock. It's the true definition of a tragedy when I think of Gaspard. He was so friendly and warm. We had a week together where we filmed this one scene, and he had a really quiet demeanor to him. But when you'd talk to him, he was really funny, and he was really committed to every moment that he was in. It was fun to work off of him because he gave so much. He spoke about his family a lot, especially his son. So my love goes out to them.
The complete arc of Anton Mogart's character on Moon Knight is still unknown and will remain so until the series finale on May 4, 2022, although Calamawy's quote does lend credence to the theory that he won't be interacting with Layla very often after this episode. There has been no news about Marvel altering the series in any way, as it was completed before the death of Ulliel. Obviously, this tragic incident means that the character will not be reappearing in the MCU.
The entire Moon Knight cast and crew was rocked by this tragedy along with the rest of Ulliel's friends, family, and fans. Thankfully, if everyone had a similar experience to Calamawy, they will have fond memories of working with the actor to cherish. This kind of incident is never how anyone wants a strong working relationship to end, and it's remarkable how well they've been able to weather such an unexpected challenge.
Source: EW