Writers Ben Livingston and Hannah Shakespeare created the character of Colonel Hamilton, Emily’s father, to represent the burgeoning wealth of a still young country in the new movie ‘The raven’. “Hamilton is emblematic of America at that time,” says Livingston. “It was a pretty rough and tumble place.

The U.S. was at war on several fronts throughout the first half of the 19th century and men like Hamilton had fought in those wars and gone on to become wealthy industrialists. They thought that through sheer will they could make the world they wanted. But no matter how much power Hamilton wields, he can’t stop what is happening to his daughter.”

Irish actor Brendan Gleeson brings his tough patriarchal gravitas to the role. “He had a great sense of humor about Hamilton, which was important because Hamilton doesn’t really have much of a sense of humor about himself,” says director James McTeigue. “It would have been very easy to play him simply as an overbearing father figure. Brendan saw more. He brought the bluster, but there is also the softer side of the father who brought up his daughter without a mother. Brendan understood the depth that was hinted at in the script and brought it to life.”

“Hamilton is a moneyed elite,” says Gleeson, “But he is a self-made man accustomed to being in control. He had a naval career at one point and built himself him up through industry, so he’s not afraid to get his hands dirty when necessary. His daughter is his only heir and obviously the apple of his eye. He’s not used to being powerless in any situation, so Emily’s disappearance is very difficult for him.”

Hamilton sees Poe as a corrupting influence on his extraordinary only child. “In Hamilton’s opinion, Poe is feckless and essentially worthless,” says Gleeson. “It is not that he is simply an autocratic parent getting in the way of young love. He truly cares about his daughter. Hamilton isn’t in need of social approval, so he’s not looking for a ‘good’ match for her, but this man is, in his eyes, malign. The idea that his beautiful, mischievous daughter is going to be brought into dark and evil places is appalling for him. I think it would be for any parent.”

When Emily disappears, so does everything Hamilton values and he lashes out wherever he can. “It all turns to dust for him,” the actor says. “His initial response is to blame everyone else. He throws the anger and the guilt and the frustration on the police and particularly on Poe, whom he feels has visited this upon her. Everything he feared about Poe has come to pass in a way.”

The film’s deft combination of psychological thriller, romance and action helped bring the acclaimed actor to the role. “It has unexpected depth,” says Gleeson. “When I initially read it, I thought it could become essentially about the action, and the other issues might not get an airing. And so it has been fantastic to come and see James McTeigue take it to a more profound place.”

Screenwriter Ben Livingston says he couldn’t be happier with the casting of the ‘The Raven’. “When I write a script, I have a certain image in in my head that I try to put on the page when I’m describing the character for the first time. But this was the first time I’ve come on the set and thought, that’s exactly what I had in my head.”

Image Courtesy of   The Raven

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